CitePulse review (2026): is the free plan enough?
AI answer scans scored on one citation visibility index
CitePulse report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 24, 2026
Best for one citation score per AI engine
CitePulse puts your prompts to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Google's AI Overviews and other engines, and rolls the results into one Citation Visibility Index per engine. But every self-serve plan covers one brand, Starter follows one competitor and has no API, and scans stop when the month's allowance runs out. The trial's length isn't stated.
Who CitePulse is for
- Fits if you report on one brand and want a single score per AI engine
- Works for high-volume teams that want to run scans on their own model API keys, from Scale
Who CitePulse is not for
- Skip it if you run several brands, as each self-serve plan covers one and more need Enterprise
- Tight if you scan a lot, since scans pause when the monthly allowance runs out until the next cycle
- Pricey if you need the API or full competitor tracking, which start on Professional at $80 a month billed yearly
- Watch out: free trials of paid plans are offered, but the page doesn't say how long they last
- Not for you if you want site audits or content workflows, which sit on the custom Enterprise plan
Why CitePulse gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyStarter is $40 a month billed yearly, or $50 monthly, for 50 scans on 1 brand with 1 competitor. That's between this category's cheaper quarter at $29 and its $49 middle.
- CFree plan and trialA free plan with no card: 5 scans a month on all tracked engines for 1 brand, with basic reports. Paid plans have a free trial too, of unstated length. Five scans a month is a cap you'll hit.
- CFeaturesScans that score mentions, citations and recommendations per engine, citation share, competitor coverage and a free page readiness check. The gaps are in the listing: one brand per plan, and site auditing sits on Enterprise.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. You set target prompts and ration scans across the month, since they pause when the allowance runs out.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no desktop or phone app and no ready-made integrations. An API comes from Professional at $80 a month billed yearly.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from CitePulse's own pages on 23 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/citepulse#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/citepulse.svg" alt="CitePulse: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where CitePulse stands among AI search visibility tools
CitePulse's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 68 of the 157 other AI search visibility tools we grade, and level with 56.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 51 of 157) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $40 a month, against a middle price of $59 for the category: 50 of the 128 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 10 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 158 AI search visibility tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. CitePulse’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 19 of 157, level with 100
- CFree plan and trialAbove 63 of 157, level with 88
- CFeaturesAbove 6 of 157, level with 118
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 157, level with 145
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 51 of 157, level with 106
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 131 AI search visibility tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep CitePulse, or make your own?
Keep it
Nothing CitePulse does is plain enough to make in a weekend. The 3 things listed below take a company.
It costs $480 a year.
What you could not
- The same prompts asked of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers every day, and the answers kept.
- A crawler that checks every page of a site.
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. CitePulse’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is CitePulse?
CitePulse runs scans that ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Google AI Overviews and other engines a brand's target prompts, then reports how often the brand is mentioned, cited and recommended as a Citation Visibility Index, with citation share and competitor coverage. A free page check looks at structured data, AI crawler access and answer readiness. Plans are sold by scans per month for one brand.
Worth knowing
- Every self-serve plan covers one brand; several brands, site auditing and Content Lab workflows are listed under the custom Enterprise plan.
- Scans pause when the monthly allowance runs out, until the next billing cycle or an upgrade.
- Starter tracks a single competitor and has no API access; the API starts at Professional.
- The pricing page offers free trials on paid plans but does not say how long they last.
Key features
- AI visibility scans
- Each scan asks the configured AI engines your target prompts and analyzes whether the brand is mentioned, cited, trusted and recommended.
- Citation Visibility Index
- A single score per engine and overall, tracked over time alongside citation share, mention depth and answer coverage.
- Competitor tracking
- Shows which competitors the answers recommend instead; Starter follows 1 competitor and Professional and Scale track them fully.
- Free readiness check
- Checks a page's structured data, AI crawler access, retrieval signals and answer readiness in about 30 seconds, with no signup.
- Coverage matrix and mention depth
- Scale adds a heatmap of which engines answer which prompts and a deeper read of how the brand is mentioned.
- Bring your own keys
- Scale can run scans on the team's own model provider API keys to control cost; other plans use keys managed by CitePulse.
CitePulse pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, CitePulse has a free plan, and paid plans start at $40 per month, billed annually ($50 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $40 per month, billed annually ($50 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- 5 AI visibility scans a month for 1 brand on all tracked engines, with basic reporting and community support. No card needed.
- Free trial
- Free trial of paid plans; length not stated
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 scans a month, 1 brand, all tracked engines, CVI scoring and basic reporting for 1 team member. |
| Starter | $40per month for 50 scans, billed annually ($50 billed monthly) | 1 brand, 1 competitor tracked, scans run on keys managed by CitePulse, and email support. |
| Professional | $80per month for 200 scans, billed annually ($100 billed monthly) | 1 brand with full competitor tracking, advanced analytics, API access, 5 team members and priority support. |
| Scale | $200per month for 1,000 scans, billed annually ($250 billed monthly) | 1 brand, mention depth analysis, a coverage heatmap, 15 team members and the option to bring your own model API keys. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Several brands, site auditing, Content Lab workflows, custom reporting, API access and rollout support. Sold through sales. |
Read from citepulse.io on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with CitePulse before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave 20% with annual billing
CitePulse's pricing page lists annual billing at 20% off: Starter $40, Professional $80 and Scale $200 a month, against $50, $100 and $250 monthly.
Stated on citepulse.io
CitePulse alternatives
- CitePulse vs Otterly.AI
Free trial · from $25/mo
- CitePulse vs Peec AI
Free trial · from $95/mo
- CitePulse vs Rankscale AI
Free trial · from $17/mo
- CitePulse vs LLMrefs
Free trial · from $79/mo
- CitePulse vs PromptScout
From $15/mo
Common questions
Does CitePulse have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. CitePulse is listed for Web.
Does CitePulse have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. CitePulse is listed for Web.
Is CitePulse open source?
CitePulse is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 23, 2026.
Does CitePulse have an API?
Yes. CitePulse offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 23, 2026.