Elmo review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source AI visibility tracker, self-hosted free or as a cloud app
Elmo report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 24, 2026
Best for self-hosted AI visibility tracking
Elmo is open source: you can run it free on your own server, or pay for the cloud version, which has unlimited seats and an API and MCP server on every plan. But the $29 cloud plan covers ChatGPT only, once a day, other engines start at $99, and self-hosting means running Docker and paying for your own servers and AI keys.
Who Elmo is for
- Fits if your prompt data must stay on your own servers and you can run Docker
- Works for developer teams that want an API, SDKs and MCP on every plan
Who Elmo is not for
- Skip it if you need more than ChatGPT for under $99 a month, as Starter covers ChatGPT only, once a day
- Not for you if you can't run servers, since the free edition is self-hosted and the hosting and AI API keys are on you
- Watch out: cloud plans cover any 4 platforms, and Claude (web) and Grok (web) are Pro and up, with extra pairings at $5 a month each
- Pricey if you track several brands, as 2 brands need Pro at $299 a month and 5 need Business at $649
Why Elmo 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 $29 a month for 50 prompts, at the edge of this category's cheaper quarter, but it's ChatGPT only, once a day. Four engines and 4 checks a day start at Basic for $99, above the dearer quarter at $95. Self-hosting is free, but you pay for servers and API keys.
- CFree plan and trialNo free cloud plan or trial. The free edition is the full product with unlimited prompts, but you host it yourself with Docker and pay for the servers and the AI providers' API keys.
- CFeaturesVisibility, share of voice, sentiment, position, citations and the searches a model ran, read from real chat screens or APIs, plus prompt suggestions. The gap the listing names: cloud plans cover any 4 platforms, and Claude (web) and Grok (web) start at Pro.
- CEase of useNo rating on record. The cloud app suggests prompts, but you still choose four platforms and what to track. The free edition needs Docker, a CLI and your own PostgreSQL database.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. Every plan has a REST API with TypeScript and Python SDKs and an MCP server for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and VS Code.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Elmo'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/elmo#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/elmo.svg" alt="Elmo: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Elmo stands among AI search visibility tools
Elmo'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 $29 a month, against a middle price of $59 for the category: 22 of the 128 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 6 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. Elmo’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 Elmo, or make your own?
Keep it
The plain part of Elmo you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 2 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It costs $348 a year. Elmo is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- The same prompts asked of ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI answers every day, and the answers kept.
- It plugs into other products, OpenRouter, PostgreSQL and Docker among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Elmo’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 Elmo?
Elmo tracks how ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude and other models mention a brand, which competitors appear beside it and which sources they cite. Consumer apps are read from their real interfaces and other models through their APIs. The MIT-licensed code can be self-hosted for free, and Elmo Cloud is a hosted version with self-serve plans and unlimited seats.
Worth knowing
- Starter tracks ChatGPT only, once a day; other engines and 4 daily checks start at Basic for $99 a month.
- Paid cloud plans cover any 4 platforms; premium models such as Claude (web) and Grok (web) are Pro and up, with extra pairings at $5 a month each.
- Self-hosting is free but you pay for your own servers and for the AI provider API keys it uses.
- White-label deployments for agencies are quoted on request.
Key features
- Visibility, share of voice and sentiment
- Each prompt gets a visibility score from 0 to 100%, plus share of voice against competitors, a sentiment score and the brand's position in the answer.
- Real interfaces and APIs
- ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Perplexity and other consumer apps are scraped from the screens users see; Qwen, DeepSeek, Mistral and Claude are queried through their APIs.
- Citation and search analysis
- Breaks each answer into the domains and URLs cited and the web searches the model ran to find them.
- Prompt Wizard
- Suggests the questions buyers are likely to ask, based on the site's products, competitors and personas, and starts tracking them.
- REST API and MCP server
- Every plan includes a REST API with TypeScript and Python SDKs, and an MCP server for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and VS Code.
- Self-hosting
- Runs as a Docker Compose stack set up with a CLI, storing brands, prompts and answers in your own PostgreSQL database.
Elmo pricing
As of Oct 23, 2026, Elmo has a free plan, and paid plans start at $29 per month for 50 prompts on ChatGPT, billed monthly.
- Starts at
- $29 per month for 50 prompts on ChatGPT, billed monthly
- Free plan
- The self-hosted edition is free and open source, with unlimited prompts and every model; you pay for your own servers and AI provider API keys.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | $0 | The same product on your own servers via Docker, with unlimited prompts and any model. You host it yourself. |
| Starter | $29per month for 50 prompts on ChatGPT only, billed monthly | 1 brand, each prompt checked once a day in ChatGPT, unlimited seats, and API and MCP access. |
| Basic | $99per month for 50 prompts on 4 AI platforms, billed monthly | 1 brand, with prompts checked 4 times a day on any 4 platforms picked from ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, Copilot, Perplexity, Gemini and others. |
| Pro | $299per month for 150 prompts on 4 AI platforms, billed monthly | 2 brands, checks 4 times a day, plus 20 daily premium pairings on Claude (web), GPT Search or Grok (web). |
| Business | $649per month for 350 prompts on 4 AI platforms, billed monthly | 5 brands, checks 4 times a day, plus 30 daily premium prompt and model pairings. |
| Custom | Custom | More brands, custom prompt limits, more frequent sampling and any models, by contract. |
Read from elmohq.com on Oct 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Elmo before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountTwo months free with annual billing
Elmo's pricing page says annual billing saves two months: Starter is $290 a year instead of $29 a month, and Basic $990 instead of $99 a month.
Stated on elmohq.com
Works with
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Common questions
Does Elmo have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Elmo is listed for Web.
Does Elmo have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 23, 2026. Elmo is listed for Web.
Is Elmo open source?
Yes. Elmo is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Elmo have an API?
Yes. Elmo 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.