SurfacedBy vs AthenaHQ
Two action-oriented AI visibility platforms: SurfacedBy at a flat $25/mo entry, AthenaHQ at a credit-metered $295/mo paid entry with a free starter plan. Here is how they actually differ.
The Quick Verdict
AthenaHQ is one of the few competitors that shares SurfacedBy's core belief: monitoring is worthless without action. Their Action Center turns AI visibility data into an assignable task queue, and the ACE engine predicts citation probability for Enterprise customers. The difference is price and predictability. AthenaHQ's paid plan starts at $295/mo on a credit-metered model (1 credit = 1 AI response), so heavy monitoring can push the bill above the sticker price, and API access costs extra even on Starter. SurfacedBy starts at $25/mo flat, includes executive briefs and weekly action plans on every paid tier, ships native conversion attribution, and goes beyond a task list into a closed loop of content, community engagement, and publisher outreach you approve. If you want unlimited seats and citation-probability scoring with enterprise budget, AthenaHQ is a serious option. If you want action-oriented AI visibility at a predictable price, SurfacedBy delivers the loop for a fraction of the cost.
Feature Comparison
How the two platforms compare across monitoring, insights, pricing, and integrations.
| Feature | SurfacedBy | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | ||
| AI platforms monitored | 5 included by tier | 8 named (free plan covers 5) |
| Claude (Anthropic) tracking | All paid plans | All plans (including free) |
| Google AI Mode | Professional+ | |
| Check frequency | Daily Check + Full Check | Credit-metered (1 credit = 1 AI response) |
| Prompts tracked | Up to 350 | 300 (free) to 3,600 (Starter) response credits/mo |
| Analytics & Insights | ||
| AI Visibility Score | Share of voice | |
| Citation tracking | ||
| Sentiment Analysis | Full breakdown | |
| Citation-probability prediction | ACE (Enterprise only) | |
| AI Content Readiness Score | Automated on every scan (30 to 250 pages per domain) | |
| Actionable recommendations | 8 types with action steps | Action Center task queue (on/off-page) |
| Executive Brief | BI dashboards (Enterprise) | |
| Weekly Action Brief | ||
| Read actual AI responses | ||
| Pricing & Access | ||
| Starting paid price | $25/mo | $295/mo |
| Free tier | 30 real checks, 3 platforms | Free plan (300 credits) + free audit |
| Predictable flat monthly cost | Credit-metered (usage can exceed the floor) | |
| Free trial | 7 days | Free plan instead of a trial |
| Self-serve signup | Essential + Starter; Enterprise sales-led | |
| Integrations & Extras | ||
| GSC + GA4 integration | GSC + GA4 | GA4 + GSC + Shopify, Webflow, Framer |
| Conversion attribution (purchases tied to the AI source) | All paid plans (first-party cookie) | Via GA4 + Shopify |
| Multi-country tracking | 12 countries (per-prompt) | 60+ countries (Enterprise) |
| Workspaces and team roles | Owner / admin / editor / viewer on every paid plan | Unlimited members on all plans |
| API access | Professional (read), Agency (read + write). On-demand scans for anyone via SurfacedBy Console. | Paid add-on on Starter |
| Data exports | CSV (Starter+) | |
Monitoring
AI platforms monitored
Claude (Anthropic) tracking
Google AI Mode
Check frequency
Prompts tracked
Analytics & Insights
AI Visibility Score
Citation tracking
Sentiment Analysis
Citation-probability prediction
AI Content Readiness Score
Actionable recommendations
Executive Brief
Weekly Action Brief
Read actual AI responses
Pricing & Access
Starting paid price
Free tier
Predictable flat monthly cost
Free trial
Self-serve signup
Integrations & Extras
GSC + GA4 integration
Conversion attribution (purchases tied to the AI source)
Multi-country tracking
Workspaces and team roles
API access
Data exports
Pricing Comparison
SurfacedBy is flat-priced from $25/mo. AthenaHQ is free to start, then credit-metered from $295/mo.
SurfacedBy
Flat, predictable pricing
1 domain , 15 prompts , 3 platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity) , Daily Check + Full Check
5 domains , 100 prompts , All 5 platforms (adds Claude + AI Mode) + AI Overviews , Content, community + outreach
10 fully monitored domains , 350 prompts , All 5 platforms + AI Overviews , Command center + read/write API
All plans include a 7-day free trial. Free audit with 30 real AI checks across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.
AthenaHQ
Credit-metered (1 credit = 1 AI response)
300 credits/mo , 5 AI models , Unlimited members
3,600 credits/mo , 9 models , CSV export , API costs extra
ACE citation engine , SSO + audit logs , 60+ countries , BI tools
Y Combinator W25, $2.7M raised. Credits meter every AI response, so heavy usage can exceed the sticker price.
SurfacedBy's paid entry is roughly 1/12th of AthenaHQ's ($25/mo flat vs $295/mo credit-metered).
Where SurfacedBy leads
Flat, Predictable Pricing
Every plan is a fixed monthly price. AthenaHQ meters every AI response against a credit pool, so $295/mo is a floor, not a ceiling.
Briefs and Weekly Plans
Executive briefs and weekly action plans ship on every paid tier, alongside 8 recommendation types with specific action steps.
Revenue Attribution Included
Native conversion attribution ties AI traffic to actual purchases on all paid plans. AthenaHQ assembles attribution from GA4 and Shopify.
Where AthenaHQ leads
Free Plan + Unlimited Seats
A genuinely free monitoring plan (300 responses/mo across 5 models) and unlimited team members on every tier, which agencies and large teams will appreciate.
ACE Citation Prediction
The Athena Citation Engine scores how likely AI systems are to cite a page before you publish, plus Copilot and Grok tracking and 60+ countries on Enterprise.
Which one should you choose?
Choose SurfacedBy if...
- You want a paid plan at $25/mo instead of $295/mo
- You want a flat, predictable price instead of credit-metered billing
- You want executive briefs and weekly action plans on every paid tier
- You want conversion attribution (AI traffic to revenue) included, not assembled from GA4
- You want the closed loop: content, community engagement, and publisher outreach you approve
- You want API access included on Professional, not sold as an add-on
Choose AthenaHQ if...
- You want a genuinely free plan for light monitoring (300 responses/mo)
- You need unlimited team members on every plan
- You want citation-probability prediction (ACE) and have Enterprise budget
- You need Copilot and Grok tracking
- You need 60+ country coverage at the Enterprise tier
SurfacedBy is our own product. We've done our best to represent competitors accurately based on their public pricing pages and documentation as of June 2026. We encourage you to try each tool yourself. Pricing and features may have changed since publication.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does AthenaHQ cost?
AthenaHQ has a free Essential plan (300 response credits per month across 5 AI models), a Starter plan at $295/mo with 3,600 credits, and a custom-priced Enterprise tier. Billing is credit-metered: 1 credit equals 1 AI response, so heavy usage can exceed the sticker price, and API access is a paid add-on on Starter. SurfacedBy starts at $25/mo flat.
What are the best AthenaHQ alternatives?
SurfacedBy is the closest alternative for teams that want action-oriented AI visibility at a predictable price: $25/mo flat instead of a $295/mo credit-metered floor, with executive briefs, weekly action plans, and conversion attribution included. Other alternatives include Peec AI (multi-country analytics), Profound (enterprise prompt volume data), and Rankscale (budget-tunable tracking).
Is AthenaHQ worth $295 a month?
AthenaHQ's Action Center genuinely converts monitoring into an assignable task queue, and its free plan is a low-risk way to test it. The $295/mo Starter makes sense for teams that will work that queue daily and need unlimited seats. If you want prescriptive recommendations, briefs, and revenue attribution at a lower, flat price, SurfacedBy covers that from $25/mo.
What does AthenaHQ offer that SurfacedBy doesn't?
AthenaHQ offers a genuinely free monitoring plan (300 responses/mo), unlimited team members on every plan, Copilot and Grok tracking, ACE citation-probability prediction on Enterprise, and 60+ country coverage at the Enterprise tier.
What does SurfacedBy offer that AthenaHQ doesn't?
SurfacedBy offers a flat predictable price from $25/mo, executive briefs and weekly action plans, an AI Content Readiness score automated on every scan, native conversion attribution tying AI traffic to revenue, API access included on Professional, and a closed loop of content, community engagement, and publisher outreach you approve. AthenaHQ meters usage by credits and gates its best features to Enterprise.
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Measurement is not enough. Fix it and prove it.
SurfacedBy measures where you stand, does the content and outreach to close the gaps, and proves the revenue it drives.
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