SurfacedBy vs Profound
The $155M+ funded enterprise platform vs an affordable, self-serve alternative. Here's an honest look at what each delivers.
The Quick Verdict
Profound and SurfacedBy serve fundamentally different markets. Profound is an enterprise-focused platform backed by $155M+ in funding at a $1B valuation, offering exclusive prompt volume data and shopping visibility for large brands. But their Starter plan ($99/mo) only covers ChatGPT, Claude requires their Enterprise tier ($2,000+/mo), and reaching clearly actionable insight takes a 1 to 3 month ramp. SurfacedBy starts at $25/mo with 3 AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity), adds Claude and Google AI Mode on Professional, provides a free audit with instant results, and delivers a closed loop that goes beyond recommendations to content, community engagement, and publisher outreach you approve. If you're a Fortune 500 brand that needs prompt volume data and has enterprise budget, Profound is the category leader. For everyone else, SurfacedBy provides deeper actionable insights at a fraction of the cost.
Feature Comparison
How the two platforms compare across monitoring, analytics, pricing, and integrations.
| Feature | SurfacedBy | Profound |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | ||
| AI platforms monitored | 5 included by tier | 1 on Starter ($99), 3 on Growth ($399), 10+ on Enterprise ($2K+) |
| Claude (Anthropic) tracking | All paid plans | Enterprise only ($2,000+/mo) |
| Google AI Mode | Professional+ | Enterprise only |
| Check frequency | Daily Check + Full Check | Daily refresh |
| Analytics & Insights | ||
| AI Visibility Score | ||
| Citation tracking | ||
| Prompt volume data (real search volumes) | Enterprise only | |
| Shopping Visibility (product recs) | ChatGPT only | |
| AI Content Readiness Score | Automated on every scan (30 to 250 pages per domain) | |
| Actionable recommendations | 8 types with action steps | |
| Executive Brief | ||
| Weekly Action Brief | ||
| Read actual AI responses | ||
| Pricing & Access | ||
| Starting price | $25/mo (3 platforms) | $99/mo (ChatGPT only) |
| Self-serve signup | Starter and Growth self-serve; Enterprise sales-led | |
| Free audit (no sign-up) | 30 real checks, instant | Gated AEO report (lead gen) |
| Time to first data | Under 5 minutes | 1 to 3 month implementation |
| Free trial | 7 days | Growth only |
| Integrations & Extras | ||
| GSC + GA4 integration | GSC + GA4 | GSC via Agents (Enterprise) |
| Bot crawl monitoring | All plans (which AI bots crawl, per page) | Agent Analytics |
| AI content generation | 3/mo (Growth), unlimited (Enterprise) | |
| Data exports | ||
| API access | Professional (read), Agency (read + write). On-demand scans for anyone via SurfacedBy Console. | Enterprise only |
Monitoring
AI platforms monitored
Claude (Anthropic) tracking
Google AI Mode
Check frequency
Analytics & Insights
AI Visibility Score
Citation tracking
Prompt volume data (real search volumes)
Shopping Visibility (product recs)
AI Content Readiness Score
Actionable recommendations
Executive Brief
Weekly Action Brief
Read actual AI responses
Pricing & Access
Starting price
Self-serve signup
Free audit (no sign-up)
Time to first data
Free trial
Integrations & Extras
GSC + GA4 integration
Bot crawl monitoring
AI content generation
Data exports
API access
Pricing Comparison
SurfacedBy starts at $25/mo with 3 AI platforms. Profound starts at $99/mo with ChatGPT only.
SurfacedBy
Self-serve, instant access
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.
Profound
Enterprise sales-led, multi-week ramp
50 prompts , ChatGPT only , Self-serve
100 prompts , 3 platforms , 3 articles/mo , Free trial
10+ platforms , Prompt volumes , Full API + SSO
Enterprise is sales-led; Growth has a free trial. Reaching clear value takes a 1 to 3 month ramp.
SurfacedBy gives you 3 AI platforms for $25/mo. Profound gives you 1 platform (ChatGPT) for $99/mo.
Where SurfacedBy leads
Instant Self-Serve Access
Sign up, run a free audit, and get results in under 5 minutes. No enterprise sales process, no multi-week ramp. Start today.
3 Platforms for $25/mo
SurfacedBy includes ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity on the $25/mo Starter. Profound charges $99/mo for ChatGPT alone. Claude and Google AI Mode are on our Professional plan at $179/mo; Profound puts Claude behind their $2,000+/mo Enterprise plan.
Actionable Recommendations
8 research-backed recommendation types, executive briefs, and weekly action plans. Profound monitors visibility but does not provide structured optimization guidance.
Where Profound leads
Exclusive Prompt Volume Data
Real search volume data from consumer panels showing how many people ask specific questions to AI platforms. No other tool offers this. Available on Enterprise ($2,000+/mo).
Shopping Visibility & Bot Analytics
Track your brand in ChatGPT Shopping recommendations at the SKU level. Plus Agent Analytics for server-side bot crawl monitoring across your site.
Which one should you choose?
Choose SurfacedBy if...
- You want to start today for $25/mo instead of $99/mo
- You need more than just ChatGPT on your entry plan
- You want full self-serve without an enterprise sales process
- You want actionable recommendations, not just monitoring data
- You want results in 5 minutes, not a multi-week rollout
- You need Claude monitoring without paying $2,000+/mo
Choose Profound if...
- You need real prompt volume data from consumer panels
- You want Shopping Visibility for ChatGPT product recommendations
- You want AI-generated content articles built into the platform
- You're a Fortune 500 brand with enterprise budget and dedicated support needs
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
Can I sign up for Profound without a sales call?
Profound's Starter and Growth plans are now self-serve, with a free trial on Growth. Only the Enterprise tier (where Claude, Google AI Mode, and prompt volume data live) requires a sales call, and that tier takes a 1 to 3 month ramp before insights are clearly actionable. SurfacedBy is fully self-serve at every tier: sign up, run a free audit, and see results in under 5 minutes.
What is Profound's prompt volume data?
Profound offers exclusive prompt volume data sourced from double opt-in consumer panels. It shows how many people are asking specific questions to AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity. This data is only available on their Enterprise plan ($2,000+/mo). No other AI visibility tool currently offers this type of data.
Why is Profound's Starter plan ChatGPT-only?
Profound's Starter plan ($99/mo) monitors ChatGPT and nothing else. Their Growth plan ($399/mo) adds Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Claude, Gemini, and all other platforms require their Enterprise plan ($2,000+/mo). SurfacedBy includes ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity on the $25/mo Starter, then adds Claude and Google AI Mode on the $179/mo Professional plan.
Is Profound worth the price?
For Fortune 500 brands with dedicated budgets and a need for prompt volume data or shopping visibility, Profound is the category leader. For startups, growing SaaS companies, and brand owners who want actionable AI visibility insights without enterprise pricing or sales processes, SurfacedBy delivers significantly more value per dollar.
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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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