How do I calculate the planned number of responses for a measurement basket?

With a single brand, 50 prompts, three platforms, and one daily measurement over 30 days, the planned number of responses is 50 × 3 × 30 = 4,500. This figure does not represent any vendor's billing method; 'prompt', 'check', 'run', and 'response' can be different units in different products.

How do I calculate the real monthly cost?

Real monthly cost = subscription + coverage add-ons + team access + operational time. Coverage add-ons can be extra models, extra projects, or report connections; operational time is the time spent merging exports, fixing incorrect brand matches, and preparing the report.

What should I check before buying?

Verify three things: whether the starter plan includes the platform you need, whether you can actually use the data by opening a sample response with its source URL and measurement date, and how much the next growth step (a second brand, a second country, or double the prompts) will cost.

AI Visibility Tools Pricing: How to Calculate the Real Cost

Q: What should I look at first when comparing AI visibility tools?

Look at the measurement coverage you are buying before the monthly fee. How many prompts are checked, on which AI platforms, how often, and for how many brands determines the total cost. Two plans with similar starting prices can produce different amounts of data by the end of the month.

When comparing the price of AI visibility tools, look at the measurement coverage you are buying before the monthly fee. How many prompts are checked, on which AI platforms, how often, and for how many brands determines the total cost. Two plans with similar starting prices can produce different amounts of data and a different workload by the end of the month.

This guide offers a method for turning price tags into equivalent usage scenarios. The goal is not to crown the cheapest tool; it is to calculate the cost of the coverage you need, including subscription, add-on usage, and team time.

Transparency note: This article is published by Maya AI, which is included in the comparison. Product information was verified from official pages on September 14, 2026. The amounts in the table are in US dollars; annual discounts, taxes, and additional services are not included.

Starting prices of AI visibility tools

Product and compared offer	Monthly amount	What to keep in mind when reading this amount
OtterlyAI Lite	$29	Starter plan including 15 search prompts
Peec AI Starter	$95	50 prompts, 3 selected models, and 1 project
Profound Starter	$99	50 prompts and ChatGPT tracking only
Maya Starter	$99	60 prompts and 3 selected models
Semrush Starter, SEO + AI Search	$199	Plan bundled with SEO tools; not the same product basket as a standalone AI tracking plan
Ahrefs Brand Radar, custom prompt tracking	From $50	Custom prompt tracking; AI Visibility Index is a separate offer

Sources: OtterlyAI, Peec AI, Profound, Maya, Semrush, Ahrefs.

This table is a summary of starting prices, not an equal-coverage performance comparison. For example, directly dividing the price tag of a ChatGPT-focused plan and one that collects results from three models will not tell you whether your needs are met. You should also not assume that Ahrefs' index of pre-collected answers with custom prompt tracking is the same kind of usage right.

First, define a single measurement basket

Bring the same need to every tool. A sample basket might look like this:

A single brand and a single target country.
50 prompts prepared in English.
Three separate AI platforms.
One measurement per day, over a 30-day period.
Three team members and one client report at the end of the month.

With these assumptions, the planned number of responses is 50 × 3 × 30 = 4,500. This calculation does not represent any vendor's billing method. "Prompt", "check", "run", and "response" can be different units in different products. Credit consumption can also vary by provider.

Ask the vendor to complete this sentence in their quote: "In this plan, the 50 prompts I defined will run daily for 30 days across the three platforms I selected." Then check how failed attempts, repeats, and additional country variants count against the quota.

Use four line items for the real monthly cost

Real monthly cost = subscription + coverage add-ons + team access + operational time.

Coverage add-ons can be an extra model, an extra project, an additional check, or a report connection. Operational time is the time spent merging exports, fixing incorrect brand matches, and preparing the report.

The calculation below is entirely an example; it is not the price or performance of any product:

Line item	Option A	Option B
Subscription	$100	$180
Extra coverage	$60	$0
Extra user	$20	$0
Monthly reporting effort	4 hours	1 hour
Total at $30/hour internal cost	$300	$210

A more expensive subscription can be cheaper overall. But rather than assuming this result, measure it by preparing the same report with both tools. A few-minute demo may not represent the real work at the end of the month.

When should you increase the budget?

A new platform or more frequent scanning makes sense if it leads you to a different decision. For a small team doing weekly content reviews, running each prompt four times a day may not be the first need. In contrast, for an agency managing many clients, the need for project separation and reporting can be more decisive than the total number of prompts.

First, build the core coverage that answers the question "which prompts are we not showing up for?" Then add the missing country, platform, or use case. Filling the quota with small wording changes to the same prompt does not mean you are measuring a new client need.

Three checks before you buy

Is the starter plan enough? It is not enough that the platform you need is supported across the product; it must be included in the plan you choose.

Can you use the data? Open a sample response, its source URL, and its measurement date. See how the result carries over into the report.

How much is the next growth step? Ask for the total that results when you add a second brand, a second country, or double the prompts. Today's affordable price can change with the next client.

To evaluate the use cases of these tools, see the AI visibility tools comparison, and for client-based budgeting, see the agency tools guide.

To evaluate Maya with your own measurement basket, review the current plans. Base your decision not on the starting price, but on the total coverage that meets your needs.