AI Competitor Tracking Tools: Semrush vs Otterly vs Searchify

Introduction: The New Battlefield is AI Visibility

Customer behavior is undergoing a fundamental shift. Instead of piecing together information from multiple websites, users are increasingly turning to AI models like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews for direct answers and product recommendations. Research shows that about 60% of searches now end without the user clicking through to a website, as their questions are answered directly by the AI summary [1]. This new reality demands a new metric for success: AI visibility.

AI visibility measures your brand's presence, accuracy, and favorability within these AI-generated responses. It answers the critical questions: Is your brand mentioned? Is the information correct? Are you recommended over your competitors? Traditional SEO competitor tracking, which focuses on keyword rankings and backlink counts, is no longer sufficient. AI engines synthesize information from many sources, making it a battle for citation and positive inclusion, not just a top-ranking spot [2].

For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), navigating this new landscape is critical. This article will help you choose the right tools for the job by comparing three distinct platforms designed to track and improve your AI visibility.

The Contenders: A Look at the Tool Showdown

To understand the options available, we're putting three platforms in a head-to-head showdown, each representing a different approach to AI visibility.

• The SEO Giant (Semrush): An established, all-in-one SEO platform that has been a staple for marketers for years. It has recently started integrating AI-related features into its massive suite of tools.
• The AI Specialist (Otterly.AI): A dedicated platform built specifically to address the new challenges of AI Search Optimization (AISO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
• The Action-Oriented SMB Platform (Searchify): A specialized AI visibility platform built from the ground up for SMBs. Searchify focuses on delivering actionable insights and offers a unique optional service model to help businesses execute.

Round 1: Affordability and SMB Budgets

For any SMB, budget is a primary concern. Marketing tools must deliver a clear return on investment without breaking the bank, a common challenge for small businesses with limited resources [3].

Semrush

Semrush is a powerhouse, but its power comes at a price. Its tiered plans, starting around $140/month for the Pro plan and scaling to $500/month for the Business plan, are designed for comprehensive SEO and marketing campaigns [4]. For an SMB focused solely on AI visibility, this means paying for a vast suite of features—from social media management to PPC tools—that may go unused. The AI-specific features often come as add-ons or are included in higher-tier plans, making it a potentially costly entry point for a focused AI visibility strategy.

Otterly.AI

As a specialized tool, Otterly.AI offers a more focused pricing model. With plans reportedly starting at $189/month, it provides dedicated features for AI search monitoring [5]. This is more direct than Semrush's bundled approach, allowing businesses to invest specifically in AI visibility. However, the cost is still a significant consideration for smaller businesses that need to ensure every dollar is working toward a tangible outcome.

Searchify

Searchify was designed with SMB budgets in mind. The platform offers clear, transparent pricing tiers built specifically for teams that need to focus their resources on improving AI visibility. By avoiding the cost of bundled, unnecessary tools, Searchify provides a cost-effective, purpose-built solution. This allows SMBs to invest directly in monitoring and improving how they appear in AI-generated answers without paying for a bloated, all-in-one platform.

Round 2: Ease of Use and Actionability of Insights

Data is useless without a clear path to action. SMBs, often short on time and specialized expertise, need a platform that provides clear recommendations, not just complex dashboards. The best tool translates raw data into a prioritized to-do list.

Semrush

Semrush provides an incredible depth of data, but its interface can be overwhelming for non-specialists. For a small business owner or a small marketing team, navigating the platform to find AI-specific insights and then translating that data into a concrete action plan can be a significant challenge. The platform is powerful in the hands of an expert, but it requires a steep learning curve to extract actionable AI visibility strategies.

Otterly.AI

Otterly.AI is praised for its detailed audits and brand presence tracking [6]. However, some reviews note that its interface can have a steeper learning curve due to disconnected charts and that it's best suited for teams with the internal resources to interpret and act on the audit findings. While it provides valuable data, the path from insight to implementation may not always be straightforward for resource-strapped teams.

Searchify

Searchify is built around its Action Center. This feature is the core of the platform and directly addresses the need for actionability. Instead of just reporting on your AI visibility, Searchify analyzes the data and automatically generates a prioritized list of tasks to improve it. As detailed in the AISO Action Center Framework, these tasks range from technical site fixes to content gap recommendations, giving SMBs a clear, step-by-step playbook for improving their presence in AI search.

Round 3: Hands-On Support and Managed Services

A common pain point for SMBs is the lack of time and in-house expertise to execute on marketing strategies [7]. Even with a clear action plan, finding the resources to implement technical SEO changes or create targeted content can be a major hurdle.

Semrush

Semrush offers standard platform support to help users navigate its tools. However, it does not provide integrated services to perform the strategic work required for AI visibility. The execution—fixing technical issues, writing new content, conducting outreach—is left entirely to the user. This model assumes the business has the internal capacity or agency partners to do the work.

Otterly.AI

Otterly.AI is positioned as a platform for teams that have the internal resources to act on its insights. This suggests a self-service model where the platform provides the data and recommendations, but the implementation is the responsibility of the client. For an SMB without a dedicated content or technical team, this can create a bottleneck where valuable insights go unimplemented.

Searchify

This is where Searchify's key differentiator comes into play: the optional full-service add-on. Searchify operates on a hybrid model that combines its powerful platform with expert managed services. This allows an SMB to offload the execution of technical fixes, content creation, and strategic outreach to Searchify's team of AI visibility experts. It provides the value of a full agency at a fraction of the cost, solving the critical resource gap for small businesses.

The Verdict: Which AI Tracking Tool is Right for Your SMB?

Choosing the right platform depends on your business's specific needs, resources, and goals. Based on our showdown, here is a guide to help you decide.

• Choose Semrush if: You are a larger SMB or mid-market company already invested in the Semrush ecosystem. It's a good fit if you have a dedicated marketing team member with the expertise to manage a complex, all-in-one platform and extract AI-related insights from a sea of data.
• Choose Otterly.AI if: You are looking for a platform with a strong focus on specific features like its detailed GEO audit. It's best for teams that have the in-house technical and content resources ready to analyze and execute on the platform's findings without needing hands-on implementation support.
• Choose Searchify if: You are an SMB that needs a clear, affordable, and actionable platform focused squarely on improving AI visibility. It is the ideal choice if you value a tool that not only tells you what to do but also gives you the option of having an expert team do it for you, ensuring that strategy translates into results.

Stop Guessing: See Your AI Visibility Score Today

Moving from theory to practice is the most important step. Instead of wondering how your brand is perceived by AI, it's time to get a definitive answer. Understanding your baseline performance is the first step toward building a winning strategy.

We are offering a free AI Visibility One-Pager as a no-risk first step to understanding how AI models see your brand compared to your competitors. This report will give you a snapshot of your current standing and identify immediate opportunities for improvement.

Get your free AI visibility one-pager now and discover your action plan for dominating AI search.