AthenaHQ

AthenaHQ is a generative engine optimization (GEO) platform that tracks how brands show up in AI assistant answers and tells marketing teams what to change to appear more often. It covers more AI models than most rivals on its paid plan and pairs monitoring with content recommendations, so the output is a to-do list rather than just a chart. A free tier lowers the barrier to trying it.

What is AthenaHQ used for?

AthenaHQ is used to measure and grow brand presence in AI search. You set up topics and prompts, add competitors, and the platform samples answers from multiple models, scoring how often and how favorably you appear.

• Tracking brand mentions at the prompt level across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Copilot
• Expanding coverage to Google AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral on paid plans
• Comparing share of voice and citation counts against competitors
• Finding content gaps and getting suggested on-page and off-page actions
• Asking Ask Athena plain-language questions about your visibility data
• Connecting GA4 and Search Console to relate AI visibility to site traffic

Who AthenaHQ is best for

AthenaHQ fits growth and SEO teams at venture-backed startups, ecommerce brands on Shopify, and agencies that want a broad view of AI models in one place. It is a good match for teams that want guidance on what to publish next, not only reporting. Small teams with a tight budget may find the jump to the paid plan steep, and companies that need only one or two engines tracked can choose a lighter tool.

AthenaHQ pricing

As of October 2026, AthenaHQ has a free Essential plan with 300 credits, where one credit equals one AI response. It covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot, with unlimited users and content recommendations. The Starter plan costs $295 per month on monthly billing, with 3,600 credits per month, 11 models, unlimited topics, prompts and competitors, country-level tracking, integrations, CSV export and a content optimization agent. Annual billing is advertised at 17% off. Enterprise is custom priced and adds SSO, audit logs, multi-region and multi-language tracking, persona targeting, BI tool support and white-glove setup. API access and extra credits are paid add-ons priced through sales.

Limitations to keep in mind

• Credits are consumed per AI response, so tracking many prompts across many models adds up quickly
• API access costs extra even on the paid plan
• Recommendations still need a writer or SEO to act on them
• Visibility scores are based on sampled answers and fluctuate between runs

AthenaHQ vs alternatives

Profound is the enterprise heavyweight and is the better pick for large brands that want a long-term managed program. Peec AI costs less to start and suits teams that mainly need prompt tracking without a content workflow. SEOAgent leans toward automating classic SEO tasks, so it is a better fit when Google rankings are still the main goal. AthenaHQ wins when you want wide model coverage, a free tier to test, and recommendations tied directly to the gaps it finds.

Tips for getting started with AthenaHQ

Spend your free credits on a small set of high-intent prompts, such as best-of and comparison questions in your category, rather than on brand-name queries. Connect Search Console early so you can compare AI visibility trends with organic traffic. When you upgrade, watch credit burn in the first month and trim models that rarely mention anyone in your space. Use Ask Athena to pull quick answers for weekly reports instead of exporting raw data.

AthenaHQ FAQ

Is AthenaHQ free?

Yes, AthenaHQ has a free Essential plan with 300 credits that covers five AI engines. Paid plans start at $295 per month for more credits and models.

What is AthenaHQ used for?

AthenaHQ is used to track how a brand appears in AI assistant answers, compare share of voice with competitors, and get recommendations to earn more AI citations.

Which AI models does AthenaHQ track?

The free plan covers ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Copilot, and the Starter plan adds AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral.

Does AthenaHQ have an API?

Yes, but API access is a paid add-on on top of a subscription, and pricing is available by contacting AthenaHQ sales.