Peec AI vs AthenaHQ: 2026 Comparison
Published November 2, 2026
Peec AI and AthenaHQ both track how a brand appears in AI answers for marketing teams, and both include unlimited seats. They price differently. Peec sells prompt-based plans from $95 per month, while AthenaHQ sells a free Essential plan and a $295 Starter plan that bills in credits, one credit per AI response, so a team's cost grows with prompts, engines, and tracking days. Peec is the cheaper choice for a fixed prompt list, and AthenaHQ covers more engines on its first paid plan.
Our analysts compared each vendor's pricing pages, changelogs, and blog posts as of November 2, 2026, then priced three common tracking workloads on each. In the following sections, we compare the two tools on the points buyers weigh most, price the same work on both, and explain which buyer each fits and what changed recently.
| What buyers compare | Peec AI | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price per monthSources 2, 5 | $95 (Starter, 50 prompts)Cheaper paid plan | Free (Essential, 300 credits). Paid plans from $295 (Starter, 3,600 credits) |
| Plans per monthSources 2, 5 | Starter $95, Pro $245, Advanced $495. Enterprise: custom | Essential: free. Starter: $295, or less on annual billing. Enterprise: custom |
| Cost: 1 brand, 25 prompts, 3 enginesSources 1, 2, 5 | $95 per month (Starter)Cheaper | $295 per month (Starter) |
| Cost: 1 brand, 40 prompts, 3 enginesSources 1, 2, 5 | $95 per month (Starter)Cheaper | $295 per month (Starter, 3,600 credits used in full) |
| Cost: 1 brand, 100 prompts, 3 enginesSources 1, 2, 5 | $245 per month (Pro)Cheaper | $295 per month plus 5,400 extra credits, price not published |
| Prompt limitsSources 2, 5 | Starter 50, Pro 150, Advanced 350. Enterprise: unlimited | Unlimited topics and prompts, limited by credits |
| How usage is countedSources 2, 5 | Monthly AI answers equal prompts times models times tracking frequency: 4,500, 13,500, and 31,500 on Starter, Pro, and AdvancedFixed allowance by plan | 1 credit equals 1 AI response. Starter includes 3,600 credits per month, and extra credits are a paid add-on |
| AI engines coveredSources 2, 5 | Choose 3 of ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and Naver AI. Enterprise adds Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Qwen, Mistral, Meta, and Perplexity, up to 13 models | Starter: 11 models, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI, and Mistral. Essential: 5More engines on paid entry |
| Update frequencySources 2, 5 | Daily on every plan. Enterprise: daily or weeklyPublished frequency | Not published |
| Countries and regionsSources 2, 5 | Starter 1 country, Pro and Advanced 3 countries. Enterprise: unlimited | Country-level support on Starter. Multi-region and multi-language support on Enterprise |
| Team seatsSources 2, 5 | Unlimited on every plan | Unlimited on every plan |
| ProjectsSources 2, 5 | Starter 1, Pro 2, Advanced 5. Enterprise: unlimitedPublished limits | Not published |
| Content and optimization toolsSources 2, 3, 5 | Peec Agent, an actions board that ranks opportunities, and an in-app content optimizer. AI shopping tools with SKU-level tracking | Content optimization agent and on-page and off-page actions on Starter. Athena Citation Engine on Enterprise |
| Reporting and integrationsSources 2, 5 | Looker Studio integration on Advanced. API access and SSO on Enterprise | CSV export and integrations on Starter. API access is a paid add-on |
| Free trialSources 2, 5 | Not published | Free Essential plan with a $25 free credit and 300 creditsFree plan |
| Customers and ratingsSources 2, 5 | Page cites more than 4,000 brands and agencies | Page shows a 4.9 out of 5 rating and a Spring 2026 High Performer badge on G2 |
| Best forSource 1 | Teams with a fixed prompt list who want a predictable monthly price | Teams that want many engines on the first paid plan, or want to start free |
Starting price per month
- Peec AI
- $95 (Starter, 50 prompts) Cheaper paid plan
- AthenaHQ
- Free (Essential, 300 credits). Paid plans from $295 (Starter, 3,600 credits)
Plans per month
- Peec AI
- Starter $95, Pro $245, Advanced $495. Enterprise: custom
- AthenaHQ
- Essential: free. Starter: $295, or less on annual billing. Enterprise: custom
Cost: 1 brand, 25 prompts, 3 engines
- Peec AI
- $95 per month (Starter) Cheaper
- AthenaHQ
- $295 per month (Starter)
Cost: 1 brand, 40 prompts, 3 engines
- Peec AI
- $95 per month (Starter) Cheaper
- AthenaHQ
- $295 per month (Starter, 3,600 credits used in full)
Cost: 1 brand, 100 prompts, 3 engines
- Peec AI
- $245 per month (Pro) Cheaper
- AthenaHQ
- $295 per month plus 5,400 extra credits, price not published
Prompt limits
- Peec AI
- Starter 50, Pro 150, Advanced 350. Enterprise: unlimited
- AthenaHQ
- Unlimited topics and prompts, limited by credits
How usage is counted
- Peec AI
- Monthly AI answers equal prompts times models times tracking frequency: 4,500, 13,500, and 31,500 on Starter, Pro, and Advanced Fixed allowance by plan
- AthenaHQ
- 1 credit equals 1 AI response. Starter includes 3,600 credits per month, and extra credits are a paid add-on
AI engines covered
- Peec AI
- Choose 3 of ChatGPT, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and Naver AI. Enterprise adds Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Qwen, Mistral, Meta, and Perplexity, up to 13 models
- AthenaHQ
- Starter: 11 models, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI, and Mistral. Essential: 5 More engines on paid entry
Update frequency
- Peec AI
- Daily on every plan. Enterprise: daily or weekly Published frequency
- AthenaHQ
- Not published
Countries and regions
- Peec AI
- Starter 1 country, Pro and Advanced 3 countries. Enterprise: unlimited
- AthenaHQ
- Country-level support on Starter. Multi-region and multi-language support on Enterprise
Team seats
- Peec AI
- Unlimited on every plan
- AthenaHQ
- Unlimited on every plan
Projects
- Peec AI
- Starter 1, Pro 2, Advanced 5. Enterprise: unlimited Published limits
- AthenaHQ
- Not published
Content and optimization tools
- Peec AI
- Peec Agent, an actions board that ranks opportunities, and an in-app content optimizer. AI shopping tools with SKU-level tracking
- AthenaHQ
- Content optimization agent and on-page and off-page actions on Starter. Athena Citation Engine on Enterprise
Reporting and integrations
- Peec AI
- Looker Studio integration on Advanced. API access and SSO on Enterprise
- AthenaHQ
- CSV export and integrations on Starter. API access is a paid add-on
Free trial
- Peec AI
- Not published
- AthenaHQ
- Free Essential plan with a $25 free credit and 300 credits Free plan
Customers and ratings
- Peec AI
- Page cites more than 4,000 brands and agencies
- AthenaHQ
- Page shows a 4.9 out of 5 rating and a Spring 2026 High Performer badge on G2
Best for
- Peec AI
- Teams with a fixed prompt list who want a predictable monthly price
- AthenaHQ
- Teams that want many engines on the first paid plan, or want to start free
List prices in US dollars before tax, billed monthly unless the row says otherwise. Workload costs are the cheapest published plan that covers the job with daily tracking. AthenaHQ's extra-credit price is not published.
Peec AI vs AthenaHQ Cost for the Same Workload
Peec sells prompt-based plans and AthenaHQ bills in credits, one per AI response, so the Top GEO Agencies research team priced the same tracking jobs on both. Each workload is tracked daily for 30 days:
- One brand with 25 prompts on three engines, which is 2,250 AI responses per month.
- One brand with 40 prompts on three engines, which is 3,600 AI responses per month, the full Starter allowance on AthenaHQ.
- One brand with 100 prompts on three engines, which is 9,000 AI responses per month.
Each cost is the cheapest published plan that covers the workload.
| Workload | Peec AI | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 brand, 25 prompts, 3 engines | $95 (Starter) | $295 (Starter) |
| 1 brand, 40 prompts, 3 engines | $95 (Starter) | $295 (Starter, 3,600 credits) |
| 1 brand, 100 prompts, 3 engines | $245 (Pro) | $295 (Starter) plus 5,400 extra credits at an unpublished price |
- Peec's Starter allows 50 prompts and 4,500 AI answers per month, which covers the first two workloads. Pro allows 150 prompts and 13,500 answers, which covers the third.
- AthenaHQ's Starter includes 3,600 credits. At one credit per response, that equals about $0.082 per response, against about $0.021 on Peec Starter and $0.018 on Peec Pro at full use. These per-response figures are our calculation.
Peec AI or AthenaHQ: Which Fits Which Buyer
Peec costs less at every workload we priced, and AthenaHQ's strengths are its free plan and its engine coverage.
Choose Peec AI if
- You track a fixed prompt list. 40 prompts on three engines cost $95 per month on Peec Starter against $295 on AthenaHQ Starter.
- You track 100 prompts. Pro costs $245 and includes 13,500 AI answers per month, while AthenaHQ needs extra credits at an unpublished price.
- You want limits you can read in advance. Peec lists prompts, answers, projects, and countries for each plan.
- You run an online store. Peec's plans include product catalog upload and SKU-level tracking.
Choose AthenaHQ if
- You want to try the tool free. Essential includes a $25 free credit and 300 credits across five engines.
- You need many engines on the first paid plan. Starter tracks 11 models, while Peec's Starter, Pro, and Advanced plans track 3 chosen from 6.
- You want unlimited prompts and topics. AthenaHQ caps credits, not prompts.
- You want citation scoring. Enterprise includes the Athena Citation Engine, which predicts whether content gets cited.
Recent Changes to Peec AI and AthenaHQ
Both vendors ship often, and the dates show how current any price quote is.
- September 29, 2025: AthenaHQ launched the Athena Citation Engine, a model that predicts how likely content is to be cited by AI models, for enterprise customers.
- November 18, 2025: Peec AI announced a $21 million Series A led by Singular, bringing total funding to $29 million.
- October 13, 2026: Peec AI's changelog described a new actions experience and Peec Agent improvements, including memory and context, and a content optimizer editor.
- October 30, 2026: AthenaHQ began breaking YouTube citations down by channel, video category, length, and the moment in a video that an AI answer links to.
Where the Two Tools Are Headed in 2027 and Beyond
Peec AI: Peec's Enterprise plan lists unlimited prompts, API access, SSO, and up to 13 tracked models, and its October 13, 2026 changelog shows the product adding agent and optimization features on top of tracking.
AthenaHQ: AthenaHQ's pricing page lists the Athena Citation Engine and the Athena Recommendation Engine under Enterprise, and its Starter plan sells API access and extra credits as paid add-ons.
Both vendors are adding optimization tools, and neither publishes what extra volume costs beyond its plan limits.
Data Collection and Methodology
Prices and plan details come from each vendor's pricing, changelog, and blog pages as of November 2, 2026, except where a source line shows another capture date. All prices are list prices in US dollars per month before tax, billed monthly unless the row says otherwise. A "prompt" is one question the tool asks the AI engines. AthenaHQ bills in credits, where one credit is one AI response.
Enterprise prices are quoted privately on both tools, so none appears in the cost table. AthenaHQ's price for extra credits is not published, so the 100-prompt workload shows the Starter price plus the credits needed.
We calculated products, differences, and ratios from the published values.
Peec publishes three self-serve plans and a custom tier above them. AthenaHQ publishes a free plan, one paid plan, and a custom tier.
Peec's monthly AI answer counts are as listed on its pricing page. We computed AI responses for each workload as prompts times engines times 30 days.
Sources
- Top GEO Agencies analysis of Peec AI and AthenaHQ plans, prices, and limits, conducted November 2026. Download the data (CSV)
- Peec AI, Pricing, https://peec.ai/pricing, captured November 2, 2026.
- Peec AI, Changelog, https://peec.ai/changelog, captured November 2, 2026.
- Peec AI, We raised $21M Series A to help brands win in AI search, https://peec.ai/blog/we-raised-21m-series-a-to-help-brands-win-in-ai-search, captured November 2, 2026.
- AthenaHQ, Plans and Pricing, https://www.athenahq.ai/pricing, captured November 2, 2026.
- AthenaHQ, Announcing Athena Citation Engine (ACE), https://athenahq.ai/blog/announcing-athena-citation-engine-ace, captured November 2, 2026.
- AthenaHQ, YouTube in AI search, https://athenahq.ai/blog/youtube-citations-in-ai-search, captured November 2, 2026.