Searchly vs Ahrefs Brand Radar
Searchly tracks the buyer prompts you choose on a fixed allowance from $99 a month, with AI crawler logs, GA4 AI visits, Search Console and AI shopping beside the answers. Ahrefs Brand Radar researches a market-wide prompt index and bills custom prompts by the check.
Compared from Ahrefs's own pricing and documentation, checked Oct 26, 2026. How we compare
Our verdict
Our pick: Searchly
Searchly is the better choice for most teams tracking their own AI visibility. For about the price of Brand Radar's checks alone on the same workload ($90 to $100 a month, est.), Searchly Starter ($99) has no per-check overage. Starter also includes Search Console, the REST API and the MCP server, which Ahrefs lists on its own plans (Search Console from $129 a month). It adds AI shopping, which Brand Radar does not document, plus Opportunities and an Agent that works on your tracking data, with nothing else to buy.
| Searchly | Ahrefs | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $99 a month (Starter) | $50 a month (custom prompts Basic); an Ahrefs plan may also be required |
| 50 prompts, 3 engines, daily | $99 a month | About $90 to $100 a month (est.), if no Ahrefs plan is also required |
| Engines on the entry plan | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity | Seven platforms, billed per check |
| Site data on the entry plan | AI crawler logs once you connect a source, GA4 AI visits and Search Console | Free Web Analytics and Bot Analytics (beta), set up separately; Search Console on Ahrefs plans from $129 |
| Free trial | 14 days on Pro | None found |
strengths
Where Searchly comes out ahead.
From each company's own pricing pages and documentation, checked Oct 26, 2026. Each point links to its source.
Where Searchly is stronger
- Search Console beside the AI evidence for each page on every plan, Starter included, with AI crawler logs and GA4 AI visits in the same place. Ahrefs' GSC Insights comes with Ahrefs plans from $129 a month, not with the Brand Radar packs. Source
- Every one of your 50 prompts runs on all three engines every day for $99 a month, with no per-check overage. Brand Radar's $50 Basic pack holds 2,500 checks, a little over half of the 4,500 or so this workload uses (est.); past the pack, checks bill as overage or stop when pay-as-you-go is off. Source
- Opportunities (a ranked list of next steps tied to the evidence) and an Agent that reads your Searchly data and proposes new prompts or competitors you confirm, on every paid plan. Ahrefs documents no recommendations queue for Brand Radar, and its agent workspace, Letaido, is a separate product. Source
- AI shopping on every plan, Starter included: the products ChatGPT shows for your prompts, whose they are, their price, rating and retailer and where they rank. Ahrefs does not document AI shopping tracking. Source
- The REST API, the MCP server and CSV exports of answers, prompts and crawler logs on every plan, Starter included. Ahrefs lists API and MCP access on Ahrefs Lite and up but does not document it for buyers of the Brand Radar packs alone. Source
Where Ahrefs focuses
- A separate research index of 493M+ prompts, re-tested monthly with history from 2025, for brands you do not track yourself; it is priced apart from the prompt packs at $199 a month for one platform or $699 for all. Source
- Seven platforms for custom prompts, including Google AI Mode, Copilot and Gemini, with Claude at 8 checks an update; every prompt, platform and location draws on the pack's check budget. Source
capabilities
Feature by feature, with sources.
The same capabilities, in the same words, for both tools. A tag beside the status names the plan or the limit, and each note links to the page it came from. Not documented means we could not find it in Ahrefs's public pages.
| Capability |  Searchly |  Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| TrackingWhat is tracked, how often and for how many brands. | ||
| AI enginesIncluded means five or more named engines on a published plan, counting paid add-ons. | Included3 included, 2 add-ons ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity on every plan; Gemini and Claude as paid add-ons (Starter +$50 and +$100 a month, Pro +$150 and +$300, Business +$250 and +$500, Custom included); Copilot, DeepSeek, Google AI Mode and Grok coming soon. Source | Included7 platforms Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot, plus Claude for custom prompts at 8 checks an update; Grok collection paused. Source |
| Tracking cadenceIncluded means a daily run is available on a published plan. | Included Each tracked prompt runs once a day on every engine in the plan. Source | IncludedDaily to monthly Custom prompts daily, weekly or monthly per platform; the market index is re-tested monthly. Source |
| Prompt suggestions and researchSuggested prompts or a prompt database; the note says whether volume data is shown. | IncludedNo volume data Buyer prompts suggested from your site and topics, tracked only after you accept them, or typed, pasted or uploaded as CSV and tracked at once; no search volume or difficulty. Source | IncludedIndex from $199 A market-wide index of 493M+ prompts with AI-adjusted volume (index from $199 a month); an assistant helps write custom prompts. Source |
| Competitor benchmarkingCompetitors measured on the same answers. | Included Benchmark the competitors you choose on visibility, share of voice, position and citations. Source | Included Any number of brands and domains can be analysed. Source |
| Several projects or brandsTwo or more projects, brands or workspaces on one published plan. | Included2 on Pro, 3 on Business 1 project on Starter, up to 2 on Pro and up to 3 on Business, sharing one prompt budget; more on Custom. Source | Included Any number of brands and domains; custom prompts across locations within the check budget. Source |
| Answer evidenceWhat you can open and take away from each answer. | ||
| Full answer textThe full answer behind each result, exportable or available through an API. | IncludedAPI fallbacks labelled Open the answer behind every score with its date and citations; API fallback answers are labelled and kept out of headline metrics, and Claude is collected through Anthropic's API; answers export as CSV. Source | Included Stored responses in an AI Responses report with history back to 2025, fan-out queries shown and data through the API. Source |
| Citations and sourcesCited pages and domains for each answer, with source analysis. | Included Cited domains and pages per answer, the sources that cite competitors but not you and content types including Reddit threads and YouTube videos. Source | Included Mentions, citations, share of voice and impressions. Source |
| SentimentHow answers describe the brand, per answer or per brand. | Included How AI answers describe you, positive, neutral or negative, and why. Source | IncludedAnnounced Oct 2026 Sentiment analysis announced in Ahrefs' Oct 16, 2026 press release. Source |
| Data exportsCSV or spreadsheet exports of answers, prompts or citations. | IncludedCSV CSV exports of answers, prompts, page evidence and crawler logs on every plan; articles export as Markdown, HTML or text on Pro and up. Source | IncludedCharts as CSV Any Brand Radar chart downloads as CSV or exports to Google Sheets; data also through the API and a Looker Studio connector. Source |
| Site evidenceWhat your own site data adds. | ||
| AI crawler logsAI crawler requests read from server, CDN or edge logs. | Included Requests from AI crawlers, verified or declared, after you connect Cloudflare (Logpush or Worker), Vercel, Next.js, Netlify, WordPress or the HTTP API; 90-day retention; CSV export. Source | LimitedBeta, set up separately Bot Analytics, free during beta and set up separately: Cloudflare (Logpush or Worker), Vercel, CloudFront or Fastly, with spoofed bots flagged. Source |
| AI referral visitsHuman visits from AI assistants, from GA4 or the vendor's own script. | IncludedVia GA4 Visits from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and other AI assistants, read from Google Analytics 4 through a read-only connection, with no extra script. Source | IncludedFree Web Analytics Free Ahrefs Web Analytics (its own script, or GA data imported) feeds Brand Radar's AI Analytics. Source |
| Google Search ConsoleSearch Console data inside the product. | Included Search Console clicks, impressions, CTR and position by query, page, country and device beside the AI evidence for each page; no indexing data. Source | Add-onAhrefs plans, from $129 GSC Insights is part of Ahrefs plans (from $129 a month), not the Brand Radar packages. Source |
| Site auditIncluded means a multi-page technical or AI-readiness audit. | LimitedHomepage only Site Health checks your homepage and selected root files, including AI crawler access in robots.txt, llms.txt and structured data, with a fix for each; not a whole-site crawl. Source | Add-onAhrefs plans Site Audit is a separate tool in Ahrefs plans. Source |
| Taking actionWhat happens after a finding. | ||
| Recommendations or action queueA ranked list of next steps or tasks. | Included Opportunities: a ranked list of next steps tied to the evidence, from setup and on-page fixes to sites worth pitching; outreach is drafted, nothing is sent. Source | Not documented A recommendations queue is not documented for Brand Radar. Source |
| Content generationIncluded means article generation that is generally available. | IncludedPro and up Content Studio on Pro, Business and the Pro trial: full articles or writer briefs in 8 formats from verified sources, readiness checks and accept or reject revisions; English only, hourly generation caps, no monthly article quota. Source | Add-onAdd-on from $99 Content Kit add-on from $99 a month. Source |
| CMS publishingIncluded means content sent to two or more CMSs, as drafts or live. | LimitedWebflow drafts, Pro and up Approved articles go to your Webflow CMS as drafts on Pro and up; WordPress, Framer and Shopify publishing are not built. Source | Not documented A CMS workflow is not documented for Brand Radar. Source |
| AI agent or assistantAn in-app agent that works on the product's own data. | Included Agent on every paid plan and the Pro trial: ask about your AI visibility in plain language; it reads your Searchly data, opens the right page and proposes changes such as new prompts or competitors that you confirm; it does not write or publish articles. Source | Add-onLetaido, separate Letaido, a separate AI marketing platform, connects to Brand Radar for custom views, scheduled summaries, alerts and questions in plain English; its price is not stated on the Brand Radar page; an assistant also helps write prompts. Source |
| Access and teamsHow data leaves the tool and who can sign in. | ||
| REST APIA documented API for the visibility data. | Included REST API with an OpenAPI spec and scoped, expiring keys on every plan; operations that generate content need an active subscription or the Pro trial. Source | IncludedAhrefs Lite and up 'API and MCP access' on Ahrefs Lite and up; custom-prompt data uses no API units; access for package-only buyers not stated. Source |
| MCP serverA documented MCP server for the visibility data. | Included MCP server on every plan for AI tools that support Streamable HTTP and a custom Authorization header (bearer key, no OAuth). Source | IncludedAhrefs Lite and up 'API and MCP access' on Ahrefs Lite and up; access for package-only buyers not stated. Source |
| Agency plans and client reportingAn agency plan, client workspaces or branded or shareable client reports. | Not offered No agency plan, white label, scheduled or PDF reports or share links; client data leaves as CSV or through the API. Source | Add-onAdd-on $99 a month Report Builder add-on ($99 a month) and a Looker Studio connector (Advanced); white label not documented. Source |
| SSO (SAML or OIDC)Company identity-provider sign-in; Google sign-in does not count. | Not offered No SSO, SAML, SCIM or audit log; customers sign in with email and password or Google. Source | Sales plan onlyEnterprise SSO, access management and audit log on Ahrefs Enterprise ($1,499 a month, annual). Source |
| Shopping and adsProducts and ads inside AI answers. | ||
| AI shopping visibilityIncluded means the products AI answers show are captured and tracked; the tag names the engines. | IncludedChatGPT AI shopping on every plan: the products ChatGPT shows for your prompts, whose they are, their price, rating and retailer and where they rank. Source | Not documented AI shopping tracking was not found in Ahrefs documentation. Source |
| AI ads trackingIncluded means ads inside AI answers captured on two or more surfaces. | Not offered AI ads tracking is not built. Source | Not documented AI ads tracking was not found in Ahrefs documentation. Source |
| BuyingPublic prices and free trials. | ||
| Published priceA public price for a paid plan that tracks AI answers, listed on the vendor's pricing page. | Included Starter $99, Pro $239 and Business $499 a month; yearly billing is 10 times monthly; Custom is quoted. Source | LimitedBase plan disputed Custom prompt packages $50, $100 and $250 a month; index $199 or $699; whether an Ahrefs plan is also required is disputed in its own help. Source |
| Free trial or free tierA documented free trial or free tier that includes AI-answer tracking. | IncludedOn Pro, 14 days 14-day trial on Pro ('Start for free'); Starter and Business have no trial; the free AI visibility report is a one-off sample, not a trial. Source | Not documented No free trial found; the help calls the checks included in Ahrefs plans 'a built-in trial'. Source |
pricing
The same workload, priced on both.
One brand, 50 buyer prompts on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, checked once a day in one country: a common base for AI visibility tracking. Every Searchly plan includes all three engines; where Ahrefs counts or includes engines differently, the note says so.
| Item | Searchly | Ahrefs |
|---|---|---|
| Covers the workload | Covers it | Covers it |
| Plan | Starter | Custom prompts Growth, or Basic with overage |
| Monthly price | $99 | About $90 to $100, est. (Basic $50 plus about 2,000 extra checks at $0.020, or Growth $100 with 7,000 checks) |
| Billed yearly | $990 a year ($82.50 a month) | Not stated |
| The three engines | All three included | Included: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity are custom-prompt platforms |
| Extra cost | None | Overage at $0.020 a check on Basic, if pay-as-you-go is on |
| Free trial | None on Starter; a 14-day trial of Pro ($239 a month after) | None found |
| What the plan counts | 50 prompts on 3 engines once a day: up to 4,500 runs in 30 days, the whole Starter allowance | Checks: one prompt on one platform in one location; this workload is about 4,500 checks in 30 days (est.) |
Ahrefs' help and pricing page disagree on whether an Ahrefs plan (from $129 a month) is also required for the packs; ask Ahrefs. The estimate above does not add the two together.
Prices before tax, in each company's own currency, as published on Oct 26, 2026. est. marks our arithmetic from published units. Units differ: Searchly counts runs, up to 4,500 in 30 days on 50 prompts.
Sources: Searchly: Searchly pricing; Ahrefs: Ahrefs pricing, Custom prompts help
fit
Which one to choose.
Choose Searchly if…
you want a fixed allowance for your own buyer prompts, plus Search Console, AI crawler logs, GA4 AI visits, AI shopping and the Agent in one subscription from the first plan.
Ahrefs may suit you if…
you mainly research AI visibility across brands and topics you do not track yourself, from a pre-collected index, and you already work in Ahrefs.
switching
Moving from Ahrefs, or running both.
- Your prompts.Brand Radar charts download as CSV or export to Google Sheets, and the data also leaves through the Ahrefs API (Ahrefs Lite and up) or the Looker Studio connector. Source In Searchly, paste or upload your prompts as CSV. Prompts you add are tracked at once; the ones Searchly suggests wait until you accept them.
- Competitors.Add the competitors you follow in Ahrefs. Searchly benchmarks the ones you choose.
- History.Past results stay in Ahrefs. Scores are not comparable between tools, because engines, collection methods and formulas differ, so compare trends from the same start date.
- Site data.Connect Google Analytics 4 and Search Console read-only, and send AI crawler logs from Cloudflare, Vercel, Netlify, WordPress, Next.js or the HTTP API by following a setup guide. Searchly installs nothing on your site.
- Run both.Track the same prompts in both tools during the 14-day Pro trial before you decide.
evaluation
Put both tools to the test.
Use your own brand, the same buyer prompts and the same dates in both tools. Ask the other vendor these three questions.
- Does the custom prompt pack work on its own or also need an Ahrefs plan, and what is the total a month?
- How many checks do 50 prompts on three platforms use each month, and what happens when the pack runs out?
- Which Ahrefs plan adds Search Console, the API and MCP to the prompt pack, and what does it add to the monthly bill?
sources
Sources and scope.
How we compare. We read each company's own pricing page, documentation and changelog, noting the day we checked each one. A capability we could not find is marked Not documented; Not offered means the company's own pages say it is not part of the product. Both columns follow the same rules. We do not compare visibility scores between tools: engines, collection methods and formulas differ.
Ahrefs sources
- Ahrefs Brand Radar
- Ahrefs pricing
- Custom prompts help
- What is Brand Radar (Sep 3, 2026)
- Bot Analytics
- New features July to August 2026 (Sep 29, 2026)
- New features September 2025 (Oct 12, 2025)
- Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. press release via PR TIMES (Oct 16, 2026, Japanese)
Searchly sources
Spotted an out-of-date detail about Ahrefs? Email piotr@trysearchly.com and we will check it against Ahrefs's pages.
The positioning map and its methodChanges
- Rewritten with a feature table, pricing for the same workload and dated sources.
related
Also on your shortlist?
get started
Make the comparison with your own brand.
Start a 14-day free trial of Pro. Track your own buyer prompts, open the answers and sources behind them and decide with evidence.