Searchly vs OtterlyAI
Searchly puts AI crawler logs, Google Analytics 4 AI visits and Search Console data beside the answers and citations for each page from its $99 Starter plan, with the REST API, MCP server and Agent included. OtterlyAI starts its API, MCP server and crawler logs on Standard at $189.
Our verdict
Our pick: Searchly
Searchly is the better choice for most teams. Tracking 50 prompts costs $99 a month on Searchly Starter against $189 on OtterlyAI Standard, the first OtterlyAI plan with the API, MCP server and AI crawler logs that Starter includes. Searchly also shows Google Analytics 4 AI visits and Search Console data inside the product and includes an in-app Agent; OtterlyAI documents neither a Search Console integration nor an in-app agent.
| Searchly | OtterlyAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $99 a month (Starter) | $29 a month (Lite, 15 prompts) |
| 50 prompts, 3 engines, daily | $99 a month | $189 a month (Standard) |
| Engines on the entry plan | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity | ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot |
| Site data on the entry plan | AI crawler logs once you connect a source, GA4 AI visits and Search Console | A GA4 template outside the product; crawler logs from Standard ($189); Search Console not documented |
| Free trial | 14 days on Pro | 7 days |
strengths
Where Searchly comes out ahead.
From each company's own pricing pages and documentation, checked Oct 21, 2026. Each point links to its source.
Where Searchly is stronger
- 50 prompts on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity for $99 a month on Starter; OtterlyAI Lite covers 15 prompts, so the same 50 prompts need Standard at $189. Source
- The REST API, MCP server and AI crawler logs on the $99 Starter plan, with crawler data arriving once you connect Cloudflare, Vercel, Netlify, WordPress, Next.js or the HTTP API. OtterlyAI leaves all three out of Lite and starts them on Standard. Source
- Google Analytics 4 AI visits and Search Console clicks inside Searchly on every plan, with no extra script. OtterlyAI's GA4 route is a Looker Studio template outside the product, and it documents no Search Console integration. Source
- An Agent on every paid plan that answers questions about your AI visibility in plain language, opens the right page and proposes new prompts or competitors for you to confirm; OtterlyAI documents no in-app agent or chat. Source
- Opportunities ranks next steps tied to the evidence on every plan, where OtterlyAI's Recommendations stop at 3 a week on Lite. On Pro and up, Content Studio writes full articles from verified sources and sends approved ones to Webflow as drafts; OtterlyAI documents no CMS publishing. 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 OtterlyAI's public pages.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Included4 included, 3 add-ons ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot included; Google AI Mode and Gemini $9, $59 or $149 a month each, Claude $29, $109 or $439. 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 | Included Monitoring runs automatically every day. 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 | Included Prompt research and query fan-out tools on every plan. Source |
| Competitor benchmarkingCompetitors measured on the same answers. | Included Benchmark the competitors you choose on visibility, share of voice, position and citations. Source | Included Unlimited competitors on every plan. 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 | IncludedBrands in 1 workspace Unlimited brand reports inside 1 workspace on Lite; unlimited workspaces from Standard. 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 Raw AI responses export as CSV or JSON on every plan. 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 Citation tracking and link citation analysis, full or summary CSV on every plan. Source |
| SentimentHow answers describe the brand, per answer or per brand. | Included How AI answers describe you, positive, neutral or negative, and why. Source | Included Sentiment and a Brand Visibility Index on every plan. 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 | IncludedCSV, JSON, PDF CSV of prompts, citations and recommendations, raw answers as CSV or JSON and PDF audit and brand reports on every plan; Looker Studio from Standard. 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 | IncludedFrom Standard Agent Analytics from Standard ($189) and on the trial, from log upload, webhook, Netlify, Cloudflare or WordPress; its llms.txt still calls it a closed beta. 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 | LimitedGA4 template A free Looker Studio template for GA4, outside the product, which excludes Google AI Overviews and AI Mode; Agent Analytics filters human visits out. 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 | Not documented No Search Console integration documented in the pages read. 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 | IncludedPer URL GEO, crawlability and content audits per URL: 1,000, 5,000 or 10,000 URLs a month, in bulk through the API. 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 | LimitedBeta Recommendations (beta), refreshed weekly: 3 a week on Lite, unlimited from Standard. 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 | LimitedBriefs only Recommendations (beta) include creating or improving on-page content; content briefs come through its Claude skill or MCP. 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 CMS publishing is not documented. 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 | Not documented No in-app agent or chat documented; a Claude skill and MCP are offered. 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 | IncludedFrom Standard API from Standard ($189): 2,000 or 5,000 requests a month, read-only or read and write keys. 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 | IncludedFrom Standard MCP from Standard ($189): 2,000 or 5,000 requests a month. 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 | IncludedPartner program Agency Partner programme (by application): more prompts, pitch workspaces and Looker Studio reports in your branding; platform 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 on Enterprise. 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 | IncludedChatGPT ChatGPT shopping results tracked on every plan, on by default. Source |
| AI ads trackingIncluded means ads inside AI answers captured on two or more surfaces. | Not offered AI ads tracking is not built. Source | IncludedChatGPT, Google AI Overviews ChatGPT ads on every plan, plus Google AI Overviews ad tracking. 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 | Included $29, $189 and $489 a month (the same numbers in EUR by location); 15% off annually. 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 | Included7 days 7-day trial with 50 prompts. 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 OtterlyAI counts or includes engines differently, the note says so.
| Item | ||
|---|---|---|
| Covers the workload | Covers it | Covers it |
| Plan | Starter | Standard (Lite has 15 prompts) |
| Monthly price | $99 | $189 |
| Billed yearly | $990 a year ($82.50 a month) | 15% off; about $160.65 a month, est. |
| The three engines | All three included | Included: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot |
| Extra cost | None | None |
| Free trial | None on Starter; a 14-day trial of Pro ($239 a month after) | 7 days with 50 prompts |
| What the plan counts | 50 prompts on 3 engines once a day: up to 4,500 runs in 30 days, the whole Starter allowance | 100 prompts; this workload uses 50 |
OtterlyAI shows the same numbers in USD or EUR depending on where you are; prices here are in USD.
Prices before tax, in each company's own currency, as published on Oct 21, 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; OtterlyAI: OtterlyAI pricing, Free trial (Aug 4, 2026)
fit
Which one to choose.
Choose Searchly if…
you need more than OtterlyAI Lite's 15 prompts and want the REST API, MCP server, AI crawler logs, Google Analytics 4 AI visits, Search Console and an Agent on the same plan, from $99 a month.
OtterlyAI may suit you if…
you watch 15 prompts or fewer on a $29 budget and need neither the API nor AI crawler logs.
switching
Moving from OtterlyAI, or running both.
- Your prompts.OtterlyAI exports prompts and citations as CSV and raw answers as CSV or JSON on every plan. 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 OtterlyAI. Searchly benchmarks the ones you choose.
- History.Past results stay in OtterlyAI. 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.
- What does the plan with the API, MCP server and AI crawler logs cost for 50 prompts?
- Can I see GA4 AI visits and Search Console clicks inside the product, beside the answers and citations for each page?
- Is there an assistant inside the product that reads my data and proposes new prompts or competitors to track?
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.
OtterlyAI sources
- OtterlyAI pricing
- Free trial (Aug 4, 2026)
- Agent Analytics (Oct 20, 2026)
- AI recommendations (Oct 5, 2026)
- Exports (Sep 25, 2026)
- API (Oct 5, 2026)
- GA4 measurement (Jun 30, 2026)
- ChatGPT ads and shopping tracking
- AI search optimization
- Agencies
- OtterlyAI llms.txt
Searchly sources
Spotted an out-of-date detail about OtterlyAI? Email piotr@trysearchly.com and we will check it against OtterlyAI's pages.
The positioning map and its methodChanges
- Rewritten with a feature table, pricing for the same workload and dated sources.
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.
