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AthenaHQ alternatives, with current prices

Team AfterLaunch7 min read

In this article

AthenaHQ sells AI visibility by the credit, and one credit buys one AI answer. Its free Essential plan carries 300 credits on five engines, and Starter is $295 a month for 3,600 credits across 11 models. People look for an AthenaHQ alternative for one of three reasons: $295 is a big step up from free, they don't need 11 models, or they want more of the follow-up work done. The tools below answer each of those, with prices read off each vendor's own page on 6 November 2026.

Key takeaways

AthenaHQ Essential is free with 300 credits and $25 of free credit, on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot.
Starter is $295 a month for 3,600 credits on 11 models, with a one-month credit rollover and a content optimisation agent. Yearly billing takes 17% off.
For a smaller bill, Otterly.ai starts at $29 a month and Peec AI at $95. For the same money with a different shape, Goodie's Core is $295 and Scrunch's Core $250.
Stay with AthenaHQ if you want Claude, Grok, DeepSeek and Meta AI in the read without an enterprise contract. Few tools at this price list them.

What AthenaHQ's credits buy

AthenaHQ's pricing page defines one credit as one AI response, so the plan is a monthly budget of answers rather than a fixed list of prompts. On Starter, 3,600 credits spread across 11 models is about 327 answers per model each month. If you track 30 questions daily on all 11, you would need 9,900 credits, so in practice you choose a few models for daily checks and run the rest less often.

AthenaHQ plan	Price, 6 Nov 2026	Credits	Models	What else the page lists
Essential	Free, with $25 of free credit	300	ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Copilot	Unlimited users, sources and competitor insights, content recommendations, the Athena AI agent
Starter	$295 a month, 17% off yearly	3,600 a month, one-month rollover	11: adds AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral	Content optimisation agent, on-page and off-page actions, Shopify and Webflow, CSV export. API is a paid add-on
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Custom	SSO, audit log, multi-region, the Athena Citation Engine, white-glove setup

The page says Starter is best for self-guided small and mid-sized businesses, and Enterprise for enterprises and agencies.

Alternatives, by the reason you are leaving

If $295 is the problem

Otterly.ai's Lite plan was $29 a month for 15 prompts on ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot, with Gemini, AI Mode and Claude sold as add-ons. Peec AI's Starter was $95 a month for 50 prompts on three models you pick, which it works out at about 4,500 answers a month. Both are fixed prompt lists rather than credit pools, which some people find easier to budget.

If you want a similar price with a different shape

Goodie's Core plan was $295 a month for 110 prompts on five models, with 50 optimisations a month, unlimited seats and AEO strategist support. Scrunch's Core plan was $250 a month for 125 prompts on four models, with 5 site audits a month. Both trade AthenaHQ's long model list for a fixed prompt count and their own kind of follow-up work.

If you want the work done

AthenaHQ already turns gaps into recommendations and offers a content optimisation agent. If what you want is drafted pages, Frase starts at $49 a month, or $39 billed yearly, and publishes to WordPress, Webflow, Sanity or Wix. AfterLaunch drafts each ranked move in your voice and covers search, communities and directories as well as AI answers.

Tool	Price on its page, 6 Nov 2026	Models on the entry paid plan	Better than AthenaHQ for
Otterly.ai	Lite $29 a month for 15 prompts, Standard $189 for 100	ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity, Copilot	The smallest monthly bill
Peec AI	Starter $95 a month for 50 prompts, Pro $245 for 150	Three you choose	A fixed prompt list with daily runs
Goodie	Core $295 a month for 110 prompts, Pro $999	Five core models	Optimisations and a strategist in the price
Scrunch	Core $250 a month for 125 prompts	ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, Copilot	Site audits beside the read
Frase	Starter $49 a month or $39 billed yearly	ChatGPT and Google AI	Writing and publishing in one tool
AfterLaunch	Free deep scan, 14 days free, then $149 a month	ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews	A founder with nobody to act on the read

Who should stay with AthenaHQ

If the models you care about include Claude, Grok, DeepSeek or Meta AI, AthenaHQ's Starter lists all of them at a published price, and most rivals keep those for enterprise plans or add-ons. The free Essential tier is also a fair way to see the product before paying anything. A team with a content person to work through its recommendations will get the most from it.

Where AfterLaunch fits

AthenaHQ's content optimisation agent and AfterLaunch both turn a gap into work. AfterLaunch's version is a ranked weekly list across AI answers, search and communities, each move drafted in your voice, at $149 a month rather than a credit budget.

Profound alternatives, with current prices →The wider category: AI search optimization tools for SaaS founders →Goodie AI alternatives, with prices →

Is AthenaHQ free?

Its Essential plan is free, with 300 credits and $25 of free credit, on ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot. Paid plans start with Starter at $295 a month, as listed on 6 November 2026.

What is a credit on AthenaHQ?

AthenaHQ's pricing page says one credit is one AI response. Starter's 3,600 credits a month are therefore 3,600 answers, shared across whichever of its 11 models you track.

What is the cheapest AthenaHQ alternative?

Otterly.ai's Lite plan, $29 a month for 15 prompts on 6 November 2026. It covers ChatGPT, AI Overviews, Perplexity and Copilot against AthenaHQ Starter's 11 models, so it is cheaper because it reads less.

AthenaHQ or Goodie?

At $295 a month each, AthenaHQ Starter lists 11 models and 3,600 credits, and Goodie Core lists five models, 110 prompts and 50 optimisations a month with a strategist. Pick AthenaHQ for breadth of models, Goodie if you want the optimisation work and support in the plan.

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