Skip to content

Side-by-side comparison · SEO & Analytics

Profound vs SE Ranking

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Profound

3.7

Free to start

Best overall

SE Ranking

4.1

From $129/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Pick it if: Marketing teams at mid-sized and large brands, and agencies, who need detailed tracking of how AI assistants talk about them.

Best overallBest valueEasiest to use

Pick it if: Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.

Overview

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
In one lineShows how often ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI assistants mention and recommend your brand.A cheaper all-in-one SEO tool that also tracks your brand in AI search answers.
Pricing modelPaidPaid
Starting priceSee website$129/mo
Free plan No No
Works with Claude Code No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
Overall rating3.74.1Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
2.0
4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
Access & platform
Free plan No No
Mobile app No No
Desktop app No No
Browser extension No Yes
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No No
Understands images––
Makes images No No
Makes video No No
Writes code No No
Runs agents or automations Yes No
Learns your brand or style––
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score6/ 176/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
Plans

Trial

Free for 7 days

Seeing what AI says about you before talking to sales.

CoreOur pick

$129/mo, or $103.20/mo billed yearly

Small businesses and freelancers.

Agency Growth

Custom

Agencies managing several client brands.

Growth

$279/mo, or $223.20/mo billed yearly

Agencies and teams with many sites.

EnterpriseOur pick

Custom

Large brands.

Enterprise

Custom

Large teams.

Which plan to pickRun the free 7-day trial to see how AI assistants describe you. If you're a larger brand or agency with a real budget, talk to sales about Enterprise. Small businesses will get more for their money from Peec AI or SE Ranking.Start the 14-day free trial. Core covers most small businesses and freelancers, and paying yearly saves 20%. Agencies should look at Growth plus the $69 a month Agency Pack for white-label reports and client seats.

Key features

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
Standout features
  • Answer engine tracking
  • Citations
  • Prompt Volumes
  • Agent Analytics
  • Agents and AI Marketer
  • ChatGPT Shopping
  • Daily rank tracking
  • Keyword and competitor research
  • Website audit
  • AI visibility
  • Content tools
  • API and MCP

Pros and cons

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
Pros
  • Tracks up to nine AI engines daily
  • Strong citation and competitor reports
  • Prompt Volumes shows what people ask AI
  • AI crawler analytics included
  • Much cheaper than Ahrefs or Semrush for similar features
  • AI visibility tracking on every plan
  • API and MCP access included
  • Strong white-label reports for agencies
  • 14-day trial without a card
Cons
  • No published prices since the self-serve plans were dropped
  • Expensive for small businesses
  • The trial covers only three engines and 50 prompts
  • API and exports are Enterprise only
  • Smaller keyword and backlink data than the biggest suites
  • Extra seats, keywords and locations cost more
  • No cheap entry plan any more
  • Deeper AI tracking in SE Visible is a separate subscription

Who each one is for

AttributeProfoundSE Ranking
Best for
  • Tracking brand mentions across many AI assistants
  • Seeing which sources AI cites in your category
  • Large brands and agencies with a budget
  • Spotting which AI bots crawl your site
  • Daily rank tracking on a budget
  • Agencies needing white-label client reports
  • Tracking your brand in AI answers alongside Google
  • All-round SEO for small businesses
You'll find it used by
  • Enterprise marketers
  • Agencies
  • SEO teams
  • Brand managers
  • Agencies
  • Freelancers
  • Small businesses
  • In-house marketers

Questions people ask

Which is better, Profound or SE Ranking?

SE Ranking scores highest overall in our ratings (Profound 3.7/5 and SE Ranking 4.1/5). Profound is best for tracking brand mentions across many AI assistants and seeing which sources AI cites in your category. SE Ranking is best for daily rank tracking on a budget and agencies needing white-label client reports.

Which is cheaper, Profound or SE Ranking?

Profound: Pricing isn't published; check the vendor's site for a quote. SE Ranking: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $129/mo.

Which is easier to use, Profound or SE Ranking?

SE Ranking rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Small businesses, freelancers and agencies who want a full SEO toolkit with AI search tracking for less than the big names.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

Swap in another tool

More tools from SEO & Analytics in the library.