Comparison
CitePrism vs AthenaHQ, honestly.
AthenaHQ is a Y Combinator company (Winter 2025) whose CEO was a product manager on Google Search. It pairs AI visibility tracking with an action layer that helps you write and publish changes. CitePrism focuses on measurement: seven engines on every plan, every raw answer stored and clickable, and a $29 Pro plan between free and enterprise. Facts about AthenaHQ were last checked on 1 October 2026.
Side by side
| What matters | CitePrism | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost model | ✓ Free plan on your own API keys, Pro at $29 a month; either way you can bring your own keys and pay the providers directly, with hard spend caps | · Credits, where 1 credit is 1 AI response. Free plan with 300 credits, then Starter at $295 a month; nothing in between |
| Free plan | ✓ All 7 engines and every feature, on your own API keys, with no card and no expiry | ✓ 300 credits on 5 engines, including Google AI Overviews and Copilot, plus the Athena AI agent |
| Engines sampled | ✓ ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and Copilot on every plan | ✓ 5 on the free plan; 11 named on Starter, adding AI Mode, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral; more on request |
| Surfaces with no API (Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Copilot) | ✓ Included on every plan, read from the product itself | · Google AI Overviews and Copilot on every plan; AI Mode from Starter |
| Methodology | ✓ Documented on the site, every raw answer stored and clickable, and the cost of every run shown next to it | · Collection method and run frequency are not stated on their pricing page or docs; ask them |
| Acting on the data | · Gaps, search-query analysis and a weekly Opportunities action list; you make the changes | ✓ Action Center for GEO tasks, a content optimization agent, and a Shopify integration to publish the result |
| Enterprise controls (SSO, audit logs, compliance) | ✕ Not our focus today | ✓ SAML/OIDC SSO, audit logs and multi-region on Enterprise; SOC 2 Type 2 |
Competitor details change; their website is the source of truth for current plans and coverage. Corrections welcome at [email protected].
Pricing, side by side
CitePrism
- Free: $0
- 1 brand, 25 prompts, 5 competitors, 1 run a day, all 7 engines, on your own API keys
- Pro: $29 a month or $299 a year
- 5 brands, 100 prompts and 25 competitors per brand, 4 runs a day, all 7 engines, on our keys with daily usage included
AthenaHQ
- Essential: Free
- 300 credits (shown as a $25 credit) on 5 models: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, Copilot. Unlimited members, the Athena AI agent and content recommendations.
- Starter: $295/mo
- 3,600 credits a month on 11 named models, more on request. Unlimited seats, CSV export. API access and extra credits are paid add-ons.
- Enterprise: Custom
- Knowledge Base, Oracle, Athena Citation Engine (ACE), SAML/OIDC SSO, audit logs, multi-region, personas.
One credit is one AI response, so one prompt on 8 models uses 8 credits per run. By our arithmetic, 3,600 credits across all 11 models buy about 327 prompt runs a month, or just under 11 prompts a day. Fewer models stretch the credits further. The price of extra credits is not published.
AthenaHQ prices last checked . Source: AthenaHQ pricing page . Prices change; check their page before you decide. CitePrism prices are on our pricing page.
The concession
Where AthenaHQ wins: the action layer. Its Action Center, content optimization agent and Shopify integration tell you what to change, help write it and publish it. Its free plan covers 5 engines, including Google AI Overviews and Copilot. Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs and multi-region, and the company reports SOC 2 Type 2. CitePrism stops at the action list: you make the changes yourself.
Pick AthenaHQ if
Pick AthenaHQ if you want a tool that tells you what to change and helps write and publish it, if you need Enterprise controls such as SSO and audit logs, or if Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI or Mistral matter to you and $295 a month fits the budget.
Pick CitePrism if
Pick CitePrism if you want a paid plan at $29 a month instead of $295, all seven engines on the free plan, a stated schedule of runs per day, and every number traceable to the raw answers behind it.
FAQ
How does AthenaHQ pricing compare with CitePrism?
At the time of writing (last checked 1 October 2026), AthenaHQ has a free plan with 300 credits, a Starter plan at $295 a month with 3,600 credits, and a custom Enterprise plan. CitePrism has a free plan on your own API keys and a Pro plan at $29 a month, or $299 a year, on our keys. The gap between free and $295 is the main price difference.
What does an AthenaHQ credit buy?
AthenaHQ says one credit is one AI response. One prompt on 8 models uses 8 credits per run. By our arithmetic, Starter’s 3,600 monthly credits across all 11 models cover about 327 prompt runs, or just under 11 prompts a day. CitePrism plans set a prompt count and runs per day instead, and every plan includes all 7 engines.
Does AthenaHQ read the consumer apps or use the APIs?
AthenaHQ’s pricing page and docs do not say, at the time of writing (last checked 1 October 2026), so ask them before you compare numbers. CitePrism samples ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity through their APIs and reads Google AI Overviews, AI Mode and Copilot from the product itself. ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity can also be read that way.
Which tool tracks more engines?
AthenaHQ names 11 models on Starter, including Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral, and 5 on its free plan. CitePrism tracks 7 engines on every plan, the free plan included: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode and Microsoft Copilot.
See your own numbers first
The fastest way to evaluate any tool in this category is to measure your brand and read the raw answers. CitePrism is free to start, and Pro is $29 a month.