MentionBird (site) tracks whether AI models like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude mention your brand when people ask buying questions, and helps you get cited by the listicles, Reddit threads, and comparisons that AI pulls answers from. It has free tools (crawler checker, content score checker, prompt generator, visibility report) with no login, but paid tracking plans start at $79/month. If that's more than you want to spend, here are six alternatives that cost less, ordered from cheapest to most expensive.
Comparison table
| Product | Free tier | Starts at | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SearchScore AI | Yes (100% free) | Not stated (no paid tier mentioned) | A quick, no-signup visibility score |
| MentionRank | Yes (free forever) | Not stated | Tracking 5 AI models on a budget |
| Citesurf | Yes (free trial) | $29/mo | Single-brand scans on a tight budget |
| CiteRank | Yes (10 scans/mo) | $29.99/mo | Teams that want fixes, not just scores |
| Ranktune | Yes (10 AI credits) | $30/mo | Tracking citations and referral traffic |
| Visiby | Yes (free report) | $49/mo | Growing visibility with tiered plans |
SearchScore AI
SearchScore AI (site) is a free AI Search Visibility Checker — you get a score in under 55 seconds with no signup and no card. It suits anyone who wants a quick first look at whether AI search engines can find and recommend their brand before committing to a paid tool. It's entirely free, with no paid tier stated, which is also its limit: there's no indication of deeper tracking, historical data, or ongoing monitoring beyond the single check.
MentionRank
MentionRank (site) tracks how often AI models mention your brand, with a free forever plan covering 5 AI models, a dashboard, and a prompt explorer. It suits small teams wanting ongoing tracking without paying upfront. A paid tier called Spotlight adds daily scans across all 5 models, but its price isn't stated anywhere in the brief, so you can't compare it directly to MentionBird's $79/mo without contacting them.
Citesurf
Citesurf (site) answers one question: does AI recommend you? It offers a free trial scan, then $29/month for the Plus plan (1 brand) with automatic scans, an AI assistant, and API access, or $99/month for Max (5 brands). It suits solo founders or single-brand teams on a tight budget. The limitation: at $29/mo you're capped to one brand, so agencies or multi-brand companies will need the pricier Max tier.
CiteRank
CiteRank (site) positions itself as a platform that fixes visibility issues, not just scores them. The free plan gives 10 scans/month with no card required; paid plans start at $29.99/month (Starter), rising to $49.99/month (Pro) and $129.99/month (Agency). It suits teams that want actionable fixes alongside tracking. It's a newer launch (August 2026, 5 votes), so there's less track record than some alternatives here.
Ranktune
Ranktune (site) tracks AI visibility, citations, and referral traffic, with a free trial of 10 AI credits and paid plans starting at $30/month (Starter), up to $120/month (Business) and $270/month (Growth), plus custom Enterprise pricing. It suits teams that specifically want to connect AI citations to actual referral traffic. Annual billing is available, but the free trial's 10 credits are limited, so you'll likely need to upgrade quickly to see ongoing results.
Visiby
Visiby (site) tracks and grows visibility across AI search, with a free report (no card needed) and paid plans starting at $49/month (Lite), rising to $99/month (Starter), $249/month (Pro), and $499/month (Agency). It suits growing teams that want room to scale into higher tiers as needs grow. It's also the most-voted launch here (144 votes), suggesting wider early adoption. At $49/mo it's still roughly 40% cheaper than MentionBird's entry price.
How to choose
If you just want a one-time check, start with SearchScore AI's free score. If you want ongoing free tracking with no budget at all, try MentionRank. If you have a small budget and one brand to track, Citesurf or CiteRank are the cheapest paid options. If you want more headroom to scale into higher tiers later, Visiby's $49/mo entry point sits closest to MentionBird's feature range while still costing less.
FAQ
Is there a truly free alternative to MentionBird? Yes — SearchScore AI is free with no paid tier stated, and MentionRank has a free-forever plan with 5 AI models tracked.
What's the cheapest paid alternative? Citesurf, at $29/month for one brand, is the cheapest paid plan among these alternatives.
Do any of these cost more than MentionBird? Not among the six listed here — all start below MentionBird's $79/month; SearchRank AI (from $149/mo) was excluded for costing more.