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One-time AI visibility report vs monthly tracking

Q: Is the Cognitive Authority report a subscription?

No. The full report is a one-time purchase for $69 + applicable sales tax. There's no monthly plan. The free check needs no account and shows your score and grade, all four dimension scores, mentions across 8 questions, the most-mentioned competitor, cited sources.

Q: When does monthly tracking make more sense than a one-time report?

If you want to watch the same questions change month to month, or you already pay for a local SEO tool that includes AI visibility tracking, a monthly tool may fit better. A one-time report fits if you want a single snapshot and a plan to act on.

Q: What does the one-time report actually check?

It asks up to 16 customer-style questions about your type of business in your city, using Google Gemini with live web search. Then it shows each answer and the sources cited, where available.

Q: Can I start with a one-time report and add tracking later?

Yes. Many businesses get a baseline first, make the recommended changes, and only then decide whether ongoing tracking is worth paying for. A baseline also makes it easier to judge whether a tracking tool is showing real progress.

Q: How often should a local business re-check its AI visibility?

There's no fixed rule. A sensible rhythm is to re-check after you've made meaningful changes, such as updating your website, Google Business Profile or reviews, and given them a few weeks to be picked up. AI answers can also change on their own, so treat any single result as a snapshot.

Q: How were the prices on this page checked?

We checked each vendor's public pricing page on Oct 21, 2026. Plans and prices change, so please confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

If you run a single-location business, you have two basic ways to find out how AI tools talk about you: buy a one-time report, or subscribe to a tool that tracks the same questions every month. Here's how the options compare on price, billing and fit.

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Short answer

Cognitive Authority is a one-time report for $69 + applicable sales tax, with no subscription. Otterly.ai and BrightLocal are monthly subscriptions that keep tracking over time. HubSpot's AI Search Grader is a free one-time check, and HubSpot also sells monthly AEO monitoring for $50/mo.

At a glance

Price, billing and fit

Price, billing and fit of a one-time AI visibility report compared with monthly tracking tools
Option	Price	How you pay	Ongoing tracking	Free option	Good fit if
Cognitive AuthorityFull AI visibility reportOur report	$69 + applicable sales taxOne-time	One-time paymentPrivate web report generated right after checkout, usually within minutes; PDF download	No · one-time snapshot	Free check, no account	You want one snapshot and an action plan, without a subscription
HubSpot AI Search GraderFree grader; AEO monitoring sold separately	FreeAEO monitoring: $50/mo	Grader is free; AEO is a monthly planGrader: online report, no account; AEO: software dashboard	With paid AEO plan	Grader is free; AEO has a free trial	You want a quick, free read on how AI describes your brand
Otterly.aiLite plan (15 prompts)	$29/moStandard $189/mo · Premium $489/mo	Monthly subscription (15% off annually)Software dashboard with daily tracking	Yes · monthly plan	Free trial	You want to track a fixed set of prompts month after month
BrightLocalTrack plan, single location	$41/mo$31/mo billed annually	Monthly subscriptionLocal SEO software; Local AI Visibility Tracker included in Track	Yes · monthly plan	14-day free trial, no credit card	You want AI visibility tracking alongside your local SEO tools

Prices verified on Oct 21, 2026 from each vendor's public pricing page, in US dollars, before tax. Plans change; check the vendor's site before you buy. Sources: HubSpot AI Search Grader · HubSpot AEO · Otterly.ai · BrightLocal.

Free check: score and grade, all four dimension scores, mentions across 8 questions, the most-mentioned competitor, cited sources.

What a one-time report is for

A one-time report answers one question: where do I stand right now? You pay once, get the result, and decide what to fix. Cognitive Authority's full report asks up to 16 questions real customers ask about your type of business in your city. It scores you on four dimensions (Visibility, Position, Sentiment and Sources), compares you with competitors, and gives you a 90-day action plan. Every answer is included word for word, with the sources it cited. Then it's done. There's nothing to cancel.

A snapshot is best when you need a starting point: before you change your website or Google Business Profile, before you hire someone, or when you just want to know whether you show up at all.

What monthly tracking is for

Tracking tools ask the same set of questions on a schedule and chart the results over time. That's useful when you're actively making changes and want to see whether they move the needle, or when you manage several brands or clients.

The trade-off is commitment. You choose the questions (often called "prompts"), you pay every month, and you need time to read the dashboard.

HubSpot AI Search Grader

HubSpot's AI Search Grader is a free, one-time check with no account required. HubSpot describes it as a brand perception analysis across five dimensions, based on what AI models say from their training data. If you want ongoing monitoring, HubSpot AEO costs $50/month on its own, or comes with Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise.

Otterly.ai

Otterly.ai is a monitoring subscription for marketers and teams. The Lite plan is $29/month for 15 search prompts with daily tracking. Standard ($189/month, 100 prompts) and Premium ($489/month, 400 prompts) add more prompts and features. There's a free trial, and annual billing saves 15%.

BrightLocal

BrightLocal is a local SEO platform. Its Track plan for one location is $41/month, or $31/month billed annually. It includes a Local AI Visibility Tracker, along with local SEO audits and local rank tracking. If you already use BrightLocal for listings and rankings, AI tracking sits in the same place. There's a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Cost over a year, at a glance

One-time report: $69 + tax, once. Run it again later if you want a fresh snapshot.
Entry-level monthly tools: $29–$50/month, which works out to roughly $348–$600 a year at list price before any annual discount.

Neither is "better". They answer different questions.

Choosing

Who should pick which

Cognitive Authority

Good fit if

You want to know where you stand today. You get up to 16 customer-style questions, scores, competitors and a 90-day action plan, and you pay once.

See a sample report →

HubSpot AI Search Grader

Good fit if

You want a free first look at how AI describes your brand. If you later want ongoing monitoring, HubSpot offers it as a paid monthly plan.

Otterly.ai

Good fit if

You have a list of prompts you want to watch over time, and you're comfortable checking a monitoring dashboard every month.

BrightLocal

Good fit if

You already manage listings and local rankings, and want AI visibility tracking in the same monthly local SEO tool.

One-time AI visibility report vs monthly tracking

Price, billing and fit

What a one-time report is for

What monthly tracking is for

HubSpot AI Search Grader

Otterly.ai

BrightLocal

Cost over a year, at a glance

Who should pick which

Cognitive Authority

HubSpot AI Search Grader

Otterly.ai

BrightLocal

Questions about one-time reports and monthly tracking

Start with a free snapshot.