Head-to-head
Profound vs AthenaHQ
Both aim at serious teams and brands, but since September 2026 they are bought in completely different ways. Profound removed its $99 and $399 self-serve tiers: you get a free 7-day trial, then a custom Enterprise plan through sales. AthenaHQ has a free Essential tier and a $295 self-serve Starter that already tracks every major engine, Claude and Gemini included. The short answer: AthenaHQ for most, but it depends on your case.
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| Attribute | Profound | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | The enterprise platform | Every engine on the entry plan |
| Entry price | Quote only | From $295/mo |
| Price ladder | Free 7-day trial / custom | Free / $295 / custom |
| Engines | The free trial tracks these three; up to 9 engines, Claude and Perplexity among them, on custom Enterprise | 10+, including Claude, Gemini and Grok on the paid entry plan |
| Free trial | 7 days free: 50 prompts daily on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews | Free Essential tier (300 credits) |
| Seats | Enterprise | Team |
| Try it | Visit Profound → | Visit AthenaHQ → |
Pricing pulled from my GEO tool pricing index, verified September 24, 2026.
The verdict
For most buyers this is now AthenaHQ. You can look around free, pay $295 a month without talking to anyone, and get every major engine from the entry plan. Profound only makes sense if you are an enterprise that expects to buy through procurement anyway and wants what its Enterprise plan adds: up to nine engines, SSO, SOC 2, API access and a dedicated specialist. Use its 7-day trial to decide whether the conversation is worth having.
Pick Profound if…
- You are an enterprise buying through procurement and want SSO, SOC 2 and API access.
- You want a dedicated specialist and custom prompt cadence rather than a fixed plan.
- You can evaluate properly inside a 7-day trial before the sales call.
Pick AthenaHQ if…
- You want to start without a sales call and know the price up front ($295/mo).
- You need Claude and Gemini tracked from the entry plan.
- You want to look around first on a free tier (Essential, 300 credits).
The differences that actually matter
- How you buy it
- This is now the crux. Profound has no self-serve paid plan: a free 7-day trial, then custom Enterprise pricing through sales. AthenaHQ is self-serve from a free Essential tier up to a $295 Starter, with custom Enterprise above.
- Engines on the entry plan
- AthenaHQ includes 10 engines, Claude and Gemini among them, on Starter. Profound’s trial tracks ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews; the rest of its nine engines (Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Copilot, DeepSeek, Exa) are on Enterprise.
- Billing model
- AthenaHQ is credit-based with a published monthly price. Profound is a tailored Enterprise package with no published price, so the only way to know what it costs is to ask.
Frequently asked questions
Is Profound or AthenaHQ better for tracking Claude and Gemini?
AthenaHQ, if you want them without a sales process: both are on its $295 Starter. Profound’s free trial covers Gemini but not Claude; Claude, Perplexity and the rest of its nine engines are on the custom Enterprise plan.
Which is cheaper to start with?
AthenaHQ, because it is the only one of the two with a published paid price. It has a free Essential tier and a $295/mo Starter. Profound is free for a 7-day trial and then custom-priced; it no longer sells the $99 and $399 tiers it listed until September 2026.
Can I start either without talking to sales?
You can try both without a call: Profound’s 7-day trial and AthenaHQ’s free Essential tier both start self-serve. Only AthenaHQ lets you then pay without one. Profound’s only paid plan is Enterprise, bought through sales.
Which should an enterprise brand choose?
If you want every engine immediately and a published price, AthenaHQ. If you need Profound’s enterprise package (SSO, SOC 2, API, a dedicated specialist, custom prompt cadence) and will buy through procurement anyway, run Profound’s trial and take the call.