What is AthenaHQ?
AthenaHQ is a generative engine optimization platform that tracks and improves how brands appear in AI answers for marketing teams. The Y Combinator-backed company emerged from stealth in 2025 with a team from Google, DeepMind and OpenAI, and customers on its site include SoFi, Coinbase, Hearst and Twilio.
As more buyers ask ChatGPT or Perplexity instead of searching Google, AthenaHQ measures how often your brand is mentioned, cited and recommended across 11+ AI engines, compared with competitors. It then shows which sources AI models cite and recommends content to close gaps, with an agent called Ask Athena for questions about the data. Marketing, SEO and brand teams use it to track AI share of voice and plan content.
Main Features
- Tracks brand mentions and citations across 11+ AI engines.
- Measures share of voice against named competitors.
- Shows which source pages AI answers cite.
- Finds content gaps and recommends optimizations.
- Answers questions about your visibility data with Ask Athena.
- Integrates with GA4, Google Search Console and Shopify.
- Exports data by CSV and API on paid plans.
How to Get Started with AthenaHQ
- Sign up at athenahq.ai to get the free Essential plan.
- Add your brand, website and main competitors.
- Enter the prompts your customers are likely to ask AI assistants.
- Review your visibility report and act on content recommendations.
AthenaHQ Pricing
The free Essential plan includes $25 of credit (300 credits) and tracks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot. Starter costs $295 per month for 3,600 credits and 11 AI models, with a 17% discount on annual billing. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Who Should Use It?
- SEO teams adapting to AI search.
- Brand marketers tracking AI share of voice.
- Content teams deciding what to publish next.
- E-commerce brands that want AI product recommendations.
- Agencies reporting AI visibility to clients.
AthenaHQ Alternatives
- Profound: enterprise AI visibility platform
- Peec AI: cheaper AI search tracking for smaller teams
- Otterly.AI: low-cost brand monitoring in AI answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AthenaHQ free?
Yes, to start. The Essential plan is free with $25 of credit, and Starter costs $295 per month.
What is generative engine optimization?
Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the practice of improving how often AI assistants mention and cite your brand. AthenaHQ measures this and recommends changes.
Which AI engines does AthenaHQ track?
AthenaHQ tracks ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot on the free plan, and adds Claude, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral on Starter.
AthenaHQ vs Profound: which is better?
Both track AI visibility. AthenaHQ has a free entry plan and content recommendations, while Profound targets large enterprises.
