Cited vs AthenaHQ
Actionable Results vs Credit-Based Complexity
AthenaHQ is a technically impressive platform — but with no free trial, pricing from $270/month, and a credit model that makes costs unpredictable, it's a significant commitment before you've seen a single result. Cited gives you a full AI visibility audit, reviewed by a human expert, completely free.
Results in 3–5 minutes · 100% free · No account required
Feature Comparison
A side-by-side look at what matters for AI search visibility.
| Feature | Cited | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Free audit available | Full audit, no credit card | No free trial |
| Starting price | Free | $270/month (annual billing) |
| Pricing predictability | Clear and consistent | Credit-based model — costs vary month to month |
| Human expert review | Certified AI technician reviews every audit | Automated platform |
| Done-for-you optimisation | We implement changes for you | Assignable tasks — still requires your team to execute |
| Time to first insight | 3–5 minutes | Account setup, credit allocation, and onboarding required |
| No account needed to start | URL and email only | Account and payment required |
| AI platforms covered | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Google AIOs, Grok |
| 6-dimensional scoring | Citability, Authority, Content, Technical, Schema, Platforms | Mention frequency, competitor SOV, sentiment |
| Multi-country tracking | Included | Single country on self-serve; multi-country Enterprise only ($2,000+/month) |
| Built for SMEs and agencies | Yes | Designed for in-house marketing teams with dedicated resources |
| Years of search experience | 20+ years | Founded 2023 |
See the Difference
Cited delivers a full AI visibility audit in under 5 minutes — no platform setup required.
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Cited — 6-dimensional AI visibility audit results
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AthenaHQ — AI visibility platform (from $270/month)
Why Businesses Choose Cited Over AthenaHQ
No free trial. No transparency. No thanks.
AthenaHQ doesn't offer a free trial. To access the platform, you commit to a paid plan from day one. Their credit-based pricing model means the cost you see on the pricing page isn't necessarily the cost you'll pay — credits are consumed at different rates depending on which features you use, making budgeting difficult for smaller teams.
Cited believes you should see value before you spend a penny. That's why our full AI visibility audit is free, no strings attached.
AthenaHQ gives you tasks. Cited gives you results.
AthenaHQ's Action Centre generates optimisation workflows that your team can pick up, assign, and track. It's a well-designed system — if you have the internal resource to act on it. For most SMEs and agencies, that's the challenge. You're already stretched. Adding a backlog of GEO optimisation tasks to your team's workload isn't a solution; it's more work.
With Cited's managed service, we take those tasks off your plate entirely. Our certified AI technicians implement the changes, so your visibility improves without demanding more from your team.
The expertise behind the tool matters.
AthenaHQ was built by former Google Search and DeepMind engineers. The product is technically excellent. But AI visibility isn't purely a technical problem — it requires strategic judgement, content expertise, and two decades of pattern recognition from working through every major shift in search.
That's what Cited brings: not just a platform, but a team of people who've been doing this work since before AI search existed.
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