In short
- AthenaHQ has a free Essential plan with 300 credits, a $295 a month Starter plan with 3,600 credits and 11 AI models, and custom Enterprise pricing.
- One credit is one AI response, and Starter lists unlimited topics, prompts and seats. API access and extra credits are paid add-ons.
- It fits teams that want many AI models in one credit-based plan and are comfortable starting at about $295 a month. It is a weaker fit for a small budget or a handful of prompts.
- Slynnk starts at $69 a month, tracks six AI tools in every plan and shows a likely range on every number.
AthenaHQ is an AI visibility platform that leans on breadth: its Starter plan lists 11 AI models, from ChatGPT and Perplexity to Grok and DeepSeek. If you want to know how a brand appears across as many assistants as possible, it is a tool to look at.
This review covers what each plan includes, how the credit model works, who it suits, and what to check before you buy.
What is AthenaHQ?
AthenaHQ monitors how AI models answer questions in your category and reports where your brand appears. Its pricing is built on credits, where AthenaHQ says one credit is one AI response, so what you pay depends on how many answers you collect.
Its pricing page describes a free Essential plan to try the product, a Starter plan for teams, and Enterprise for larger setups.
What AthenaHQ does well
Many AI models on the Starter plan
Starter lists 11 models, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral, with others available on request.
A free way to try it
The Essential plan is free and includes 300 credits and unlimited seats, so you can see the product before paying.
Unlimited seats, topics and prompts
Starter lists unlimited seats, topics and prompts. Your limit is credits, not the number of people or questions you set up.
How much does AthenaHQ cost?
These figures come from AthenaHQ's pricing page. Confirm the current price on that page before you buy.
| Plan | Price a month | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Free | 300 credits, 5 AI platforms, unlimited seats |
| Starter | $295 | 3,600 credits, 11 AI models, unlimited seats, topics and prompts |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom credit allocation and models |
- One credit is one AI response, so 3,600 credits is 3,600 answers a month.
- Annual billing is listed at 17% off, but the page does not show the annual price.
- API access and extra credits on Starter are paid add-ons; AthenaHQ asks you to contact sales for their price.
What to check before you choose AthenaHQ
What 3,600 answers covers
If you track 20 prompts on 6 models every day, that is 3,600 answers a month, so credits run out quickly with many models. Work out prompts times models times days before you assume Starter is enough.
Which models are consumer surfaces
Ask which of the 11 models are collected from the product people use and which from an API, because the answers can differ.
How uncertainty is shown
AI answers change between runs. Ask whether figures show a sample size and a likely range, and whether a change is tested before it is called real.
Who is AthenaHQ best for?
Choose AthenaHQ if
- You want the widest possible model coverage, including Grok, DeepSeek and Meta AI.
- You want a free plan to try before paying.
- You are happy with a credit-based plan starting around $295 a month.
Choose Slynnk if
- You want a lower entry price, from $69 a month, with six AI tools in every plan.
- You report numbers to clients and need each one to show its sample size, a likely range and a real-change verdict.
- You are an agency that wants white-label reports and client links included.
Where Slynnk is built differently from AthenaHQ
Slynnk uses the same unit, one credit per AI answer, but states how many each plan holds: 3,600 credits (about 20 prompts daily on every tool) from $69 a month, up to 17,100 credits on Pro.
Every figure shows how many answers it comes from and a likely range, and a change is called real only when it clears a test. Every answer is stored and readable, so a number can be re-derived.
What Slynnk does not have yet: an API, MCP and Looker Studio connector, Google Analytics and Search Console links, and the 11-model breadth AthenaHQ lists. Slynnk tracks six AI tools.
AthenaHQ vs Slynnk, side by side
| AthenaHQ | Slynnk | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free plan; $295 a month Starter | $69 a month (brand), $199 (agency) |
| Unit | 1 credit = 1 AI response | 1 credit = 1 AI answer |
| AI models | 11 on Starter | 6 AI tools in every plan |
| Seats | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Range and real-change verdict | Not described on its pricing page | On every number |
| API | Paid add-on on Starter | Planned after launch |
Want to see the Slynnk side with real numbers? The live demo is the full dashboard on sample data, no signup, and the free scan checks your own brand in a couple of minutes.
AthenaHQ alternatives
If AthenaHQ is not quite right, these are the tools people most often compare it with. Each links to our review of it.
- Peec AI: a focused tracker with unlimited seats.
- Scrunch: an enterprise-leaning platform with personas.
- Otterly.AI: a low entry price with add-on engines.
- Semrush: AI tracking inside an SEO suite.
- Slynnk: AI visibility tracking with a likely range on every number, every AI tool in every plan and unlimited team seats.
For the full field side by side, see the best AI visibility tools in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does AthenaHQ cost?
There is a free Essential plan with 300 credits, a Starter plan at $295 a month with 3,600 credits, and custom Enterprise pricing.
Does AthenaHQ have a free plan?
Yes. The Essential plan is free, with 300 credits and unlimited seats. No trial period is listed on the pricing page.
Which AI models does AthenaHQ track?
Starter lists 11 models, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok, DeepSeek, Meta AI and Mistral.
What is a credit in AthenaHQ?
AthenaHQ defines one credit as one AI response.
What is a good AthenaHQ alternative?
Peec AI and Scrunch are common comparisons. Slynnk starts at $69 a month, includes six AI tools in every plan and shows a likely range on every number.
Sources
Checked on October 27, 2026.
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