Comparison · Free Tools
The Best Free AI Visibility Tools in 2026 (Truly Free vs. Trial)
Most "free" AI visibility tools are trials in disguise. Of the seven worth knowing in 2026, only a handful are genuinely free with no card and no time limit: HubSpot AI Search Grader, Mangools AI Search Grader, the free checkers from Frase and Semrush, and Ahrefs' free AI Visibility Checker. Writesonic and Trakkr, despite "free" marketing, are free trials — Writesonic's is 7 days/25 prompts, Trakkr's is 14 days before $100/mo. Below, each tool is labelled truly free or trial, with what it does and what it misses, verified against vendor pages the week of August 3, 2026.
Truly free or trial? The 7 tools at a glance
| Tool | Truly free or trial? | What's free | Engines | Fixes copy? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HubSpot AI Search Grader | Truly free (one-time, no account) | Brand snapshot, 5 dimensions | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini | No |
| Mangools AI Search Grader | Truly free (one-time, no card) | Visibility score | 8 LLMs | No |
| Frase free checker | Truly free (limited) | AI Visibility + GEO Score | 5 major | Partial (paid platform) |
| Semrush free checker | Truly free (snapshot) | AI visibility score | ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews | No |
| Ahrefs free checker | Truly free (no signup, preview) | Mentions preview | 6 surfaces | No |
| Writesonic | Trial (7 days) | 25 prompts, 3 engines | ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity | No |
| Trakkr | Trial (14 days) | Full Growth features | 8 models | No |
1) HubSpot AI Search Grader — Truly free, no account
A one-time brand snapshot across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini scored on five dimensions (sentiment, presence, recognition, share of voice, market position). No continuous tracking; you cannot choose the prompts. Best for a fast, credible read on how AI describes your brand today.
2) Mangools AI Search Grader — Truly free, no card
A one-time visibility score across 8 LLMs (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Mistral, Meta Llama). Ongoing monitoring requires the separate paid AI Search Watcher ($15.60/mo annual). Best free multi-LLM snapshot.
3) Frase free checkers — Truly free (limited)
A free AI Visibility Checker and GEO Score, no card; the full monitor-and-fix platform is $39/mo. Best if you want a free score and a clear paid upgrade path to fixing.
4) Semrush free checker — Truly free snapshot
A free one-time AI-visibility check at semrush.com/free-tools; the paid AI Visibility Toolkit is $99/mo per domain. Best if you already use Semrush.
5) Ahrefs free AI Visibility Checker — Truly free, no signup
A limited mentions preview across six AI surfaces with no signup. Best for a quick, no-friction read.
6) Writesonic — Trial, not free
Marketed as free but it is a 7-day trial (25 prompts, three engines, no card). Useful to sample tracking-plus-drafting before paying.
7) Trakkr — Trial, not free
A 14-day full-feature trial, then $100/mo Growth ($500/mo Scale), all 8 models. Its earlier "genuine free tier" marketing is now stale; the pricing page confirms trial-then-paid.
Caveat on a commonly-listed tool: "Am I Visible on AI" (amivisibleonai.com) is a truly-free, no-signup technical audit — it checks whether your site is structured to be citable rather than querying models live, and third-party accuracy reviews conflict — so we exclude it from the ranked seven and note it here only.
Once a free checker shows a gap, close it: how to get recommended by ChatGPT covers the evidence-based steps, and ecommerce teams should start with how to optimize product pages for AI search. Weighing paid platforms instead? See Profound alternatives 2026.
FAQ
What does "truly free" mean here, versus a trial?
Truly free = usable with no credit card and no expiry (one-time or repeatable). A trial expires and converts to a paid plan — Writesonic after 7 days, Trakkr after 14.
What is the best truly-free AI visibility tool?
HubSpot AI Search Grader or Mangools AI Search Grader if you want a free brand snapshot with no card.
Is HubSpot's AI Search Grader really free?
Yes — one-time, no account required, across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. It grades; it does not track over time or rewrite anything.
Does any free tool actually rewrite my page?
None of the seven. They score or snapshot without changing your copy; the paid Frase platform adds a content-fix workflow.
Free checkers vs paid tracking — when do I need to pay?
Pay when you need daily monitoring across many prompts, competitors and markets (Peec from $95/mo, Otterly from $29/mo). For a one-off read on how AI describes a brand, the free tools cover it.
Is Writesonic's AI visibility tool free?
No — it is a 7-day trial with 25 prompts across three engines, no card required, then paid.
What is the best free multi-LLM checker?
Mangools AI Search Grader, which scores visibility across 8 LLMs in one free pass.
Last updated: September 2026
Cite as: Metricus — The Best Free AI Visibility Tools in 2026 (Truly Free vs. Trial) (August 2026)