Ask ChatGPT for “the best accountant for startups” and it names three or four firms. Ask again with different words and the list can change. The brands that keep showing up tend to be the ones mentioned across many credible pages. That is the job of an AI SEO or GEO (generative engine optimization) agency: get your brand written about, in the right places, in language AI tools can use.
Agencies offer this service in three different ways, with significant differences in pricing. This guide compares six providers based on the information published on their respective websites.
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Outreach Monks, a link building and AI SEO agency founded in 2017, is the most affordable fully managed option here: it has the lowest published starting price ($799/month) and includes mentions, content, and tracking in that fee.
Pick the model first. It narrows the list faster than any price comparison.
Each agency is judged on the same four questions:
Everything comes from the agency’s own website. Results are self-reported unless noted.
Prices are based on published information and may change.
Best for: Businesses and agencies that want AI SEO handled end to end at a published price
Outreach Monks’ AI SEO services are built around one idea: AI tools recommend brands that credible sites already talk about. So each monthly plan pairs third-party mentions with content written for buyer questions, then tracks how you appear in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
The team started in manual link building in 2017, and every mention still comes from manual outreach with editorial review, not private blog networks. Each plan begins with an AI visibility audit.
Agencies that already run their own AI SEO strategy can also order à la carte brand mentions on their own, from $199 per mention, with white-label fulfillment.
A Vancouver estate-planning firm, West Coast Wills, holds a top ChatGPT placement for “best estate planning lawyers in Vancouver” and reports more inbound leads. Bully Sticks Direct appears in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews for dog chew searches. Both are company-reported.
Small and mid-sized businesses, ecommerce and SaaS brands, and law or health practices that want one provider and a clear monthly fee. Brands competing across many categories will likely need the Custom plan.
Best for: Stores and local businesses that want AI work bundled into SEO
1Digital Agency doesn’t sell AI search as a separate product. AEO and GEO run inside its SEO retainers, which climb to $5,999/month at national scale.
It starts with an AI crawler review, schema, and a baseline citation snapshot, then moves to answer-first content and monthly citation reports.
Businesses that want one SEO partner and are comfortable with a six-month start.
Best for: Technical AI SEO and getting cited in listicles and forums
Embarque tests your visibility with 100+ prompts a month, restructures 8 to 15 pages, and places brands where AI tools often look, such as listicles and Reddit threads. Weekly dashboards track progress.
No tiers are shown on the page, so scope and price come from a call.
SaaS and tech teams that want hands-on technical work and can budget $3,000 or more.
Best for: Teams that want a diagnosis before they commit
Tenten GEO starts with a 30-day audit covering your AI visibility baseline, competitor gaps, and a roadmap. The audit fee credits toward a plan that follows.
The Growth plan adds monthly content and weekly reports. A fully managed tier is quoted individually. The page shows share-of-answer figures labeled as illustrative, not as a client result.
Teams that want a roadmap first and flexible terms after.
Best for: B2B and SaaS teams that want to test before committing
DerivateX publishes three retainers. The entry tier covers 18 commercial pages, comparison pages, articles, and revamps over the pilot.
An off-site citation budget of $1,000 to $1,200 a month is billed separately, so the real monthly cost runs higher than $5,000. A $3,500 diagnostic credits toward the first month if you continue.
B2B teams with a mid-sized budget that want a defined pilot.
Best for: Growth-stage SaaS and D2C brands that want an audit-led start
upGrowth charges for a GEO audit before a retainer and describes a ₹2,00,000 monthly engagement, with a ₹2,50,000 initial three-month sprint, as typical for its clients. It does not publish a tiered price list.
Prices are in Indian rupees, so convert them before you compare. At any recent exchange rate, ₹2,00,000 a month is well above Outreach Monks’ $799.
Growth-stage brands are comfortable starting with a paid audit.
Embarque names more pages at its starting price, but it costs about four times as much to begin. DerivateX adds its citation budget on top of the monthly fee. Outreach Monks is the lowest-cost way to test whether AI SEO works for you, and mentions, content, and tracking are inside the $799.
No agency can guarantee that ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google’s AI will recommend your brand.
The right AI SEO agency depends on how you want to buy. If you want mentions, content, and tracking handled for one published monthly price, Outreach Monks is the most affordable fully managed option here.
If you want AI work inside a wider SEO retainer, a technical specialist, or an audit first, the other five cover those needs. Whichever you choose, no agency can guarantee that ChatGPT or Google’s AI will recommend you, so judge each one on what it will deliver in month one.
Published prices here start at $799 a month for a fully managed plan and run to $8,000 or more. Audits are priced separately, from $1,299.
They overlap. AI SEO covers visibility across AI-powered search, and GEO (generative engine optimization) focuses on how brands appear in AI-generated answers.
Outreach Monks is the best value here: the lowest published starting price, with mentions, content, and tracking included. The right choice still depends on your budget and goals.
It can be, if you’re unsure where you stand. Tenten GEO credits its audit fee toward a plan, and DerivateX credits its diagnostic toward your first month.
No. AI tools pull from pages that search already surfaces, so strong SEO still helps. 1Digital Agency builds the two together.
Some brands see early citations within weeks, but steady visibility usually takes a few months.
No. AI answers change by question and platform.
Read our latest blog for more insight and inspiration.
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