Profound vs Scrunch AI for AEO in 2026
Quick answer: Profound is the enterprise leader. Scrunch AI is the agency-focused auditor. We compare pricing, depth, and fit, plus a flat-fee WordPress option that also fixes what it finds.
⚡ Key takeaways
- → Profound publishes self-serve entry tiers ($99 Starter, $399 Growth) plus custom Enterprise. Scrunch starts at $250/mo Brands Core and $500/mo Agency Core, both per-brand-per-month, with Enterprise custom.
- → Scrunch's per-brand pricing changes the math fast. 3 brands tracked = $750/mo at Core. Profound's published tiers are not per-brand.
- → Engine coverage at the base differs. Scrunch Brands Core covers 4 LLMs. Profound Starter and Growth cover 4 base engines. Scrunch Enterprise unlocks 9 LLMs; Profound Enterprise unlocks 10+.
- → Different signature features. Profound's Prompt Volumes shows panel demand data on what people actually ask AI. Scrunch's site audits and sentiment analysis are agency-leaning. Neither vendor has the other's layer.
If you need demand research and self-serve entry, Profound is the broader platform. If you run a multi-brand portfolio or need agency-style audits and sentiment work, Scrunch fits the shape of that job specifically, with the per-brand pricing model that comes with it.
What's in this guide
Two enterprise platforms, different shapes
Profound and Scrunch AI both sit at the premium end of AI visibility tooling. The way they go to market is meaningfully different though.
Profound is the broad category platform. Self-serve published pricing on Starter and Growth, custom on Enterprise. The signature layer is Prompt Volumes, consumer panel data on what people actually ask AI by category. Customers include Statsig, Zapier, Clay, US Bank, Mejuri.
Scrunch is the per-brand enterprise platform. Floor pricing is $250/mo Brands Core or $500/mo Agency Core, with custom Enterprise. Pricing model is per-brand-per-month, so the bill scales with the number of brands you track. Signature work is site audits, sentiment analysis, and multi-workspace management. Akamai reports a 364% AI search lift as a public case study.
So the question is which model fits your shape. A self-serve buyer with one brand and demand-research needs goes one direction. A multi-brand agency or enterprise needing audits and per-brand depth goes the other.
The pricing math and the per-brand multiplier
Both vendors publish prices on the entry tiers. The structure is different in a way that matters.
Profound vs Scrunch AI, published pricing
| Tier | Profound (monthly) | Scrunch (monthly, per brand) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Starter $99/mo | Brands Core $250/mo | Scrunch 2.5x Profound at entry |
| Mid | Growth $399/mo | Agency Core $500/mo | Scrunch Agency is multi-client product |
| Top | Enterprise: custom | Enterprise: custom (9 LLMs) | Both custom, annual only on Scrunch |
| 3 brands at entry | $99/mo flat (brands not metered) | $750/mo (3 × $250) | Per-brand math hits fast |
Profound annual saves ~17% (two months free). Scrunch publishes annual only on Enterprise. Brands Core covers 4 LLMs and 125 prompts; broader engine coverage uses prompt credits faster than the count implies.
The straight comparison is Profound Starter ($99/mo) vs Scrunch Brands Core ($250/mo). At 1 brand, Scrunch is 2.5x more expensive.
That gap widens at multi-brand scope.
If you track 3 brands, Scrunch Brands Core costs $750/mo. Profound's pricing is not per-brand at its published tiers, so a 3-brand portfolio still runs at Starter or Growth pricing unless you negotiate Enterprise. So the practical gap goes from 2.5x to roughly 7.6x at 3 brands.
That math reverses at the very top. Scrunch Enterprise unlocks 9 LLMs at custom pricing. Profound Enterprise unlocks 10+ engines at custom pricing. At that level the comparison is feature-by-feature, not list-price.
What each one ships uniquely
Beyond price, each platform has a signature layer the other does not have.
Profound only.
- Prompt Volumes (panel demand data on real AI queries by category)
- Multi-platform site coverage (Shopify, Webflow, custom CMS, headless)
- Self-serve entry tiers at $99 and $399
- ChatGPT Shopping visibility at scale
- Content Agents (AI-drafted optimization content)
- 10+ engines at Enterprise tier
Scrunch AI only.
- Site audits with structured AEO recommendations
- Sentiment analysis on brand mentions
- Multi-workspace management built for agencies
- Published Agency Core tier at $500/mo
- Per-brand-per-month pricing model (matches how agencies charge clients)
- 9 LLMs at Enterprise tier
- Documented enterprise case study (Akamai 364% lift)
Both cover citation tracking, competitor benchmarking, and visibility scoring at the core. The split is between Profound's demand-research and breadth, vs Scrunch's audit-and-workspace shape for agencies and per-brand depth for portfolios.
Engine coverage compared
Scrunch Brands Core covers 4 LLMs. Scrunch Agency Core also covers 4 LLMs. Scrunch Enterprise unlocks 9 LLMs.
Profound Starter and Growth cover 4 base engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude). Profound Enterprise unlocks 10+ engines plus specialty integrations like ChatGPT Shopping.
At the base tiers, both tools cover comparable engine sets. The difference shows at Enterprise where Profound goes broader (10+ engines plus shopping) and Scrunch goes deeper into LLM coverage (9 LLMs including some less common ones).
One caveat on Scrunch. Prompts are spent across engines as credits. Tracking 100 prompts across 4 LLMs spends 400 credits. So Brands Core's 125-prompt allowance gets used faster than the headline number implies if you cover all 4 engines.
Three real buyer scenarios
The solo brand on WordPress wanting to test demand research. You want Prompt Volumes data on what your buyers actually ask AI. Budget is approved for one tool, not two. Profound Starter at $99/mo gets you in the door at the self-serve tier. Scrunch Brands Core at $250/mo is 2.5x the cost and Scrunch does not have demand-research data. Profound wins this scenario unless you specifically need audits and sentiment.
The marketing agency at 8 client brands. You want per-client workspaces, audit reports you can hand to clients, and sentiment analysis on brand mentions. Scrunch Agency Core at $500/mo is the right product line. Workspaces and audits are the core use case here. Profound serves agencies through standard Brands tiers but the workspace and audit shape is not its strength. Scrunch wins on fit, even if individual brand cost ends up higher.
The enterprise retailer with 5 brands tracking AI shopping. You sell across multiple platforms (Shopify, custom CMS, headless) and you want ChatGPT Shopping visibility plus SOC 2 plus broad engine coverage. Profound Enterprise is the better fit. Scrunch Enterprise covers 9 LLMs but does not have multi-platform site coverage or ChatGPT Shopping at scale. Profound's enterprise feature set lines up with the use case here.
If you are on WordPress
Neither Profound nor Scrunch runs on WordPress. Both are hosted SaaS platforms tracking external sites.
If your site is on WordPress, the alternative worth knowing about is CiteTrack. It runs as a plugin inside the WordPress admin, queries 5 engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, Copilot) through your own API keys, logs verified AI crawler hits, and ties AI-referred visits to WooCommerce or EDD orders.
Pricing shape differs sharply. CiteTrack is flat annual ($59 Solo for 1 site, $129 Studio for 5, $249 Agency unlimited). No per-brand metering. Free crawler logging without a license. Honest limit: WordPress only, you manage your own engine spend.
Different tool for a different platform. If you are on WordPress and the per-brand math on Scrunch or the custom pricing on Profound Enterprise does not fit, CiteTrack is worth a look. If you are not, Profound and Scrunch are the two real options.
FAQ
Is Scrunch cheaper than Profound?
At 1 brand, no. Scrunch Brands Core at $250/mo is 2.5x Profound Starter at $99/mo. At multi-brand scope, the gap widens because Scrunch is per-brand-per-month. At Enterprise, both are custom and the answer depends on negotiation and feature fit.
What does Profound do that Scrunch does not?
Prompt Volumes demand research, multi-platform site coverage (Shopify, Webflow, custom CMS), self-serve entry tiers, ChatGPT Shopping visibility at scale, 10+ engines at Enterprise, Content Agents for AI drafting.
What does Scrunch do that Profound does not?
Site audits with structured AEO recommendations, sentiment analysis on brand mentions, multi-workspace management built for agencies, published Agency Core tier at $500/mo, 9 LLMs at Enterprise (including some less common ones), documented enterprise case study (Akamai 364% lift).
How does Scrunch's per-brand pricing actually work?
Each brand you track on Scrunch is billed separately at the tier rate. 3 brands at Brands Core = 3 × $250 = $750/mo. Profound's published tiers are not per-brand, so the same 3 brands stay at Starter or Growth pricing unless you negotiate Enterprise.
How many engines does each cover?
Scrunch Brands Core and Agency Core: 4 LLMs. Scrunch Enterprise: 9 LLMs. Profound Starter and Growth: 4 base engines. Profound Enterprise: 10+ engines plus specialty integrations.
Does Scrunch offer annual pricing?
Annual is available on Enterprise only. Brands Core and Agency Core are monthly-only at published rates. Profound offers annual on every tier (~17% saving, two months free).
Which one fits agencies better?
Scrunch. Agency Core at $500/mo includes the workspace and audit shape agencies need to deliver client reports. Profound serves agencies through standard tiers but the per-brand price math and the lack of dedicated workspace product line make it a less natural fit.
Is there a free trial?
Scrunch is sales-led on Enterprise; trial terms vary on lower tiers. Profound is primarily sales-led even on self-serve tiers. CiteTrack (if on WordPress) ships a 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.
- The full pricing breakdown, Profound pricing and Scrunch AI pricing.
- The wider field, Profound alternatives and Scrunch AI alternatives.
- Agency-focused options, AI visibility tools for agencies.
- The CiteTrack head-to-head, CiteTrack vs Profound.
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