In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, traditional SEO is no longer enough. With AI-powered search engines like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity gaining traction, businesses need to adapt their visibility strategies. This is where Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tools come into play. In this comprehensive comparison, we’ll examine and compare two leading GEO platforms: AthenaHQ vs Profound, and how they stand against an emerging player (revealed inside the blog!) to help you determine which tool best fits your organization’s needs in 2025.

What is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization represents the next evolution in search visibility. Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking in conventional search engines like Google, GEO aims to optimize brand visibility within AI-powered search engines and assistants. These AI systems generate responses directly rather than providing a list of links, fundamentally changing how users discover information and brands.

As AI search usage continues to grow, ensuring your brand appears in these AI-generated responses has become crucial for digital visibility. GEO tools help track, analyze, and improve how often and favorably your brand is mentioned in AI search results.

AthenaHQ: A Comprehensive Overview

AthenaHQ stands as a premium GEO platform designed to give brands comprehensive visibility into their presence across AI search engines. Founded by former Google Search and DeepMind experts, AthenaHQ brings considerable expertise to the GEO landscape.

Key AthenaHQ Features

The AthenaHQ features that stand out include its 360-degree brand discovery and AI-generated recommendations. The platform offers:

Content Gap Identification with Action Center: Highlights opportunities to improve content for better AI visibility

Olympus Dashboard: Provides Share of Voice metrics and GEO scores across multiple AI platforms

Prompt Analytics: Tracks which prompts trigger mentions of your brand

Competitor Benchmarking: Compares your brand’s performance against competitors

Sentiment & Quality Analysis: Evaluates the tone and quality of AI-generated mentions

Multi-Engine Coverage: Monitors visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other AI platforms

AI-Generated Action Center: Offers specific recommendations to improve AI visibility

Source Intelligence: Identifies which sources AI engines reference when mentioning your brand