TEARDOWN 77 · REVIEWED 2026-08-19
Otterly.AI
Otterly.AI is an AI-search-visibility tool that tracks whether and how a brand gets mentioned across ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and other AI platforms, checking each one's own public interface the way a real visitor would. It's aimed at marketers who want one dashboard instead of checking each AI platform by hand.
Otterly's own methodology page says it "measures what users see in AI-generated answers via public web interfaces" — the same automated-browsing technique any AI coding tool can script, with no proprietary index or licensed data behind it.
What you lose building it yourself
- ✕One dashboard checking 6+ platforms daily instead of scripting each one
- ✕Historical trend charts and API access to already-tracked results
Why people still pay
A two-platform script is a realistic weekend build, but Otterly runs the same check daily across six-plus platforms and keeps each automation working as interfaces change — that ongoing maintenance, not the underlying technique, is what the subscription buys.
SCRIPT THE PUBLIC INTERFACE
An AI coding tool can drive an automated browser against ChatGPT's and Perplexity's public web interfaces on a schedule, submit a fixed prompt list, and check each response for a brand mention — the same public-interface approach Otterly's own methodology page describes. Matching all six-plus platforms with add-ons and a hosted dashboard is more ongoing upkeep than a single afternoon, but the core mechanism is this simple.
StackAn automated browser tool (e.g. Playwright) to open each AI platform's web interface · a hosted AI model to check each response for a brand mention · a spreadsheet or small database to log results by date.
Build a script using an automated browser tool to open ChatGPT's and Perplexity's public web interfaces (not their APIs), submit a fixed list of 15 prompts relevant to one brand, and save each response as text. Send each saved response to a hosted AI model asking whether the brand is mentioned and to quote the citing sentence if so. Log the date, platform, prompt, and result to a CSV file so visibility can be tracked over time.
Similar tools
Free alternative: geo-optimizer-skill (open-source AEO/GEO toolkit) — audits and tracks whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews cite a site, for free via command line; it doesn't include Otterly's hosted dashboard, historical trend charts, or API access.
Vendor's own claim
"OtterlyAI measures what users see in AI-generated answers via public web interfaces."
otterly.ai/blog/ai-search-research-methodology/ · RETRIEVED 2026-08-19
QUESTIONS
Does Otterly use official AI platform APIs to track results?
No — its own methodology page states it measures what users see via each platform's public web interface rather than an API, arguing that's closer to what a real searcher actually sees.
Which AI platforms are covered on the entry-level Lite plan?
All tiers, including Lite at $29/mo, track ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot; Gemini and Claude are add-ons on top.
Does the Standard-tier API access change the DIY answer?
No — Otterly's API returns Otterly's own already-tracked results rather than raw access to the underlying platform queries, so building equivalent tracking yourself still means scripting each AI platform's interface directly.