Thunderdome B2B SaaS AI Visibility Index

← AI Visibility & AEO ranking

Head-to-head · September 2026 snapshot

Profound vs Semrush

Profound leads everywhere that matters; Semrush owns the startup conversation. Profound's 49 visibility score versus Semrush's 36 is largely a ChatGPT story: Profound scores 75 there to Semrush's 27, and that gap shows up in the question themes where intent is highest, specifically best overall, enterprise, and single-pick recommendations. Semrush holds its ground with Gemini (30 to Profound's 12) and wins on budget, startup, and top-tools framing, which suggests buyers who frame the search around cost or team size still hear Semrush's name first. Profound's month-over-month gain of 8 points while Semrush held flat means the separation is widening, not stabilizing.

Profound Semrush
Visibility Score 49 36
Rank in category #1 #2
Mention rate 58% 53%
#1 pick rate 33% 7%
Avg. position when named 2.6 4.2

Who each model prefers

ChatGPT
Profound
75
Semrush
27
Claude
Profound
60
Semrush
51
Gemini
Profound
12
Semrush
30

The models split: ChatGPT prefers Profound, Claude prefers Profound, Gemini prefers Semrush.

The shape of the fight

Each axis is one of the 8 measured buyer questions; the further out, the more of that question's answers name the brand. Hover an axis for the raw counts. Single-axis gaps ride on 9 answers each, so read the overall shape, not one spike.

ProfoundSemrush
Best overallUse caseTop toolsStartupEnterpriseFeature-ledSingle pickBudget

The fight, question by question

Mentions out of 9 answers per question. Click any question for the full transcripts.

Question Profound Semrush Edge
Best overallWhat's the best tool for tracking how my brand appears in AI assistant answers? 6 2 Profound
Use-case fitOur CEO asked why ChatGPT recommends our competitor and not us. What tools help measure and fix that? 7 6 Profound
Top tools in 2026What are the top AI visibility and answer engine optimization tools in 2026? 7 9 Semrush
Startup & small teamWhich AI search visibility tool should an early-stage B2B SaaS use? 6 8 Semrush
Enterprise pickWhich AI visibility and AEO platform should a large enterprise standardize on, considering security, compliance, and scale? 7 3 Profound
Feature-led askI need to track brand citations across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews with an API. What are my options? 3 3 even
If you could pick oneIf you could only pick one AEO or GEO tool, which one and why? 6 5 Profound
Budget & alternativesWhat's a budget-friendly alternative to the big AI visibility platforms? 0 2 Semrush

Open this matchup in the compare tool →  ·  Profound brand report  ·  Semrush brand report

Measured from 72 fresh answers collected from the models' production APIs in September 2026; rankings change monthly. Neither brand can pay to appear here or to move the numbers. Full recipe on the methodology page.