HubSpot’s acquisition of XFunnel in 2025 has left thousands of marketing teams scrambling for alternatives. All standalone XFunnel accounts are being migrated to HubSpot’s ecosystem, creating uncertainty for organizations that relied on XFunnel for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI visibility tracking.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the process of optimizing content for AI-powered answer engines and generative search platforms—ensuring your brand appears in AI-generated responses rather than just traditional keyword search results.
This guide evaluates the best XFunnel alternatives for 2026, with detailed comparisons across pricing, features, security, and enterprise readiness. For organizations prioritizing comprehensive AI visibility, Profound emerges as the leading replacement—offering enterprise-grade analytics, real-time monitoring across 10+ AI engines, and the strategic support that XFunnel users have come to expect.
This post reflects my personal views and not those of Profound.
Why Businesses Need XFunnel Alternatives in 2026
The XFunnel acquisition creates immediate challenges for marketing teams:
- Loss of independent access: XFunnel accounts are being migrated to HubSpot, forcing users into a new ecosystem with different workflows and pricing
- Unclear migration path: Many organizations face uncertainty about data continuity and feature parity during the transition
- Potential vendor lock-in: HubSpot’s integrated approach may limit flexibility for teams using best-of-breed marketing stacks
- Business disruption: Teams must quickly evaluate alternatives to maintain AI visibility tracking without gaps
Beyond the acquisition, search behavior is fundamentally shifting. Profound’s research shows that ChatGPT answers overlap with Google search results just 12% of the time—revealing massive gaps that traditional SEO cannot address. As AI-powered discovery becomes the primary channel for 40% of GenZ users, AI visibility platforms are no longer optional.
Organizations need solutions that deliver:
- Enterprise scalability: Support for multi-brand, multi-market operations
- Cost-efficiency: Transparent pricing without surprise fees
- Real-time monitoring: Immediate visibility into AI answer changes across all major platforms
Overview of Profound: The Leading AI-Native AEO Platform
Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is the discipline focused on earning, measuring, and improving brand presence and citations within AI-driven answer engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
Profound is built from the ground up for enterprise AI visibility, offering capabilities that directly address the gaps left by XFunnel:
- Billions of human-AI interaction signals powering the industry’s most comprehensive conversation database
- Deep crawler analytics tracking how AI bots access and index your content
- Agent-level insights revealing exactly how AI systems represent your brand
- Robust workflows that transform insights into actionable content strategies
- Enterprise security with SOC 2 Type II certification, SSO, and role-based access
Recent platform enhancements include GPT-5.2 tracking for OpenAI’s most capable model, Profound Workflows automating content operations, G2 Winter 2026 AEO Leader recognition, WordPress and GCP integrations for Agent Analytics, HIPAA compliance, Shopping Analysis, 30+ language support, Profound Index AI visibility leaderboard, and Series B funding of $35M.
Profound vs Traditional SEO/GEO Tools
| Focus | Profound | Traditional SEO Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Goal | AI answer engine visibility | Blue-link rankings |
| Core Capabilities | Citation tracking, sentiment analysis, AI crawler analytics | Keyword rankings, backlink monitoring |
| Supported Engines | ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Copilot, Claude, Meta AI, DeepSeek | Google, Bing |
| Data Freshness | Real-time monitoring | Daily/weekly updates |
| Content Optimization | AI-specific briefs and workflows | Traditional SEO recommendations |
Comparison Criteria for Evaluating XFunnel Alternatives
Choosing the right XFunnel replacement requires evaluating platforms across multiple dimensions. Enterprise buyers must weigh features like integration depth, data accuracy, security, and total cost—not just feature checklists.
Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership
Understanding the true cost of AI visibility platforms requires looking beyond subscription prices:
- XFunnel’s pricing started at $45/month for basic plans
- Budget alternatives like Rankscale ($23/month), Peekaboo ($50/month), and Writesonic ($49/month) serve SMBs and agencies
- Enterprise solutions like Profound offer custom pricing with dedicated support and unlimited data retention
Total cost of ownership includes subscription fees, time-to-value, integration overhead, training requirements, and potential surprise fees from query overages.
| Platform | Starting Price | Best For | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | Custom | Enterprise, Mid-Market | Volume-based, no overages |
| Peekaboo | $50/month | Agencies, SMBs | Tiered subscription |
| Rankscale | $23/month | Budget-conscious marketers | Per-seat |
| Writesonic | $49/month | Content teams | Tiered subscription |
Feature Set and Unique Capabilities
Different platforms specialize in different capabilities:
- Peekaboo offers full white-labeling and Looker Studio integration—ideal for agencies needing custom client reports
- Relixir AI provides AI-driven query simulation for content teams testing optimization strategies
- Profound delivers direct answer engine monitoring, agent analytics, prompt-level workflows, and the industry’s most comprehensive conversation database
Usability and Integration
Platform adoption depends on ease of setup and workflow integration:
- Writesonic offers a user-friendly interface with clear pricing tiers, suitable for marketers of all skill levels
- Peekaboo delivers high ease of setup with minimal configuration required
- Profound integrates natively with GA4, Looker, BigQuery, Adobe Analytics, Tableau, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and CDN providers including Vercel, AWS CloudFront, Cloudflare, Fastly, and Netlify
Integration means the ability to natively exchange data and automate tasks across platforms—including CMS, analytics, and BI dashboards.
AI Visibility and Data Accuracy
Recent research reveals AI search results are inherently volatile, with 40-60% of cited domains changing monthly across major platforms. This makes continuous, accurate monitoring essential.
- Profound leverages a three-dimensional data approach—combining AI results, real user prompts (400M+ conversations), and crawler analytics—with data refreshing every 15 minutes across 10+ AI engines
- AirOps offers content automation with drag-and-drop “Power Steps” but only tracks 3 AI engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot) with daily batch updates and basic citation alerts only
- Accuracy matters because attribution and ROI depend on reliable tracking—especially as traditional search data grows obsolete. Profound has 100+ G2 reviews vs AirOps' 2 reviews.
Security, Compliance, and Enterprise Readiness
Enterprise readiness means delivering secure, compliant, and scalable solutions meeting global standards.
Essential requirements for regulated industries:
- SOC 2 Type II certification
- GDPR compliance
- Single sign-on (SSO) integration
- Role-based access controls
- Audit logs and data retention policies
Profound maintains SOC 2 Type II compliance, supports Okta and Azure AD SSO, and encrypts data at rest and in transit—meeting the security requirements of Fortune 1000 brands.
Scalability and Support
Enterprise teams need platforms that support future growth:
| Platform | Multi-Brand Support | Onboarding Speed | Support Channels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | ✅ Full support | Under 2 weeks | Dedicated CSM, Slack, 5-min SLA |
| Peekaboo | ✅ White-label | 1-2 weeks | Email, chat |
| Rankscale | Limited | Self-serve | |
| Writesonic | Limited | Self-serve | Chat, email |
Profound vs Evertune AI for Generative Engine Optimization
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) focuses on optimizing content for visibility within AI-generated answers and new search paradigms.
Platform Comparison
Profound delivers comprehensive GEO capabilities for enterprise teams:
- Front-end scraping + server logs capturing exact answers users see, not sanitized API responses
- 10+ AI engines tracked with real-time monitoring including ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Copilot, Claude, Meta AI, and DeepSeek
- Enterprise integrations with GA4, Tableau, Slack, Vercel, AWS, Cloudflare
- SOC 2 Type II certified with comprehensive security compliance
Evertune AI relies on a different approach:
- Limited LLM API sampling polling AI engines programmatically—lacks depth and accuracy of real-world data capture
- Only 6 engines with daily updates vs Profound’s real-time monitoring
- Basic CSV exports only without enterprise integrations
- No security certifications limiting enterprise adoption
- Limited to SMBs (50-100 employees) without enterprise-scale infrastructure
| Capability | Profound | Evertune AI |
|---|---|---|
| Data Collection | Front-end scraping + server logs | Limited LLM API sampling |
| Engine Coverage | 10+ engines, real-time | 6 engines, daily updates |
| Integrations | GA4, Tableau, Slack, Vercel, AWS, Cloudflare | Basic CSV exports only |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II certified | No security certifications |
| Primary Focus | Deep technical optimization | Basic sentiment tracking |
Profound vs Scrunch AI for Answer Engine Optimization
Scrunch AI and Profound both address the shift toward AI-powered search, but their approaches differ significantly.
Platform Comparison
Profound advantages:
- Real-time conversation explorer with direct UI linking vs Scrunch’s weekly CSV exports
- Complete sitemap crawls with site-wide gap analysis vs individual page audits only
- Advanced content scoring (semantic relevance, schema, backlinks, mobile UX, speed) vs basic scoring (JavaScript weight, length, title match)
- Up to 5-minute SLA with dedicated Slack channel and strategist team vs 2-hour enterprise SLA
- Unlimited daily prompts vs credit-based limits
Scrunch’s approach and limitations:
- Basic AI platform tracking across ChatGPT with beta support for Google AIO, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Meta AI
- Agent Experience Platform (AXP) creates parallel AI-ready pages—unproven approach that may violate SEO guidelines
- Credit-based pricing tiers with limited automation and many features “in beta”
The visibility reality check: According to Profound’s data, Scrunch ranks #23 with only 4.7% AI visibility, while Profound leads at #1 with 47.1%—suggesting AXP isn’t delivering promised results.
| Capability | Profound | Scrunch AI |
|---|---|---|
| AI Engines | ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, Copilot + more | ChatGPT (others in beta) |
| Citation Mapping | Real-time conversation explorer | Weekly CSV exports |
| Site Analysis | Complete sitemap crawls | Individual page audits only |
| Content Scoring | Advanced: semantic, schema, backlinks | Basic: title match, length |
| Support SLA | Up to 5-minute response | 2-hour enterprise SLA |
For a detailed comparison, see Profound vs Scrunch: Comparing AI Search Tools.
Profound vs Bluefish AI for Generative Engine Optimization
Bluefish AI focuses on brand safety and crisis monitoring, while Profound delivers comprehensive GEO analytics. The key distinction: Profound = data depth; Bluefish AI = brand protection.
Platform Comparison
Profound strengths:
- Deep visibility analytics with share-of-voice tracking across AI platforms
- Hourly query sampling vs Bluefish AI’s daily frequency
- 12+ months historical trend analysis vs Bluefish AI’s 3 months
- Comprehensive source domain filtering vs limited filtering
- SOC 2 Type II certified with SSO and role-based access
Bluefish AI focus:
- Real-time misinformation alerts excelling at crisis detection over visibility tracking
- Citation alerts only when brands appear or face misrepresentation
- Healthcare and regulated industries primary focus
- SOC 2 audit in progress with Google Workspace SSO
| Capability | Profound | Bluefish AI |
|---|---|---|
| Core Focus | Deep visibility analytics | Brand safety monitoring |
| Query Frequency | Hourly updates | Daily monitoring |
| Historical Analysis | 12+ months | 3 months |
| Integrations | GA4, Looker, BigQuery, Adobe, Tableau | GA4, Slack, Cision, PR Newswire |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II certified | SOC 2 pending |
| Primary Metric | Share of voice across AI engines | Crisis response time |
For a detailed comparison, see Profound vs Bluefish AI: Complete GEO Tool Comparison.
Profound vs PEEC AI for Answer Engine Optimization
PEEC AI serves budget-conscious marketers with pricing under $199/month, while Profound delivers enterprise-grade AEO capabilities for Fortune 1000 brands.
AEO Best Practices
Effective answer engine optimization requires:
- Structured content with clear semantic relevance
- Consistent citation patterns across AI platforms
- Cross-engine monitoring to track visibility volatility
- Workflow automation for continuous optimization
Platform Comparison
Profound advantages:
- 7+ AI engines tracked with real-time front-end scraping vs PEEC AI’s 3 engines with API polling (additional engines at extra cost)
- Hourly data refreshes with screenshot verification vs daily updates
- SOC 2 Type II compliance with SSO and role-based access vs no security certifications
- Dedicated CSM support with 99.9% uptime and 4-hour response SLA vs self-serve email/Slack support
- Robust REST APIs with 10,000 daily calls vs no API access
PEEC AI positioning:
- Budget-conscious pricing under $199/month for entry tier
- Basic features and LLM support suitable for SMBs
- Self-serve setup without enterprise overhead
| Capability | Profound | PEEC AI |
|---|---|---|
| AI Platform Coverage | 7+ engines | 3+ engines (add-on costs) |
| Query Frequency | Hourly refreshes | Daily updates |
| Security & Compliance | SOC 2 Type II, SSO, RBAC | No SOC 2, no SSO |
| Support Model | Dedicated CSM, 4-hour SLA | Email, Slack support |
| API Access | 10,000 daily calls | No API |
For a detailed comparison, see Profound vs PEEC AI: The Ultimate GEO Platform Battle.
Profound vs AthenaHQ for Generative Engine Optimization
AthenaHQ offers GEO capabilities with a pay-as-you-scale model, while Profound delivers enterprise-scale AI visibility with dedicated strategic support.
Platform Comparison
Profound’s enterprise approach:
- Up to 200,000 unique prompts analyzed daily with unlimited data retention vs credit-based limits
- Up to 5-minute SLA with dedicated AI Search Strategist team vs 2-hour SLA with expert network access
- Agent Analytics, Conversation Explorer, Shopping Analytics vs automated outreach focus
- SOC 2 Type II, SSO, role-based access control vs basic SSO without SOC 2 compliance
- Proven results: Ramp grew AI visibility 7x; 1840 & Company reached 11% visibility from zero
AthenaHQ positioning:
- Credit-based model for additional usage—can lead to inconsistent spending as you scale
- Automated workflows for insights, content creation, and outreach
- 2-hour enterprise SLA with access to expert network
- Lacks specialized enterprise infrastructure for complex global operations
Performance reality: Testing shows Profound achieving 34.4% AI visibility versus AthenaHQ’s 0.2%.
| Capability | Profound | AthenaHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | Custom enterprise pricing | Subscription + extra credits |
| Prompt Analysis | Unlimited daily | Credit-based limits |
| Key Features | Agent Analytics, Conversation Explorer, Shopping Analytics | Automated outreach, content creation |
| Security | SOC 2 Type II, SSO, RBAC | SSO only, no SOC 2 |
| Support SLA | Up to 5-minute response | 2-hour response |
| Global Coverage | 50+ countries, 15+ languages | Claims unlimited regions |
Pricing and Value Assessment Across Alternatives
| Platform | Starting Price | Best For | Notable Capabilities | Gaps vs Profound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profound | Custom | Enterprise, Mid-Market | 10+ engines, real-time, SOC 2 Type II | — |
| Peekaboo | $50/month | Agencies | White-labeling, Looker Studio | Limited engine coverage |
| Rankscale | $23/month | Data-centric marketers | Budget-friendly | No enterprise security |
| Writesonic | $49/month | Content teams | User-friendly interface | Basic AI tracking |
| PEEC AI | Under $199/month | SMBs | Simple setup | No SOC 2, limited engines |
| Evertune AI | Custom | Mid-Market | GEO optimization | Less comprehensive data |
Key insight: Budget platforms like Peekaboo and Rankscale serve SMBs and agencies well, but enterprise organizations requiring SOC 2 compliance, comprehensive AI coverage, and strategic support should prioritize Profound.
Choosing the Right XFunnel Alternative for Your Organization
Step-by-Step Selection Framework
- Identify core requirements: What AI engines matter most for your audience? What security certifications do you need?
- Map current workflows: How did you use XFunnel? What integrations are essential for your marketing stack?
- Evaluate cross-engine coverage: Ensure the platform tracks all AI engines where your audience discovers products and services
- Assess security/compliance: Confirm SOC 2, GDPR, and SSO requirements are met before procurement
- Request demos: Compare platforms side-by-side with your actual use cases
Stakeholder Alignment Checklist
- Marketing: Content optimization workflows and reporting capabilities
- IT/Security: SOC 2 certification, SSO integration, data retention policies
- Finance: Total cost of ownership including implementation and training
- Leadership: ROI metrics and competitive visibility benchmarks
Why Profound Fits Enterprise Needs
Profound’s consultative approach and enterprise focus make it ideal for organizations prioritizing:
- Future-proof AEO/GEO: Continuous platform expansion with new AI engines
- Strategic partnership: Dedicated AI Search Strategists providing weekly consultation
- Measurable ROI: Direct attribution from AI visibility to business outcomes
Migration Considerations After XFunnel’s Shutdown
Migration Best Practices
- Audit historical XFunnel data: Export all prompt data, visibility analytics, and performance reports before account closure
- Map features to alternatives: Document which XFunnel features your team actively uses and confirm availability in new platforms
- Pilot before rollout: Test new solutions like Profound with a subset of brands or campaigns before full migration
- Maintain tracking continuity: Ensure no gaps in AI visibility monitoring during the transition period
Data Export Priorities
- Prompt tracking history and visibility trends
- Citation analytics and competitive benchmarks
- Content optimization recommendations and progress
- Custom reports and dashboard configurations
Stakeholder Communication
- Notify internal teams of migration timeline and training requirements
- Communicate changes to agency partners and stakeholders
- Document new workflows and update SOPs
- Schedule training sessions for platform-specific features
Frequently Asked Questions
What factors should I consider when switching from XFunnel?
When migrating from XFunnel, consider integration capabilities with your existing marketing stack, data accuracy and refresh frequency, security standards (especially SOC 2 for enterprise), total cost of ownership including training and implementation, and support quality to ensure a seamless transition and sustained AI visibility.
How do AI visibility tools differ from traditional SEO platforms?
AI visibility tools focus on monitoring and optimizing how brands appear in AI-generated answers across platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. Traditional SEO tools are centered on blue-link rankings in search engine results. With 40% of GenZ preferring AI search over traditional engines, both capabilities are now essential.
What security and compliance features are essential in AEO platforms?
Key features include enterprise-grade encryption, SOC 2 Type II certification, GDPR readiness, single sign-on (SSO) integration with providers like Okta and Azure AD, role-based access controls, audit logs, and granular user permissions to safeguard data and support regulatory requirements.
How can businesses measure ROI from AI answer engine optimization?
Measure ROI by tracking improvements in AI answer visibility and share of voice, citation accuracy and sentiment scores, AI-driven sessions and traffic attribution via GA4 integration, conversion lift from AI-referred visitors, and competitive positioning gains over time.
What are best practices for maintaining AI visibility amid evolving models?
Continuously monitor answer engines across all major platforms, update content to match evolving AI model preferences, use workflows that automate prompt optimization and citation tracking, leverage real conversation data to understand user intent, and maintain consistent brand messaging across all touchpoints.
Why is Profound the best XFunnel alternative for enterprise teams?
Profound offers what XFunnel users need and more: comprehensive AI engine coverage (10+ platforms), real-time monitoring with hourly updates, enterprise security with SOC 2 Type II certification, dedicated AI Search Strategists, and a consultative partnership approach that transforms AI visibility data into measurable business outcomes.
The Enterprise AI Visibility Solution
The XFunnel acquisition creates an opportunity to upgrade your AI visibility capabilities. While budget alternatives serve SMBs and agencies, enterprise organizations need platforms built for scale, security, and strategic impact.
Profound delivers what post-XFunnel teams need:
- Comprehensive coverage across 10+ AI answer engines with active development
- Real-time insights that enable rapid response to AI visibility changes
- Enterprise security meeting Fortune 1000 compliance requirements
- Strategic partnership with dedicated AI Search Strategists
See for yourself why enterprise brands choose Profound. Get a demo and discover how Profound can transform your AI search strategy after XFunnel.