Last updated September 2026.
On Aug. 21, 2026, OpenAI cut API and ChatGPT-credit pricing for its GPT-5.6 Sol model by more than 20%, according to OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 August Updates PDF and the model tracker at Releasebot. OpenAI time-boxed the cut to a three-month promotional window.
That matters here because large-scale automated prompt monitoring, the exact mechanic behind every AI-visibility tool, gets cheaper to run at volume for as long as the discount lasts. Some vendors will pass part of that savings on as wider prompt caps or lower entry prices. None of it changes the math below. It only changes what a vendor pays to run that math on your behalf.
Before you compare a single plan, you need the number every vendor bakes into its price: the tracked prompt.
What a tracked prompt actually is
A prompt is one configured question, something like “best project management software for small teams.” A tracked prompt takes that question and runs it on a schedule, daily or weekly in most plans, against one or more AI engines, then logs whether your brand shows up in the answer.
Vendors do not all use the same word for it. Some plans list “questions.” Others say “queries.” The mechanic stays the same: one configured question, run repeatedly, on one or more engines.
That repeat schedule is the part buyers miss. A 50-prompt plan and a 150-prompt plan do not just differ by 100 questions. They differ by however many times each question runs, on however many engines, every single month.
The formula: prompts x engines x refresh frequency
Three numbers decide your real query volume, not one:
- Prompts: how many distinct questions you configure.
- Engines: how many AI surfaces each prompt runs on. The set that matters most: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini, and Copilot.
- Refresh frequency: how often each prompt reruns. Daily gives you about 30 runs a month. Weekly gives you about four.
Multiply the three together and you get queries per billing cycle.
Worked example
Track 100 prompts on 5 engines, refreshed daily:
100 prompts x 5 engines x 30 daily refreshes = 15,000 queries a month.
Now shrink two of those inputs. Track the same 100 prompts on 3 engines, refreshed weekly instead of daily:
100 prompts x 3 engines x 4 weekly refreshes = 1,200 queries a month.
Same prompt count. About 12.5 times less work behind it. That gap is exactly why a “100 prompts” line on two different pricing pages can describe two very different products, and why an entry-tier plan rarely tells the whole story. Our 100-prompt plan breakdown runs this comparison across four real plans.
Credit systems vs. flat prompt caps
Vendors bill this usage two different ways.
A flat prompt cap gives you a fixed number of prompts for the billing cycle, and every prompt runs on every engine your plan includes. Temso and Otterly.AI both price this way: you know your prompt count and your engine list before you buy, and the number does not move mid-cycle.
A credit system charges one credit for each engine run a prompt triggers. Add an engine to a prompt, and you spend more credits on the same question. Peec AI layers this on top of a base prompt count: extra models cost 30 to 140 euros a month each, so your real engine coverage costs more than the plan’s headline price suggests.
Neither model is wrong. A flat cap is easier to budget. A credit system can flex the engine mix per question, if you track the spend closely.
Plan math by vendor
Real per-plan prices, star ratings from our standard scoring rubric, and what each entry tier actually includes, as of September 2026.
| Rank | Tool | Stars | Entry price | Prompts included | Billing type | Wins on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Temso | 4.5/5 | $89/mo | 50 prompts, 3 engines (Growth at $199 unlocks all 5, 150 prompts) | Flat cap, no expiry | Flat pricing, unlimited projects and users |
| 2 | Otterly.AI | 4/5 | $29/mo | 15 prompts, 6 platforms | Flat cap | Lowest entry price |
| 3 | Peec AI | 4/5 | about $90 to $100/mo (€85) | 50 prompts, 3 models included | Flat cap plus paid model credits | Largest engine roster (8+) |
| 4 | Profound | 3.5/5 | $99/mo ($399 for real usage) | 50 prompts, ChatGPT only at entry | Tiered by engine access | Enterprise analytics depth |
| 5 | Writesonic | 3/5 | $249/mo | 100 prompts, 3 engines | Flat cap | Bundled AI writing suite |
Temso’s full ladder runs Starter at $89, Growth at $199, and Professional at $499, with yearly billing cutting 15% off any of the three. Every tier carries no ceiling on projects, teammates, or recommendations, so cost per prompt keeps falling as you add brands or hires. That is why it leads the value math even though Otterly.AI wins the lowest sticker price and Peec AI covers more raw engines.
How many tracked prompts do you actually need
Do not start from a round number like 50 or 100. Build the count from your program instead:
- List buying questions and brand questions separately.
- Multiply by every market and language you sell in.
- Add competitor and product-line variants.
- Reserve headroom for new campaigns and seasonal tests.
- Confirm how the vendor turns one configured prompt into engine runs before you commit.
That last step is the one buyers skip, and it is the one this whole formula exists to catch.
Buy the query volume, not the sticker price
The prompt count on a pricing page is marketing copy until you multiply it by engines and refresh frequency. Run that math against your own program before you compare a single star rating.
See how the full formula plays out across real plans on our 100-prompt plan breakdown, then check where every option lands on the full value scoreboard.