A free AEO audit is a no-cost check of whether AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google's AI Overviews name your brand, and I've compared the six best free options so you can pick one in a minute.
My top pick for an expert view is a free SEO strategy session with my team, and I'm telling you up front that it's my own agency, so weigh my bias.
My top pick for raw evidence is a DIY prompt panel, because it shows you the live answers with your own eyes.
AEO stands for answer engine optimisation, which is the work of getting your brand named and cited in AI-written answers.
I checked every option on its own page on 17 October 2026, and I've described each one only by what that page says.
Top 3 Free AEO Audit Picks At A Glance
- 🥇 A free SEO strategy session with my team is my pick for an expert view, because you leave with a visibility plan, a roadmap and a competitor gap analysis.
- 🥈 A DIY prompt panel is my pick for evidence, because you see exactly what each AI says today.
- 🥉 Bing Webmaster Tools is my pick for free citation data, because its AI Performance report counts how often your pages are cited in Copilot and Bing's AI summaries.
How I Rated The Free AEO Audit Options
I scored each option out of 5 on four things that matter for a free audit.
| Criterion | What I looked for |
|---|---|
| Evidence | Does it show live AI answers, real citations or only an estimate? |
| Depth | Does it cover several AI tools and the reasons behind the gaps? |
| Next steps | Do you leave with a clear idea of what to fix first? |
| Honest limits | Is it clear about what it can't tell you? |
I haven't used the third-party agency audit myself, so I scored it only on what its own page offers.
🔥 Want my exact Free AEO Audit Options Compared setup, step by step? Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you get step-by-step video trainings, my installable Agent OS and four coaching calls a week with 3,400+ members building real automations. → Join the AI Profit Boardroom
The 6 Free AEO Audit Options, Compared
| Rank | Option | What its own page says | Best for | Cost | My score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Free strategy session (my agency) | A free AI brand visibility session with a custom visibility plan, an AI visibility roadmap and a competitor gap analysis | An expert view and a plan | Free, with no obligation | 5 (my bias) |
| 2 | DIY prompt panel | You ask real buyer questions in each AI tool and log the answers | Live evidence you control | Free, plus your time | 5 |
| 3 | Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance | Citation data for your pages in Microsoft Copilot, AI summaries in Bing and select partner integrations | Measuring citations over time | Free reports | 4 |
| 4 | HubSpot AI Search Grader | A free one-time check of what ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini say about you based on their training data | A quick brand snapshot | Free, with a form for full results | 4 |
| 5 | Google Search Console | A free service that includes AI Overviews and AI Mode traffic in the "Web" search type | Google AI traffic and indexing checks | Free | 4 |
| 6 | Go Fish Digital AI Visibility Audit | A free, expert-led AI visibility audit with a live 30-minute strategy session | A second expert opinion | Free | 4 |
1. A Free Strategy Session With My Team
The session page is titled "Free AI brand visibility session", and it says the session is 100% free with no obligation.
It covers Google, AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
The page lists six things you leave with, which are a custom visibility plan, a clear AI visibility roadmap, your questions answered by an experienced strategist, a strategy built around your brand, a competitor gap analysis and a plan for traffic, mentions and leads.
It works like a free AEO audit conversation, but it's a call with a strategist, so it isn't an automated tool or a written report.
Verdict: I score it 5 because it's the only option here that pairs the diagnosis with a plan, and you should weigh that score against my bias.
📞 Want the free expert view? Book a free SEO strategy session and my team will show you why competing brands appear more often and where your brand can build a stronger presence. → Claim your free strategy session
2. A DIY Prompt Panel
The DIY panel is a spreadsheet of real buyer questions that you ask in each AI tool yourself.
I write ten to twenty prompts across best-of, comparison, problem, brand and alternatives questions.
I ask each one in a fresh chat, run it at least twice and log whether I'm named, who else is named, which sources are cited and whether the facts are right.
Google says AI Overviews and AI Mode can use different models and techniques, so I treat them as two separate tools.
Verdict: I score it 5 because it's the only option that shows live answers for your exact questions, although it takes the most of your time.
3. Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance
Bing Webmaster Tools says it offers free reports, tools and resources.
Microsoft introduced the AI Performance report in public preview on 10 February 2026.
Microsoft says it shows how often your content is cited in Microsoft Copilot, AI-generated summaries in Bing and select partner integrations.
The metrics it lists are total citations, average cited pages, grounding queries, page-level citation activity and trends over time.
Microsoft also says the grounding query data is a sample of overall citation activity.
Verdict: I score it 4 because it's real citation data at no cost, but it only covers Microsoft's AI experiences and its partners.
4. HubSpot AI Search Grader
HubSpot describes its AI Search Grader as a free, one-time check with no account required.
The page says it asks ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini how they characterise your brand based on their training data.
It scores you out of 100 across five dimensions, which are sentiment, presence quality, brand recognition, share of voice and market competition.
The page says you complete a form to see your full results, with a written interpretation of your scores.
Verdict: I score it 4 because it's a fast snapshot, but the "based on their training data" wording means it may differ from what those tools say when they search the live web.
🚀 Ready to put Free AEO Audit Options Compared to work in your business? Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you get step-by-step video trainings, my installable Agent OS and four coaching calls a week with 3,400+ members building real automations. → Join the AI Profit Boardroom
5. Google Search Console
Google describes Search Console as a free service for monitoring, maintaining and troubleshooting your site's presence in Google Search results.
Google's AI features guide says traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in the Performance report, within the "Web" search type.
The URL Inspection tool also lets you confirm that a page is indexed, which matters because Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet to appear as a supporting link in its AI features.
Verdict: I score it 4 because it's essential for the Google side, but Google reports that traffic alongside your other web search clicks, and it doesn't cover other AI tools.
6. Go Fish Digital's Free AI Visibility Audit
Go Fish Digital's page offers a free AI visibility audit.
The page says it's expert-led and not automated, and that it includes a live 30-minute strategy session with AI search specialists.
It says the audit looks at AI Mode, ChatGPT and AI Overviews, competitor content signals and PR signals.
Verdict: I score it 4 on what its page offers, because I haven't used it myself, and it's a sensible second opinion alongside my own session.
📞 Are you comparing two expert views? Grab a free SEO strategy session with my team first, and bring the competitor gap analysis and visibility plan to any other call so you can compare like for like. → Book your free session
Free Checks That Belong In Any Free AEO Audit
Whichever option you choose, these checks cost nothing and catch the most common blockers.
| Check | How to run it for free | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot access | Read your robots.txt file in a browser | OpenAI recommends allowing it if you want to appear in ChatGPT search results |
| PerplexityBot access | Read your robots.txt file in a browser | Perplexity recommends allowing it if you want to appear in its search results |
| Googlebot access and indexing | Use URL Inspection in Search Console | Google says a page must be indexed and snippet-eligible for its AI features |
| Schema validity | Paste a URL into Google's Rich Results Test or the Schema Markup Validator | Google says structured data should match the visible text |
| Answer-first pages | Read the first sentence of your ten key pages | A direct answer is easy for an AI to quote |
The crawler facts come from OpenAI's crawler page, Perplexity's crawler page and Google's AI features guide.
Google also says you don't need new machine-readable files, AI text files or special schema.org markup to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
What Every Free AEO Audit Option Misses
No free option, including mine, can tell you exactly what every buyer will see.
AI answers change from one chat to the next, so any single check is a snapshot.
None of the companies behind ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Claude publishes a formula for which brands get recommended.
Nobody can guarantee what a model says, so walk away from any free audit that ends with a guaranteed mention.
The Combination I'd Actually Use
If I were starting from zero today, I'd combine three options.
- I'd run a DIY prompt panel first, because it gives me the live answers for my own questions.
- I'd connect Bing Webmaster Tools and Search Console, because they give me free data I can track every month.
- I'd book a free strategy session with my team to turn the gaps into a plan.
My sibling post on the full AEO audit shows the complete ten-step version, and my guide to the free AEO report shows how to write the results up.
If you're auditing classic SEO at the same time, my free SEO and GEO audit combines both checklists.
If you'd rather hire help afterwards, my comparison of AI SEO optimization agencies covers who I'd shortlist, and my King of AEO post explains how I run AEO day to day.
🔥 Want AI agents to run your free audit every week? Inside the AI Profit Boardroom, I share the installable Agent OS, my AI SEO workflows and step-by-step trainings. You'll learn with 3,400+ members and get four coaching calls a week. → Get access here
My Final Verdict On Free AEO Audit Options
The best free AEO audit is a mix of live evidence and an expert plan.
Run your own prompt panel for the evidence, add Bing Webmaster Tools and Search Console for free tracking, and use a strategy session for the plan.
Treat any grader score as a snapshot, and treat any guarantee as a warning sign.
When you want the plan, book a free SEO strategy session and leave with a clear AI visibility roadmap.
Also On Our Network
- 🌐 The 30-minute DIY method for a free AEO audit
- 🌐 Which free AEO audit route fits your type of business
- 🌐 Setting up a free weekly AEO audit inside your Agent OS
- 🌐 Is a free AEO audit worth it, plus free models to analyse it with
FAQ: Free AEO Audit Options
What is the best free AEO audit?
For an expert view, I pick a free strategy session with my team, and I disclose that it's my own agency.
For live evidence, a DIY prompt panel is best, and Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console add free tracking data.
Is HubSpot's AI Search Grader a full AEO audit?
It's a free one-time check that scores how ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini characterise your brand based on their training data.
It's a useful snapshot, but it doesn't replace testing live answers for your own buyer questions.
Does Bing Webmaster Tools show AI citations?
Yes, its AI Performance report, introduced in public preview on 10 February 2026, shows how often your content is cited in Microsoft Copilot, AI summaries in Bing and select partner integrations.
It includes total citations, average cited pages, grounding queries and page-level citation activity.
Does Google Search Console show AI Overviews traffic?
Google says traffic from AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in the Search Console Performance report, within the "Web" search type.
Google reports it alongside your other web search traffic.
Can any free AEO audit guarantee a mention in ChatGPT?
No, because nobody can guarantee what a model says.
A free audit shows you where you stand today and what to fix first.
📺 Video notes + links to the tools 👉
🎥 Learn how I make these videos 👉
🆓 Get a FREE AI Course + Community + 1,000 AI Agents 👉
About Julian
I'm Julian Goldie, an SEO entrepreneur, author and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom, which has 3,400+ members.
I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation and SEO.
- I started Goldie Agency on my own, and it is now a 7-figure SEO and link-building agency with 70+ people.
- I've grown my YouTube channel to 400,000+ subscribers.
- I wrote "Link Building Mastery".
- My Udemy courses have taught 29,000+ students.
→ Get my best AI training inside the AI Profit Boardroom
Combine live evidence, free tracking and an expert plan, and you'll get the most out of a free AEO audit.
