The CMS native publishing tool
Athena HQ monitors AI visibility across 8 named engines from its Starter plan [3] and publishes AI optimized content straight into your CMS: Shopify, Webflow, Wix, Framer, WordPress, or Payload, with a human clicking Publish per piece. [4] Essential is free forever (300 credits); [7] Starter is $295/mo, usage metered by credit. [1]
The done for you GEO audit
Noetio is a productized audit and fix service. We run a structured audit across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, plus Google AI Overviews eligibility checks, and deliver a prioritized fix list with effort ratings in 5 business days. Implementation tiers execute the fixes: schema, content assets, citation PR, off domain work.
Feature comparison
| Athena HQ | Noetio | |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | AI visibility platform with CMS publish integrations | Done for you GEO audit and implementation |
| Pricing | Free (300 credits) to $295/mo (3,600 credits); Enterprise custom [1] | Scoped on a call. No lock-in. |
| Pricing model | 1 AI response = 1 credit, usage variable [2] | Flat fee, no usage meter |
| Engines | 8 named from Starter (9 claimed): ChatGPT, Perplexity, AIO, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok [3] | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini + AI Overviews eligibility checks |
| Execution | Human in the loop publish to your CMS (Shopify, Webflow, Wix, Framer, WordPress, Payload) [4] | Human reviewed content, schema, citation PR, on site and off |
| Citation PR / off domain | Not offered | Included in Implementation Sprint & Retainer |
| Security certification | SOC2 Type 1 & Type 2, public trust center, GDPR [5] | N/A, not applicable to an audit service |
| API / SSO access | API from Starter; SSO Enterprise only (SAML/OIDC) [6] | N/A, we run it for you |
| Free tier | Permanent free Essential tier (300 credits) [7] | Free 60 second visibility scan, no email |
| Target buyer | Teams wanting CMS native AI content publishing | Mid market teams without in house GEO capacity |
Athena HQ pricing and product details sourced from athenahq.ai, docs.athenahq.ai, and trust.athenahq.ai, checked Jul 22, 2026. Athena HQ is trademarked by its respective owner. Noetio is not affiliated with Athena HQ.
Where Athena stops and Noetio starts
Athena HQ gets closer to execution than most competitors we've reviewed. Its Create & Publish integrations put AI optimized content into your CMS with one click, after a human reviews it. That's a working pipeline for teams already running Shopify, Webflow, or WordPress, and the credit meter means the bill moves with how much you check. What it doesn't reach is anything off your own domain, where most AI citations actually live. For teams who need that covered too:
Publish integrations, still your CMS
Create & Publish covers 6 platforms and a human clicks Publish per piece. [4] It's a working pipeline, still limited to content that lives on your own site.
Credits meter what you can check
1 AI response equals 1 credit; Starter includes 3,600/mo. [2] Run more prompts or more engines and the usage based cost climbs right along with you. Athena's 8 named engines are credit metered, so checking more this month costs more this month; Noetio's 3 engines plus AI Overviews run at a flat fee, no credit countdown.
8 named, 9 claimed
Athena names 8 engines on its pricing page against a "9 models" headline. [3] Worth confirming exactly what you're monitoring before you buy.
Nothing off your own domain
Every integration writes to your CMS. Press mentions, community threads, new pages for the buyer questions you lose, the surfaces holding most AI citations, sit outside the product.
Choose based on your situation
You want a human in the loop publish button straight into Shopify, Webflow, Wix, Framer, WordPress, or Payload
Athena HQYou need SOC2 Type 1 and Type 2 plus GDPR documentation today, for procurement
Athena HQYou want the audit and the ranked fix list delivered, not a platform to click through
NoetioYou need work that happens off your own CMS: press, communities, new pages for buyer questions
NoetioYour usage is unpredictable and you don't want a credit meter deciding what you can check this month
NoetioCommon questions
Is Noetio an Athena HQ alternative?
For teams without a CMS integration workflow to run, yes. Athena publishes AI optimized content into your CMS with a human approval click. Noetio audits your visibility everywhere your buyers actually ask, 30 buyer intent prompts, repeated runs, per engine reporting, on site and off, and can execute the fix list itself. Different shapes of done for you.
Can I use both Athena and Noetio?
Yes. Athena's free Essential tier and Create & Publish integrations work well for shipping on site content once you know what to ship. Noetio's audit tells you what to ship and why, then covers the off domain work, press, communities, and new pages for the buyer questions you lose, that Athena's CMS integrations don't reach.
How does Athena's pricing actually compare?
Essential is free with 300 credits (about $25 of usage); Starter is $295/mo for 3,600 credits, 1 credit per AI response, so cost scales with usage. Enterprise is custom. The full audit is scoped on a call. First delivery in 5 business days.
What does Athena do that Noetio doesn't?
Human in the loop publishing straight into Shopify, Webflow, Wix, Framer, WordPress, or Payload, plus SOC2 Type 1 and Type 2 with a public trust center and GDPR documentation. A CMS native tool for teams that want to publish through their own stack.
What do we do that Athena doesn't?
We handle citation PR, community threads, and new pages for the buyer questions you lose, the off domain surfaces holding most AI citations. [8] Athena's integrations only publish to your own CMS. We also publish our sampling methodology; a credit metered SaaS doesn't need to.
Sources
Every competitor claim on this page links to the primary source it was checked against, with the date we checked. If a vendor changes pricing or features, tell us and we will re verify.
- Pricing tiers: Essential free ($25 credit value, 300 credits), Starter $295/mo (3,600 credits/mo, annual discount 17%), Enterprise custom. athenahq.ai/pricing (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- Usage is metered: 1 AI response analyzed equals 1 credit, so monthly cost is usage variable rather than flat. athenahq.ai/pricing (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- Athena's pricing page names 8 engines from Starter (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Grok) against a headline claim of 9 models. athenahq.ai/pricing (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- Create & Publish integrations cover Shopify, Webflow, Wix, Framer, WordPress, and Payload; a human configures the piece and clicks Publish. docs.athenahq.ai/integrations (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- Athena publishes SOC2 Type 1 (October 2025) and Type 2 (June 2026) reports plus GDPR documentation on a public SafeBase trust center. trust.athenahq.ai (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- SAML/OIDC SSO is an Enterprise plan feature; API access is included from the Starter plan. athenahq.ai/pricing (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- The free Essential tier is permanent, not a time limited trial. athenahq.ai/pricing (checked Jul 22, 2026)
- 2.9% of AI citations point to a brand's own website (149,912 citations, 102 brands, 5 engines). Ranqo citation study (checked Jul 22, 2026)
Get a full GEO audit and fix list for less than two months of Athena Starter.
Start with the free visibility check: 10 buyer intent queries across ChatGPT and Perplexity, your current AI Visibility Score, and the competitor gap. No card required.