Surva.ai vs AthenaHQ

Surva.ai vs AthenaHQ: Complete 2026 Comparison

AthenaHQ has emerged as a notable player in the AI visibility space, backed by Y Combinator and founded by former Google AI researchers. But how does it compare to Surva.ai? Let us examine the key differences between these two platforms.

What is AthenaHQ?

AthenaHQ is a Y Combinator-backed AI visibility platform that helps brands understand and improve how they appear in AI search results. Founded by former Google AI researchers, the platform tracks 8 LLMs including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, and Grok. AthenaHQ has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Techcrunch, positioning itself as an enterprise-ready solution for AI search visibility.

What is Surva.ai?

Surva.ai is a complete AI visibility workflow platform that combines monitoring, content generation, and CMS publishing. Beyond tracking brand visibility across major AI platforms, Surva.ai enables teams to create citation-optimized content and automatically publish to WordPress, Ghost, or Webflow. The platform starts at $59/month with unlimited keyword monitoring.

Key Differences

Price: 80% Lower with Surva.ai

AthenaHQ Self-Serve costs $295/month for 3,600 credits, while Surva.ai costs $59/month with unlimited keyword monitoring. Even with AthenaHQ's promotional pricing of $95 for the first month, Surva.ai remains significantly more affordable for ongoing use.

Content Generation Depth

AthenaHQ offers basic AI content optimization, which helps optimize existing content for better AI citations. Surva.ai goes further with full article generation, creating complete citation-optimized articles from scratch. This includes auto-publishing to WordPress, Ghost, and Webflow, which AthenaHQ does not offer.

LLM Coverage

AthenaHQ monitors 8 LLMs including Grok, which is unique among AI visibility platforms. This broader coverage can be valuable for brands who want visibility into X.AI's search product. Surva.ai covers the main AI platforms most relevant for SEO and marketing teams.

When to Choose AthenaHQ

AthenaHQ is a good choice if you need monitoring for Grok and broader LLM coverage, you prefer a Y Combinator-backed startup with strong media presence, you use Shopify and want native e-commerce integration, or your primary need is optimization recommendations rather than content generation.

When to Choose Surva.ai

Surva.ai is the better choice for teams who need full article generation with citation optimization, businesses using WordPress or Ghost who want auto-publishing, anyone who wants to save 80% compared to AthenaHQ pricing, and teams who prefer unlimited monitoring over credit-based limits.

Bottom Line

AthenaHQ is a well-funded, credible player in the AI visibility space with strong enterprise features and broad LLM coverage. For teams who primarily need monitoring and optimization recommendations, it is a solid choice. For teams who need to act on visibility insights with content generation and automated publishing, Surva.ai delivers a more complete workflow at a significantly lower price point.