97%
of the businesses AI assistants picked were named from their own site
Picked by Agents probe, 96 picks across 16 local categories in Dallas and Phoenix, September 2026
42%
of local advertisers show neither a price nor online booking
Picked by Agents live sample, 122 advertisers in Dallas and Phoenix, September 2026
48%
of local queries where four AI engines fully disagree
Yext research, 491,972 local queries, February to August 2026
What each of us actually does
AthenaHQ's Essential plan is free with 300 credits and tracks five models, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Copilot. Starter is $295 a month, with an annual discount, 3,600 credits and 11 models including Claude, Grok and Meta AI. It is aimed at self guided SMBs and includes competitor insights, content recommendations, on-page and off-page actions and a content optimization agent. Enterprise is custom, for enterprises and agencies.
Picked by Agents is not a tool you log in to. We run the questions that decide your customers' choice, like "which senior living community near me has a room this month", read what each assistant said and why, then fix what you own. Named is $2,997 a month and Picked is $4,997, month to month.
Where the two approaches part
- 01
Self guided vs done for you
AthenaHQ's Starter is built for owners who will act on its recommendations. We make the changes ourselves and report what we changed.
- 02
Credits and models vs the pick
Tracking many models on a credit budget tells you where you appear. We tell you whether you were named for the question a nearby customer asked, who was named instead, and the reason the assistant gave.
- 03
Recommendations vs the deciding fact
In our live sample 42% of local advertisers showed neither a price nor online booking. That is the fact an assistant needs to pick you, and we publish it.
- 04
A tool vs a guarantee
Named by the assistants in 90 days or we work free until you are.
Why the price gap is so wide
A $295 tool and a $2,997 service are not the same purchase. The tool is the better deal if you or someone on staff will spend the hours every month. The service is for owners whose hours are better spent running the business, and who want a guarantee instead of a to-do list.
When AthenaHQ is the better choice
If you want to learn AI search yourself, start free, and do the work in house, AthenaHQ is a sensible place to begin and we would point you there. If you want someone accountable for getting you named in your customers' questions, we are.
AthenaHQ vs Picked by Agents
| AthenaHQ | Picked by Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Self guided AI search software | A done for you service |
| Price | Free Essential, Starter $295 a month, Enterprise custom | $2,997 or $4,997 a month, month to month |
| Models | 5 on Essential, 11 on Starter | The assistants your customers use to choose a local business |
| Who makes the fix | You, with its recommendations and agents | We do, on your site, profile, directories and booking path |
| Guarantee | None stated on their pricing page | Named by the assistants in 90 days or we work free |
| Built for | Self guided SMBs, enterprises and agencies | Local businesses with a big ticket and an owner who decides |
Questions we get asked
- Is Picked by Agents an AthenaHQ alternative?
- For an owner who wants the work done, yes. For an owner who wants to do it themselves at low cost, AthenaHQ's free and Starter plans are the better start.
- Could we start on AthenaHQ and move to you later?
- Yes. Nothing you do there gets in our way, and our free report will show what is still stopping the pick.
- Do you promise more customers?
- No. We guarantee being named, never revenue. We report observed AI referrals, customers who said an assistant sent them, and our estimate of new business, each separately.
- Where do your numbers about AthenaHQ come from?
- Their public pricing page, read in September 2026. The 97% and 42% figures are our own probe and live sample from the same month, and the 48% is from Yext's published research. If AthenaHQ changes its plans, tell us and we will correct this page.
See who the assistants name for your customers' questions.
The report is free, and it is the same run we use to measure the guarantee. If doing it yourself is the better fit, we will say so.
Or write to Greg at greg@gregmiller.ai.