4%
of local queries where four AI engines fully agree on the answer
Yext research, 491,972 local queries, February to August 2026
90%
of the businesses AI assistants picked were named from their own site
Picks Index, 729 first picks across 139 markets, September 2026
25%
of local business sites let a customer book online
Picked by Agents live sample, 236 sites in Dallas and Phoenix, September 2026
What each of us actually does
SE Ranking lists Core at $129 a month and Growth at $279, with 20% off for annual billing, and Enterprise on request. Core tracks 100 prompts daily across 5 LLMs and Growth 250, with AI source tracking and competitive research. Both include a local and map rank tracker for 1,500 keywords, 3 locations, listing management on 100+ directories and Google Business Profile posts. An AI Search add on covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, Perplexity and ChatGPT in tiers of 200, 450 and 1,000 prompts, and includes SE Visible for brand mentions, citations and sentiment. There is a 14 day free trial with no card.
Picked by Agents monitors the questions that decide your customers' choice, on the assistants in our research network, including Meta Muse and Instinct. Monitoring is $79 a month, month to month. Each monthly pick report quotes the assistant, names the business it chose and records the reason it gave. White glove programs, where we make the changes, are optional.
Where the two approaches part
- 01
A platform vs one question answered
SE Ranking is built for people who do SEO for a living. Our report is built for an owner who wants to know who the assistant names and why, without learning a tool.
- 02
Mentions and citations vs the reason
Knowing you were mentioned or cited is the start. We keep the assistant's stated reason for every pick and pass, and that reason is the brief for the fix.
- 03
Software vs work done
SE Ranking leaves the changes to your team. On our optional programs we ship them on your site, profile, directories and booking path, and guarantee you are named in 90 days or we work free.
When SE Ranking is the better choice
If you are an agency or an in house marketer who wants rankings, audits, local tracking and AI search in one place, SE Ranking does far more than we do. If you own a local business and want the assistants' own words on why a competitor got the job, we fit.
Switching from SE Ranking
Bring your tracked prompts, the competitors in your AI research and the locations in your local tracker. We rewrite prompts as the questions a customer asks near you, and each location comes from you on the report form.
What changes is the cadence and the output. Instead of daily prompt tracking you get a monthly report that quotes each assistant and names the business it chose. The first report is free and becomes the baseline. Keep SE Ranking for SEO if you use it, since assistants still search the web.
SE Ranking vs Picked by Agents
| SE Ranking | Picked by Agents | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | SEO and GEO software with local tools | AI visibility monitoring, with optional done for you work |
| Price | Core $129 or Growth $279 a month, AI Search as an add on | $79 a month, month to month |
| AI engines | AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and Perplexity | The assistants in our network, including Muse and Instinct |
| Who makes the fix | Your team | You from our findings, or us on a white glove program |
| Guarantee | None stated on their pricing page | Named in 90 days or we work free, on the programs |
| Built for | Marketing teams and agencies | Local business owners and the agencies serving them |
Questions we get asked
Is Picked by Agents an SE Ranking alternative?
- For the AI pick on local questions, yes. For SEO, rank tracking, audits and listings across many clients, SE Ranking is the tool and we are not.
Does SE Ranking track the assistants you run?
- Its AI Search add on lists AI Overviews, AI Mode, Perplexity and ChatGPT. Our network runs its own assistant accounts, including Meta Muse and Instinct, and we only report what those runs recorded.
Can we use both?
- Yes. We ask for no exclusivity, and the changes we recommend land on your own pages and profile, so they should show up in SE Ranking too.
Where do your facts about SE Ranking come from?
- Its pricing page, read in October 2026. The 4% is from Yext's published research, and the 90% and 25% from our Picks Index and live sample. If SE Ranking changes its plans, tell us and we will correct this page.
Your free report
See who the assistants name for your customers' questions.
The first pick report is free and becomes your monitoring baseline. If SE Ranking covers what you need, we will say so.
- 01We read your site and work out what your customers ask an assistant for.
- 02We run the top assistants on those requests in your area.
- 03You get where you rank, whether they would book you and why, and what to change first.