# MarketHQ vs Otterly.ai: both start at $29, so what's actually different?

Updated October 2026

Otterly.ai and MarketHQ happen to share an entry price: $29 a month. From there the two products diverge. Otterly checks four AI search engines daily and meters usage in search prompts; Claude, Google AI Mode and Gemini are paid add-ons on top. MarketHQ checks six AI assistants weekly, Claude included, and adds Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social at the same price. Every Otterly figure below is cited to otterly.ai.

## Quick answer

MarketHQ Lite is $29 a month: six AI assistants including Claude, checked weekly, plus Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social in the same workspace. Otterly.ai Lite is also $29 a month, for 15 search prompts across four AI engines checked daily; Claude, Google AI Mode and Gemini cost extra. Choose Otterly for daily cadence; choose MarketHQ for Claude included and the web conversation too.

- Both start at $29/month, but Otterly meters usage in search prompts (15 on Lite) while MarketHQ's tiers differ by overall tracking capacity.
- Otterly checks daily across four engines; Claude, Google AI Mode and Gemini are paid add-ons. MarketHQ checks weekly across six, Claude included.
- MarketHQ also tracks Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social; Otterly's own site names no non-AI sources.
- Both ship an API and an MCP server, and both turn AI-answer gaps into recommendations; this isn't unique to either tool.

## Why choose MarketHQ instead of Otterly.ai?

At the same $29 entry price, MarketHQ includes Claude by default and adds the web conversation behind the AI answers.

Otterly.ai's four included engines (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot) cover real ground, but Claude, Google AI Mode and Gemini each cost extra on top of the $29 plan. MarketHQ's $29 Lite tier includes Claude in its weekly six-engine check, alongside ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok and DeepSeek, with no per-engine add-on pricing.

MarketHQ also tracks Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Dev.to, Lobsters, news, blogs and social lanes (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Bluesky, Product Hunt) on paid plans, with gap analysis and an action plan across all of it, not just the AI-answer side.

Choose Otterly if daily tracking and a flat price per search prompt are what you need. Choose MarketHQ if you want Claude included by default and the web conversation tracked in the same workspace.

## What sources does MarketHQ cover?

Free: Hacker News, GitHub, RSS, Stack Overflow, Dev.to, Lobsters. Paid plans add Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, Perplexity, Product Hunt, Broader web crawl, Bluesky.

- Grouped Slack daily digest
- Drafted replies from your own strengths
- Gap analysis and action plans
- Weekly AI-answer visibility (paid plans)
- Chat over your own evidence
- API and MCP on every paid plan
- Flat capacity pricing, tiers differ by tracking volume only
- 7-day trial for $0.99 on Lite and Startup
- Free tier with no card and no end date

## Otterly.ai values read from otterly.ai/pricing, checked 1 October 2026.

| Feature | MarketHQ | Otterly.ai |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Entry price | $29/month (Lite), free tier below it | $29/month (Lite) |
| Higher tiers | Startup $99, Growth $199/month | Standard $189, Premium $489, Enterprise custom from 1,000 prompts |
| AI-answer check frequency | Weekly, on every paid plan | Daily, on every plan |
| Entry-tier usage unit | Up to 10 tracked questions on Lite | 15 search prompts on Lite |
| AI engines included at entry | Six, Claude included: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Grok, DeepSeek | Four: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot |
| Claude, Google AI Mode, Gemini | Claude and Gemini included at every paid tier | Paid add-ons on top of the plan price |
| Non-AI sources (Reddit, news, blogs, social) | Yes: Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Dev.to, Lobsters, news, blogs, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Bluesky, Product Hunt | Not named on Otterly's own site |
| Gap analysis / recommendations | Yes, across AI answers and the web | Yes, weekly recommendations |
| API and MCP | On every paid plan from Lite up | From the Standard plan up, not on Lite |
| Free trial | 7 days for $0.99 on Lite and Startup | Offered for new users, length not stated |
| Best fit | Teams that want Claude included and the web conversation in the same workspace | Teams that want daily tracking and will pay per engine as they add Claude, Gemini or AI Mode |

## What does Otterly.ai actually include at $29?

Otterly Lite covers 15 search prompts across four engines, checked daily: ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot.

Claude, Google AI Mode and Gemini are not in that base price; they're add-ons. Going past 15 prompts means Standard at $189 a month for 100, or Premium at $489 for 400. API and MCP access only start at Standard, not on Lite.

MarketHQ's $29 Lite plan includes Claude by default in its six-assistant weekly check, and API plus MCP access are on every paid plan including Lite, not reserved for a higher tier.

## Does MarketHQ check AI answers as often as Otterly.ai?

No. MarketHQ checks weekly; Otterly checks daily on every plan.

If your category's AI answers shift quickly and you need to catch that within a day, Otterly's daily cadence is the better fit, and we'd rather say that plainly.

What the weekly cadence buys at the same $29 price is Claude included rather than sold separately, plus Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social tracked in the same workspace.

## Does Otterly.ai track Reddit, news or social posts?

Not as far as its own site states. Otterly's published pages describe AI-search-engine tracking only.

Otterly reports mentions, citations, sentiment and share of voice inside AI answers. It doesn't read the Reddit thread or news article that likely shaped one of those answers.

MarketHQ tracks both in one workspace: the AI-answer side and the Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, Stack Overflow, Dev.to, Lobsters, news, blog and social activity behind it, against the same competitors.

## Which should you choose: MarketHQ or Otterly.ai?

Choose Otterly for daily cadence and a flat per-prompt price if you're willing to pay extra for Claude; choose MarketHQ for Claude included and the web conversation tracked, at the same $29 entry price.

Both turn an AI-answer gap into a recommendation; that part isn't unique to either tool.

- Choose MarketHQ if you want Claude included at $29 rather than priced as an add-on.
- Choose MarketHQ if Reddit, news, blogs and social tracked next to the AI-answer check matters to you.
- Choose Otterly if daily AI-answer cadence matters more than price-per-engine or web-conversation coverage.

## Where does Otterly.ai win?

Otterly wins on cadence: daily tracking on every plan, with unlimited team members and support for 50+ countries. Choose MarketHQ when Claude included and the web conversation matter more than checking daily.

If an assistant's answer about your category can change within a day and you need to know immediately, Otterly's daily checks beat MarketHQ's weekly ones outright. Unlimited seats on every plan is also a genuine advantage for a larger team.

MarketHQ wins when you want Claude included by default, a weekly check across six assistants, and Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social tracked for the same competitors, all at the same $29 entry price.

- Choose Otterly if you need AI-answer checks run daily, not weekly.
- Choose Otterly if unlimited team members on the entry plan matters to you.
- Choose Otterly if you're comfortable paying add-on pricing for Claude, Gemini or Google AI Mode.

## FAQ

### Is Otterly.ai the same price as MarketHQ?

Both start at $29 a month. Otterly Lite covers 15 search prompts across four AI engines, checked daily. MarketHQ Lite covers up to 10 tracked questions across six AI assistants including Claude, checked weekly, plus Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social.

### Does Otterly.ai include Claude?

Not at the base price. Claude, Google AI Mode and Gemini are paid add-ons on every Otterly plan. MarketHQ includes Claude in its weekly check on every paid plan from Lite up, with no add-on charge.

### Does Otterly.ai track Reddit, news or social media?

MarketHQ tracks Reddit, Hacker News, GitHub, news, blogs and social alongside its weekly AI-answer check. Otterly's own site names AI-search-engine tracking only, with no non-AI sources listed.

### Which is cheaper, MarketHQ or Otterly.ai?

They share the same $29/month entry price. MarketHQ also has a free tier below that; Otterly's cheapest published plan is $29. Otterly's Claude, Gemini and Google AI Mode add-ons push its real cost higher if you need those engines.

## Related

- [MarketHQ vs Peec AI](https://markethq.ai/compare/markethq-vs-peec) — the comparison against a daily AI-visibility tool priced above $29
- [MarketHQ vs Profound](https://markethq.ai/compare/markethq-vs-profound) — the comparison against a tool with no self-serve plan at all
- [Otterly alternatives](https://markethq.ai/alternatives/otterly-alternatives) — the wider field of AI-visibility tools
- [All comparisons](https://markethq.ai/compare) — every head-to-head we verified
- [Pricing](https://markethq.ai/pricing) — what the four MarketHQ tiers cost

## Sources

- Otterly.ai pricing: https://otterly.ai/pricing/ (verified 2026-09-30)