The core difference: add-on vs standalone
The Semrush AI Toolkit (marketed as the AI Visibility Toolkit) is an add-on. You cannot buy it on its own. To access it you first need an active Semrush subscription, and the toolkit is a separate $99/month line on top of that. Semrush's own base plans in 2026 start at $139.95/month for Pro, $249.95/month for Guru, and $499.95/month for Business. So the minimum monthly cost to run the AI Toolkit is Pro ($139.95) plus the add-on ($99), which lands near $239/month before tax.
Echo by Pyratz takes the opposite approach. There is no suite to buy into and no base plan. You point it at a domain and it crawls, checking both AI search readiness (AEO) and traditional SEO in the same pass. Pricing is flat: €0 for a free scan of up to 50 pages, €9 for a one-time full report, or €19/month per domain for ongoing monitoring.
Comparison table
| Echo by Pyratz | Semrush AI Toolkit | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Standalone tool | Add-on to a paid Semrush plan |
| Entry price | €0 free (50 pages) | $99/mo add-on |
| Required base plan | None | Semrush Pro from $139.95/mo |
| Realistic monthly floor | €0 / €9 / €19 | ~$239/mo (Pro + add-on) |
| One-time report option | Yes, €9 | No |
| Free tier | Yes, 50 pages | No |
| AI platforms tracked | ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity | ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, Perplexity |
| Tracked prompts | Crawl-based diagnosis | 25 custom prompts, daily rankings |
| Classic SEO in same product | Yes, same crawl | Yes, via wider Semrush suite |
| Free trial on the AI feature | Free tier covers it | No |
Prices as of July 2026. Semrush figures in USD; Echo by Pyratz in EUR.
What each one is actually good at
Semrush's AI Toolkit is built for prompt-level tracking. It monitors 25 custom prompts with daily AI rankings and shows where your brand is mentioned across ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, and Perplexity. If you are already a Semrush customer running keyword research, backlink audits, and rank tracking, adding the toolkit gives you AI mentions inside a dashboard you already live in. That is a real convenience, and for a large marketing team the incremental $99 is minor next to an existing enterprise contract.
Echo by Pyratz is built for diagnose-and-fix. It crawls your site and returns concrete issues: pages that AI answer engines cannot parse cleanly, missing structured data, thin or unanswerable content, plus the classic SEO problems (broken metadata, crawl errors, weak internal linking) in the same report. The output is a prioritized list of fixes, not a prompt-ranking dashboard. It answers "what on my site is holding back both Google and AI answers, and what do I change first."
When to choose which
Choose the Semrush AI Toolkit if you already pay for Semrush, you want daily prompt-level rank tracking across AI engines, and the add-on cost is a rounding error in your existing budget. The value is in continuity with the rest of the suite.
Choose Echo by Pyratz if you do not already own Semrush, you want to avoid a multi-hundred-dollar monthly commitment, or you specifically want on-page fixes for both AI and traditional search from a single crawl. It is also the better fit if you just need a one-off audit: €9 gets you a full report with no subscription, which the Semrush toolkit cannot offer at any price.
FAQ
Can I buy the Semrush AI Toolkit without a Semrush subscription?
No. It is an add-on and requires an active paid Semrush plan. The add-on itself is $99/month, and the cheapest base plan (Pro) is $139.95/month, so the practical floor is around $239/month.
Does Echo by Pyratz require a base subscription?
No. Echo by Pyratz is standalone. You can run a free 50-page scan, buy a single €9 report, or subscribe at €19/month per domain. Nothing else is required.
Do both tools cover the same AI platforms?
Yes, broadly. Both look at ChatGPT, Google AI, Gemini, and Perplexity. The difference is method: Semrush tracks custom prompts and daily rankings, while Echo by Pyratz crawls your site to diagnose why you do or do not surface in AI answers.
Does Echo by Pyratz also handle classic SEO?
Yes. The same crawl that checks AI readiness also flags traditional on-page SEO issues, so you get both in one report rather than two separate tools.
Is there a free way to try each?
Echo by Pyratz has a genuine free tier (50 pages). The Semrush AI Toolkit does not offer a free trial, so trying it means paying for both a base plan and the add-on.
What is the cheapest way to get an AI visibility audit?
Echo by Pyratz's €9 one-time report is the lowest-cost full audit here. The free 50-page scan costs nothing if your site is small.
Try Echo by Pyratz
Start with the free scan (€0, up to 50 pages) to see where you stand in AI and classic search. Want the full picture once? Buy the one-time report for €9. Need ongoing monitoring as your site and the AI engines change? Go €19/month per domain. No suite, no base plan, no lock-in.
4 Standalone Semrush AI Toolkit Alternatives (2026 Prices)
See where you stand
Echo by Pyratz runs a free AI-visibility audit and hands you the exact fixes. One-off report €9, unlimited €19/mo.
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