Best Free Tools to See If AI Recommends Your Business (2026)

The best free way to see if AI recommends your business is to ask ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini yourself, then run a free checker for a second look. Seven free options are below, and each one says what it checks and whether it wants your email.

Last updated October 17, 2026

PickCheck is a free AI recommendation checker for local service businesses, made by Hive Asset Group, LLC.

This page is for plumbers, HVAC pros, dentists, med spa owners, lawyers, and the web designers who build their sites. Every tool here has a free way in. We label each one as a free tool, a free trial, or a free method.

We make PickCheck, so we're not neutral. We say plainly where another tool is the better pick.

AI answers change from run to run. No tool here can promise that an assistant will recommend you. They show you what the assistants say.

Quick comparison

Checked October 17, 2026. Plans change, so check each site.

The tools

1. Check by hand (free method)

Open ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini and ask the questions a customer would ask. It's free, it covers the engines you care about, and you see the full answer. It's also slow, and the answer can change the next time you ask. See the 5-minute steps below. This is the best first step because it shows what a customer would actually see.

2. PickCheck (free tool)

Type your business name, trade and town. In about 30 seconds you get a score, whether you were named, the top 3 competitors named instead, and one sample answer. No account, card or email. It asks one assistant, Kimi, which has live web search. It does not query ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity. Paid extras: Fix Kit is $29 one-time, Monitor is $19 a month. Pick it for a quick town-level look. If you need ChatGPT, use the hand method or BrightLocal.

3. Ahrefs Free AI Visibility Checker (free tool)

You enter a brand name and get a count of AI mentions, a split by engine, top topics, and the pages and domains cited. Their page says no signup and no card. The free report shows only a limited preview, the top 5 in each section. It lists six engines, more than any other free tool here. Their page doesn't say anything about towns, so it works best if your business name is fairly unique. Better than PickCheck if you want many engines. It won't tell you who got named instead of you in your town.

Source: ahrefs.com/free-ai-visibility

4. Semrush AI Search Visibility Checker (free tool)

You enter your website address. You get an AI visibility score, mentions by platform, top cited pages and competitor comparisons. It's free three times a day with no account. Engines named: ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode. The page doesn't describe town-level checks. Good for web designers who want to check a client's domain and a rival's.

Source: semrush.com AI Search Visibility Checker

5. HubSpot AI Search Grader (free tool)

A free, one-time check across ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. You can enter a city, country, region or global. The check needs no account, but you fill in a short form to see full results. It grades your brand, not a "best plumber near me" question. HubSpot sells a paid follow-up, HubSpot AEO, at $50 a month. Pick it if you want a brand score across three engines.

Source: hubspot.com/aeo-grader

6. BrightLocal Local AI Visibility Checker (free tool, email needed)

Built for local. You give your email and your location details, pick Google AI Mode or ChatGPT, and get a PDF by email. It covers up to 5 prompts and shows your visibility score, top competitors and the sources the AI used. Their paid version allows up to 20 prompts. It's the better pick if you want a ChatGPT result for a specific location. You'll get one engine per report, and you'll hand over your email.

Source: brightlocal.com Local AI Visibility Checker

7. Profound (free trial)

Profound is a platform for brands and agencies. Its free trial runs 7 days with 50 prompts a day on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, for 1 region. Their page says you sign up to use it. After the trial, the Enterprise plan shows "Custom" pricing. It's overkill for one shop, but handy for an agency who wants to test a big tracker. Better than any single scan if you need lots of prompts every day.

Source: tryprofound.com/pricing

How to check by hand in 5 minutes

You need a notepad and three tabs: ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini. Use a private window so your own history doesn't skew the answer.

1. Ask: "Who is the best plumber in [town]?" Swap in your trade.
2. Ask: "I need an emergency HVAC repair in [town]. Who should I call?"
3. Ask: "What are the best-reviewed dentists near [town] that take new patients?"

For each answer, write down three things: were you named, who was named instead, and what reason did the assistant give? Then ask each question a second time. If the names change, that's normal.

Do this once a month and keep the notes. You'll see what changes. If a rival keeps showing up with a reason (more reviews, a clear service page), that tells you what to fix first.

Want a faster first look? Run the free scan below, then do the hand check for ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.

Which one should you pick?

• Own one shop and want the real answer? Check by hand first.
• Want a fast, no-email look for your town? PickCheck. Remember it asks Kimi only.
• Need ChatGPT for your location? BrightLocal, or ask ChatGPT yourself.
• Want the most engines? Ahrefs lists six.
• Checking a client's site as a designer? Semrush's checker takes a domain.
• Running an agency with lots of prompts? Try the Profound trial.

For paid tools too, see our broader list: Best AI visibility tools for local businesses.

New to this? Read Does AI recommend my business? and What is AI visibility?

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