---
title: Aeonav vs Highlighted.ai | AI Visibility Tool Comparison · Aeonav
description: Compare Aeonav and Highlighted.ai for AI visibility tracking. Feature-by-feature breakdown, pricing, and key differences.
canonical: https://www.aeonav.fivecoder.com/ai-visibility-tools/elmo-vs-highlighted
updated: "2026-10-20"
---

[AI Visibility Tool Directory](http://www.aeonav.fivecoder.com/ai-visibility-tools)

# Aeonav vs Highlighted.ai

Aeonav is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Highlighted.ai, an AI visibility tracking tool. Both measure how AI answer engines describe your brand, but Aeonav ships every line of code, runs on your own infrastructure, and is free to self-host — so your data stays yours and each metric is independently verifiable.

The short version

Highlighted.ai doesn't list Google AI Mode, Gemini, or Perplexity among its engines and has no API or MCP server. Aeonav has all of that, and it's free to self-host.

## Aeonav

Open SourceSelf-HostedWhite-Label

Open-source AEO platform. Self-host for free, forever. Track AI visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews with full transparency.

## Highlighted.ai

AI Visibility TrackingFrom $29/mo

AI Overview and ChatGPT tracking sold to SEO agencies

## Highlighted.ai at a glance

![Screenshot of Highlighted.ai homepage](https://nynjceth7hnajxhe.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/screenshots/highlighted.jpg)

[Visit highlighted.ai](https://highlighted.ai/)

## About Highlighted.ai

Highlighted tracks how often a brand appears in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews for prompts the user enters, charts visibility over time, and overlays competitor tracking on the same graph. It is sold primarily to SEO companies and agencies, with white-label reports and a 30-day risk-free period.

Popularity grade: D

- Competitor visibility overlaid on the same chart as your own
- White-label reports aimed at SEO agencies reselling to clients
- Narrow by design — AI Overviews and ChatGPT rather than broad engine coverage

## Feature comparison

| Feature                 | Aeonav | Highlighted.ai |
| ----------------------- | ------ | -------------- |
| Core Tracking           |        |                |
| Multi-LLM Tracking      | Yes    | Yes            |
| AI Visibility Score     | Yes    | Yes            |
| Citation Analytics      | Yes    | No             |
| Competitor Benchmarking | Yes    | Yes            |
| Brand Mention Tracking  | Yes    | Yes            |
| AI Engines              |        |                |
| ChatGPT                 | Yes    | Yes            |
| Google AI Overviews     | Yes    | Yes            |
| Google AI Mode          | Yes    | No             |
| Gemini                  | Yes    | No             |
| Perplexity              | Yes    | No             |
| Microsoft Copilot       | Yes    | No             |
| Claude                  | Yes    | No             |
| Grok                    | Yes    | No             |
| DeepSeek                | Yes    | No             |
| Meta AI                 | Yes    | No             |
| Any Model               | Yes    | No             |
| Real UI Answers         | Yes    | No             |
| Bring Your Own Keys     | Yes    | Yes            |
| Platform                |        |                |
| White-Label / Agency    | Yes    | Yes            |
| Open Source             | Yes    | No             |
| Content Generation      | No     | No             |
| Advanced Analytics      |        |                |
| Prompt Volume Estimates | No     | No             |
| Sentiment Analysis      | Yes    | Yes            |
| Query Fan-Out           | Yes    | No             |
| AI Crawler Analytics    | No     | No             |
| Geographic Tracking     | No     | No             |
| Social Media Tracking   | No     | No             |
| Shopping Tracking       | No     | No             |
| Multi-Language          | No     | No             |
| Actionable Insights     |        |                |
| Action Recommendations  | Yes    | No             |
| Content Gap Analysis    | Yes    | No             |
| AI Site Audits          | No     | No             |
| AI Keyword Research     | Yes    | No             |
| Reporting & Integration |        |                |
| Email Alerts            | No     | No             |
| API Access              | Yes    | No             |
| TypeScript SDK          | Yes    | No             |
| Python SDK              | Yes    | No             |
| MCP Access              | Yes    | No             |
| BI Connectors           | No     | No             |

We last checked Highlighted.ai against its own site in Oct 2026. Spot an error? [Suggest a correction](https://github.com/orbitrepos/aeonav/issues/new?title=Correction+for+Highlighted.ai\&body=What%27s+wrong%2C+and+where+can+we+see+the+correct+information+%28a+pricing+page%2C+docs%2C+or+changelog%29%3F%0A%0A) or [edit the data on GitHub](https://github.com/orbitrepos/aeonav/blob/main/apps/www/src/lib/competitors/data.ts).

## Key differences

### Only in Aeonav

- Citation Analytics
- Google AI Mode
- Gemini
- Perplexity
- Microsoft Copilot
- Claude
- Grok
- DeepSeek
- Meta AI
- Any Model
- Real UI Answers
- Open Source
- Query Fan-Out
- Action Recommendations
- Content Gap Analysis
- AI Keyword Research
- API Access
- TypeScript SDK
- Python SDK
- MCP Access

### Both offer

- Multi-LLM Tracking
- AI Visibility Score
- Competitor Benchmarking
- Brand Mention Tracking
- ChatGPT
- Google AI Overviews
- Bring Your Own Keys
- White-Label / Agency
- Sentiment Analysis

## Why choose Aeonav over Highlighted.ai?

### Open source and transparent

Every line of code is open. You can verify exactly how your visibility data is collected, calculated, and presented. No black boxes.

### Self-host for free, forever

Run Aeonav on your own infrastructure. The core platform is free and always will be, and Aeonav Cloud is there if you would rather not run it yourself.

### Your data, in your stack

Pull every metric, sentiment included, into your own code with the REST API and TypeScript and Python SDKs, or ask Claude Code and Cursor about it over MCP. Export, fork, or migrate at any time.

### Built to last

Bootstrapped and sustainable. No investors pushing towards dark patterns. We'll outlast the companies taking too much VC money.

## Frequently Asked Questions

- What is the difference between Aeonav and Highlighted.ai?

  Aeonav is an open-source, self-hostable AI visibility platform, while Highlighted.ai is a closed-source AI visibility tracking tool. Both track how AI answer engines describe your brand, but Aeonav gives you the full source code and runs on your own infrastructure, so you can verify every metric and keep your data in-house.

- Is Aeonav a free, open-source alternative to Highlighted.ai?

  Yes. Aeonav is a free, open-source alternative to Highlighted.ai. You can self-host the full platform at no cost, read every line of code, and track your AI visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews without per-seat or per-prompt fees.

- Is Highlighted.ai open source?

  No, Highlighted.ai is a hosted product without public source code. Aeonav is fully open source, so you can read how each metric is calculated, self-host it on your own infrastructure, and take your data with you.

- How do Aeonav and Highlighted.ai compare on sentiment analysis, API access, and MCP?

  Aeonav includes all three: a 0 to 100 sentiment score for every AI answer that mentions you, a REST API with TypeScript and Python SDKs, and an MCP server so assistants like Claude Code and Cursor can query your data. Highlighted.ai offers sentiment analysis, but we have not found it offering API access or an MCP server.

- Can I self-host Aeonav instead of Highlighted.ai?

  Yes. Aeonav is designed to be self-hosted — deploy it on your own infrastructure in minutes with the CLI. You keep full ownership of your data and prompts, with no per-seat pricing and no third-party dashboard holding your visibility history.

## Ready to track your AI visibility?

Deploy Aeonav in minutes and start monitoring how ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews talk about your brand.

[Deploy Aeonav](http://www.aeonav.fivecoder.com/docs/getting-started)[View on GitHub](https://github.com/orbitrepos/aeonav)