ARO Index
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Research comparison

Most AI visibility tools measure mentions.
ARO Index™ measures recommendations.

Mention counting tells you how often your brand appears in AI responses. ARO Index™ tracks whether AI actually selects and recommends your business when a real buyer asks a real local question. That gap is the entire business case.

Tool comparison based on public feature review · May 2026
Predictive vs observational

AEO scanners predict optimization potential. ARO Index measures recommendation behavior. Predictive vs observational.

Vanity vs strategy

Mention counting is vanity. Structure is strategy. Knowing you appeared in 14 responses means nothing if AI never recommended you.

Selection data

We track who AI selects, how consistently, and why. Not just whether your name came up.

Six capabilities. Five tools.

Across the six dimensions that actually determine whether a tool measures AI recommendation or just monitors AI mentions, ARO Index™ is the only local-market-specific option.

Feature ARO Index™aroindex.com ProfoundEnterprise brand monitoring Otterly.aiPrompt and citation tracking Peec AIBrand mention monitoring Framer AEO ScannerFree site readiness tool
Market-level recommendation rankings Ranked leaderboards by city and category based on actual AI recommendation behavior ✓ Yes ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No
Cross-model recommendation analysis Tests behavior across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity ✓ Yes ✓ Yes ~ Partial ✓ Yes ✕ No
Recommendation gap detection Identifies which competitors AI selects instead and why ✓ Yes ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No
Agency intelligence console Multi-client portfolio view with per-client scores and history ✓ Yes ~ Per-brand only ✕ No ~ Partial ✕ No
Proprietary scoring methodology Published signal framework specific to AI recommendation behavior ✓ Yes ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No
Local business focus Built for local service businesses and the agencies that serve them ✓ Yes ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No ✕ No

*Based on public feature review as of May 2026

What people ask before switching

What is the difference between ARO Index and tools like Profound or Otterly?

Profound and Otterly track how often your brand is mentioned across AI platforms. ARO Index tracks whether AI actually selects and recommends a specific local business when a real buyer asks. Mention counting measures presence. ARO Index measures selection.

Why don't other AI visibility tools show local market rankings?

Most tools are built for national or enterprise brands tracking share of voice. ARO Index is built specifically for local service businesses and the agencies that serve them. It publishes ranked leaderboards by city and category based on real AI recommendation behavior.

What is an ARO Score™?

The ARO Score™ measures how well a business is structured to be recommended by AI platforms. It evaluates entity clarity, topical authority, schema markup, content structure, and crawlability - the signals AI uses to decide who to recommend.

What is the Framer AEO Scanner?

The Framer AEO Scanner is a free site readiness tool that checks whether AI engines can technically crawl and read your website. It measures optimization potential. ARO Index measures whether AI actually recommends you - a different and more consequential question.

Your ARO Score™ already exists.
See where you stand.

Run a free audit and see exactly how AI platforms are recommending your business right now. No credit card. No pitch. Just the data.