For pulling AI visibility data into your own tools, Profound has the wider set of options: a REST API, an MCP server and BI connectors, though its API is Enterprise only. HubSpot AEO offers a beta read API and access from Claude and ChatGPT, and it documents no BI connectors, so it suits teams already working inside HubSpot. DeepSmith is the alternative that opens its whole workspace, with a read-only REST API, a 23-tool MCP server and signed webhooks, on plans from $99 a month.
Choosing between Profound vs HubSpot AEO for API and MCP access comes down to how much of your AI visibility data you want to use outside the tool itself. Profound documents a full set of ways out, but most of them sit on its Enterprise package. HubSpot AEO is newer, still labelled beta, and its data access is thinner and partly unclear for standalone buyers. DeepSmith sits alongside both with a read-only API, an MCP server and webhooks. The full comparison of the two is in Profound vs HubSpot AEO: Is HubSpot's Beta Tracker Enough for Enterprise?, and this page covers data access only.
Profound vs HubSpot AEO: the short answer
- Choose DeepSmith if you want a read-only REST API and MCP server across visibility, Content Map and your content library, plus signed webhooks, on plans from $99 a month with a 7-day free trial.
- Choose Profound if you buy at the Enterprise level and need Looker or Tableau connections, raw per-execution answers through a REST API, and an MCP server for Claude.
- Choose HubSpot AEO if you already work in HubSpot, want to ask Claude or ChatGPT about your AEO numbers, and can live with a beta read API while you start at $50 a month.
| Criterion | DeepSmith | Profound | HubSpot AEO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price (monthly) | $99 (Pro) | Custom quote (Enterprise) | $50 (standalone) |
| Free trial | Yes, 7 days | Yes, 7 days, no API or exports | Yes, 28 days |
| Public API | Yes, read-only | Yes, Enterprise only | Partial, beta read API |
| API rate limit | 120 requests per minute per workspace | 600 requests per hour per key | Not listed |
| AI answer text through the API | Yes | Yes | Partial, beta |
| MCP server | Yes, 23 read-only tools | Yes | Partial, connector for Claude and ChatGPT |
| BI connectors | - | Yes, Looker and Tableau | Not listed |
| Citation tracking | Yes | Yes, URL level | Yes |
| Security certifications | SOC 2, GDPR and ISO | SOC 2 Type II | SOC 2 Type II (suite level) |
| G2 rating | 4.8/5 | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
Pricing and features as of September 2026, from each vendor's site and public reviews.
Profound
Profound is an AI marketing platform that tracks how answer engines mention and cite a brand, and then uses agents to draft and publish content. It is sold to enterprise and mid-market teams and agencies, mostly through a sales-led package.
For data access, Profound documents the most. Its REST API covers reports, raw per-execution answers, prompts, knowledge bases, agents and Prompt Volumes, with a limit of 600 requests per hour per key. The catch is that the API is Enterprise only, and the docs say access is on request. The free 7-day Trial has no API and no exports. Profound's MCP server is an official Anthropic connector, and Profound says it exposes visibility, citations, sentiment, FactCheck, Shopping and Projects, and can build and run Agents. BI connections include Looker and Tableau, along with GA4, Adobe Analytics and Google Search Console.
On G2 it holds 4.5/5 from 1,130 reviews as checked in September 2026. Reviewers praise the visibility and citation analytics, and many describe it as expensive.
HubSpot AEO
HubSpot AEO is HubSpot's answer engine optimization tool, launched in April 2026 and still labelled beta. It runs 25 daily prompts on ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity from $50 a month as a standalone product, and it is also included in Marketing Hub Professional and Enterprise.
For data access, HubSpot documents a beta read API for prompts, historical runs, answer text, citations and recommendations. It is read-only, and the docs name Marketing Hub products, so it is not clear that a standalone buyer gets it. The HubSpot connector for Claude and ChatGPT lets you ask about AEO performance, manage tracked prompts and review recommendations, and a Super Admin has to approve it. HubSpot's page does not name the protocol, so it is shown above as a partial MCP. No export or BI connector is documented for AEO data, and HubSpot's pages do not say how answers are collected.
On G2 it holds 4.4/5 from 145 reviews as checked in September 2026. Reviewers like how easy it is to set up and use, and some want deeper reporting.
DeepSmith: the alternative that opens its workspace through API, MCP and webhooks
Profound gives the most complete data access of the two, on Enterprise terms, and HubSpot AEO gives a beta API and an assistant connector. For a team that wants its AI visibility data in its own dashboards and assistants, there is a gap in the middle. It is a documented set of read options that does not start with a sales call.
DeepSmith's REST API is read-only and uses an API key with scoped permissions. It returns AI visibility data (mention rate, citation rate, share of voice, per-platform and per-category results, the competitor leaderboard, competitor pages, cited sources, your cited pages, prompts, prompt analytics and the AI answers themselves), the Content Map (topics by buyer stage, sites and pages), the content library including the article body, and Deep IQ assets. Reads spend no credits and the OpenAPI spec is published. The MCP server gives an assistant 23 read-only tools over the same workspace, in Claude, Claude Code, Microsoft Copilot, Cursor and other clients, with one URL and an API key per workspace. Webhooks signed with HMAC-SHA256 tell your own systems when content status changes, when an Opportunity Agent runs and when Deep IQ analysis finishes, so you can start your own workflows from them. DeepSmith's plans don't list native BI connectors, so dashboards pull from the API directly.
Plans are Pro at $99 a month ($80 billed annually), Grow at $199 ($160), Scale at $399 ($299) and a custom Enterprise plan, with a 7-day free trial and no long-term contracts. DeepSmith is rated 4.8/5 on G2.
REST API access
Profound has the stronger API of the two, and HubSpot AEO's is still in beta. Profound's REST API returns reports, raw per-execution answers, prompts and more, but it is Enterprise only and access is on request. HubSpot's read API is documented under a 2026-09-beta version and covers prompts, historical runs, answer text, citations and recommendations. The docs name Marketing Hub products, so standalone eligibility is unclear. A beta version is also a weaker base for a dashboard you plan to keep running for a year.
What DeepSmith does: The DeepSmith REST API is read-only and uses scoped keys, so visibility, Content Map, the content library and Deep IQ each have their own read scope. That lets you give an analyst a key for visibility data alone and keep the content library out of reach. Reads spend no credits, and the limit is 120 requests per minute per workspace.
MCP and AI assistant access
Profound is ahead on MCP, because its server is an official Anthropic connector and goes beyond reading. Profound says its MCP exposes visibility, citations, sentiment, FactCheck, Shopping, Docs and Projects, and can build and run Agents. Which plans include it is not stated. HubSpot's connector for Claude and ChatGPT is narrower, covering AEO performance, prompt management and recommendations, and a Super Admin has to approve it.
What DeepSmith does: The DeepSmith MCP server gives an assistant 23 read-only tools for visibility, competitors, the Content Map and the content library, so you can ask questions in conversation. It works with Claude, Claude Code, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, Codex, Zed, Raycast and JetBrains AI Assistant, with one URL and an API key per workspace. It only reads, so an assistant can't change anything in the workspace. If you use Claude, there is a walkthrough on how to build an AEO agent with MCP.
BI connectors and exports
Profound wins here, and by a wide margin. It lists Looker, Tableau through an API integration, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Google Search Console and a Google Sheets import, and its citation views export to CSV and JSON. HubSpot AEO documents no export or BI connector for its AEO data, and its Google Search Console integration is a separate Marketing Hub SEO feature. Profound's free Trial lists no exports.
What DeepSmith does: DeepSmith reaches your reporting through its REST API and OpenAPI spec rather than named connectors, which suits teams that build their own dashboards. The API returns per-platform and per-category results, the competitor leaderboard and cited sources, which covers most of what you need when reporting AI search results to stakeholders.
Access terms and price
HubSpot AEO is cheaper to start, and Profound is clearer about what its data access includes. Standalone HubSpot AEO is $50 a month ($45 billed annually) with a 28-day free trial, and the Claude and ChatGPT connector is listed for all AEO plans. Whether the beta API comes with the standalone plan is not settled in the docs. AEO is also included in Marketing Hub Professional, which is $800 a month billed annually. Profound is a custom Enterprise quote, with the API limited to Enterprise and absent from the 7-day Trial.
What DeepSmith does: DeepSmith publishes its plan prices, from $99 a month, and documents its developer access at docs.deepsmith.ai. You can see what the API, MCP server and webhooks do before you talk to anyone. For the wider DeepSmith and Profound comparison, see DeepSmith vs Profound.
Which should you choose
The answer to Profound or HubSpot AEO for API and MCP access depends on your budget and where your data has to end up.
- DeepSmith: you want API, MCP and webhook access to visibility, Content Map and your content library on published plans from $99 a month, and you want the same platform to produce the content that closes the gaps you find.
- Profound: you buy at the Enterprise level, need Looker or Tableau connections, and want to build or run agents from an assistant.
- HubSpot AEO: you already work in HubSpot, want to ask Claude or ChatGPT about your AEO numbers, and can accept a beta API while you start at $50 a month.
Start a 7-day free trial of DeepSmith at app.deepsmith.ai to see your own AI visibility data and what you can pull from it.
