Citation Tracker and Indexed AI Mentions answer different questions. Citation Tracker tests questions you choose. Indexed AI Mentions searches a stored index for existing mentions of your domain.
Quick comparison
| Citation Tracker | Indexed AI Mentions | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Checking the same buyer questions again and again | Finding stored AI answers that already mention your domain |
| How it works | Sends your saved questions to live AI engines | Searches stored ChatGPT and Google AI Overview records |
| What it measures | Cited and not cited results, so it can calculate a hit rate | Matching records only, so it cannot calculate a hit rate |
| AI coverage | ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude | ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews |
| API keys | ChatGPT can use 3 plan credits per question or your OpenAI key. Perplexity, Gemini and Claude need your provider keys. | No provider API keys needed |
| Credits | 3 plugin credits for each ChatGPT question when you do not use your own OpenAI key | 3 plugin credits per successful refresh |
| Plan | Pro, Growth and Agency | Growth and Agency |
When to use Citation Tracker
Use Citation Tracker when you know the questions that matter to your business. Save those questions, run a check and see which engines cite your site. Because the result includes both hits and misses, Citation Tracker can show a real hit rate and a trend over time.
Example: save “Where can I buy fresh coffee beans online?” and check whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini or Claude cites your shop.
When to use Indexed AI Mentions
Use Indexed AI Mentions when you want broader discovery. It searches stored ChatGPT and Google AI Overview records for your domain and returns the matches it finds. You do not choose the questions and you do not add provider API keys.
The result is a count of matching records, not a score. If it finds no records, that means the current index returned no matches. It does not prove that your brand has no AI visibility.
Why the numbers are different
Citation Tracker has a denominator: every question and engine checked is either cited or not cited. That makes a percentage possible.
Indexed AI Mentions returns matches from an external index. It does not return every answer that did not mention you, so there is no honest denominator and no hit-rate percentage.
Should I use both?
Yes, if you have Growth or Agency. Use Indexed AI Mentions to discover existing mentions across its stored data. Use Citation Tracker to test important buyer questions in a controlled, repeatable way.
The short version: Indexed AI Mentions needs no provider API keys. That statement does not apply to Citation Tracker as a whole.