You're getting quotes from three GEO agencies. The first comes back at $2,800/month. The second at $6,500/month. The third at $13,000/month. All claim to do the same thing.
The GEO market is young and opaque. Here are the real prices, ranges by scope, and the criteria that justify (or don't justify) a price tag.
One-shot audit: $2,000 to $4,500
A one-shot GEO audit is the most common entry point. Typical deliverable:
- Assessment of your current citation share on 30 to 50 business-critical prompts
- Coverage of 3 to 5 LLMs (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini are non-negotiable)
- Identification of sources LLMs cite in your niche
- Competitive benchmark on 3 to 5 direct competitors
- 90-day prioritized action plan
An audit under $1,500 is usually superficial: just running a tracking tool and delivering the screenshot. Above $5,500, you're paying for enterprise features (multi-market, multi-language, exhaustive fan-out analysis).
Continuous engagement: $1,500 to $8,500 per month
The dominant format for brands that want 90-day results. A classic SEO retainer is priced differently, as the GEO and SEO agency comparison shows.
Low end ($1,500-$3,000/month): monitoring of 20-30 prompts on 3 LLMs, monthly report, 3-5 content recommendations per month. No content execution. Reserved for brands with an existing in-house content team.
Mid range ($3,000-$5,500/month): monitoring of 40-80 prompts on 5 LLMs, bi-weekly report, quarterly fan-out analysis, production of 1-2 articles per month, monthly steering call.
High end ($5,500-$8,500/month): monitoring of 80-200 prompts on all the major LLMs, weekly fan-out analysis, production of 2-4 articles per month, external source optimization (PR, Reddit, partnerships), bi-weekly steering.
Beyond: enterprise and multi-brand
Above $10,000/month, you're in enterprise territory: multi-brand, multi-market, dedicated team. Reserved for scale-ups and large enterprises with international products or a portfolio of brands.
Below: the red zone
Below $1,000/month, you're buying classic SEO rebranded GEO. No serious agency can track all the major LLMs, analyze fan-out queries and produce an action plan at this price. Agencies at $550-$950/month usually use a free tool, take one screenshot a month, and deliver a PDF.
What drives the price
Four main factors:
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LLM coverage. 3 LLMs vs full coverage: 2x ratio on tracking cost. The "ChatGPT-only vs full coverage" debate drives 30-40% of the price.
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Prompt volume tracked. 30 vs 150 prompts: 3-4x ratio on analysis work. The more prompts you track, the bigger the fan-out analysis grows.
-
Fan-out analysis depth. Monthly (heavy but necessary) vs weekly (premium, for competitive brands). Fan-out analysis is the most time-consuming agency-side work.
-
Content execution scope. Audit-only vs audit + 4 articles/month. An engagement that includes content production is 50-100% more expensive.
A fifth factor, often overlooked: multi-language. Tracking a brand across 3 markets (FR, EN, DE) easily doubles the price.
Setup fee + retainer or per project?
The healthiest structure: setup fee of $1,500-$3,500 for the initial audit and tracking setup, then monthly retainer over 6 or 12 months. Avoid project work under 90 days: LLMs need 60-90 days to recrawl and move citations. A 30-day GEO engagement only delivers an audit, not results.
DIY: from €249/month
If you have an internal SEO or content team, the DIY option is almost always more efficient. A tool like Mentionable starts at €249/month for brand offers, with a 7-day free trial. You keep control, you learn the craft, and you avoid the agency retainer.
Hidden DIY cost: 4-8 hours per week of analysis and action. For a brand without internal resources, an agency is often more profitable once these hours are valued.
Finding a GEO agency at the right price
If you want to compare multiple agencies with their published rates, Mentionable maintains a directory of GEO agencies and consultants: a founding circle of GEO agencies, selected on their approach. Each agency profile shows its starting price when disclosed. No commission, no paid placement. If you would rather delegate the whole scope, a GEO agency that measures results runs strategy, writing and link building with its own methods.
