This page compares cost only. For how the two differ in practice, see AEO vs SEO.
How do AEO and SEO costs compare by company size?
| Company size | SEO, monthly | AEO, monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Startup or micro business | $500–$1,500 | Rarely sold at this level |
| Small business | $1,500–$3,500 | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Mid-sized business | $1,500–$10,000 | $5,000–$10,000 |
| Enterprise | $10,000–$50,000+ | $10,000–$20,000+ |
The SEO column is WebFX's 2026 pricing by business size. The AEO column is Stackmatix's tiers. Two things stand out. Small businesses pay about the same floor for either. And there is no real AEO market below $1,500: 310 Creative says quotes under that claiming full AEO scope are usually SEO with a new label.
For a second view of SEO, Ahrefs' poll of 439 providers found an average retainer of $2,917 a month, with 63% of businesses spending between $500 and $5,000.
What does one agency charge for each?
Comparing two agencies mixes up price and quality. Comparing one agency's prices for both services is cleaner. WebFX publishes both:
- SEO: $1,000 to $5,000 a month for a typical retainer, up to $50,000 or more for enterprise.
- GEO: $1,500 to $50,000 or more a month for agency services.
So at the same agency the ceiling is identical and the floor for GEO is $500 higher. SEO.com shows the same pattern from the other side. It lists GEO plans from $3,000 a month and says the average agency charges $1,500 to $15,000.
How do hourly rates, projects and tools compare?
| SEO | AEO | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly consulting | $75–$200 an hour | $100–$250 an hour |
| One-time audit or project | $500–$5,000 | $1,000–$4,000 for an audit |
| Software you run yourself | Well-established tools at many price points | Tracking tools from about $30 to $500 a month |
SEO rates are from WebFX. AEO hourly rates are from 310 Creative, audit prices from Stackmatix and tool prices from HubSpot's breakdown. Hourly AEO work is quoted a little higher.
Where does the money go in each?
| Line item | SEO | AEO |
|---|---|---|
| Technical work | Site speed, indexing, structure | The same, plus access rules for each AI crawler |
| Content | Pages built to rank for keywords | Pages built to be quoted in an answer |
| Off-site | Backlinks | Directories, reviews, roundups and press that agree about you |
| Tracking | Rankings and traffic from one or two search engines | The same questions re-run on several AI engines every month |
| Reporting | Positions, clicks, conversions | Share of answers that name you, and how you are described |
The last three rows are where AEO costs more. Off-site work is slow and done one source at a time. Tracking has to be repeated per engine, and some tools charge per engine.
What overlaps, so you do not pay for it twice?
If you buy both, three pieces of work should only be billed once:
- Technical fixes. A site that search engines can crawl is most of the way to one that AI crawlers can read.
- Structured data. Schema that describes your business, people and services serves both.
- Core service pages. A page that answers the question clearly can rank and be quoted.
When two proposals arrive, lay the deliverables side by side and strike anything that appears on both. What is left on the AEO proposal is what you are actually buying.
What does it cost to add AEO to an existing SEO program?
Less than a standalone program, because the overlap is already paid for. Published guidance gives three reference points:
- A share of budget. 310 Creative suggests starting with 10% to 20% of your organic or SEO budget. On a $4,000 SEO retainer that is $400 to $800 a month, which buys tracking and a few fixes, not a full program.
- A monitoring tier. The Digital Elevator describes a "monitor and maintain" tier at $1,000 to $2,500 a month for businesses with solid SEO in place.
- A separate citation budget. Superdupr's review of published rate cards found one agency quoting off-site citation work at $1,000 to $3,000 a month on top of its retainer, depending on tier.
Which should you pay for first?
- SEO first if your site has basic problems: pages that do not load, no service pages, nothing indexed. AEO builds on those.
- AEO first if your SEO is sound, AI answers in your category already name two or three competitors, and you are not one of them.
- Neither yet if you have not tested. Type your customers' questions into ChatGPT and Google. If the answers name no businesses, wait and watch.
To put numbers on the decision, use the AEO ROI calculator.
AEO vs SEO cost FAQ
Is AEO more expensive than SEO?
Can I add AEO to an existing SEO retainer?
Do I need both SEO and AEO?
Does AEO replace my SEO agency?
More on AEO pricing
- AEO pricing: What AEO costs across the market, from 15 published prices.
- Law firm AEO pricing: Costs by firm type and the math per signed case.
- Medical AEO pricing: Costs for practices, compliance review and budget reality.
- AEO ROI calculator: Break-even and return on your own numbers.
Sources
Every figure above was read from these pages on 14 November 2026. Prices change, so check the source before you rely on a number.
- WebFX: SEO pricing by model and business size. Page dated Oct 2026.
- WebFX: GEO agency and tool pricing. Page updated Oct 2026.
- Ahrefs: SEO pricing poll of 439 providers.
- Stackmatix: AEO retainers by company size and audit prices. Page dated Mar 2026.
- SEO.com: its own GEO plans. Page updated Nov 2026.
- 310 Creative: AEO hourly rates and budget share. Page updated Nov 2026.
- The Digital Elevator: AEO/GEO tiers. Page updated Oct 2026.
- Superdupr: published AEO and GEO rate cards. Page dated Nov 2026.
- HubSpot: AEO cost by approach. Page dated Sep 2026.