[ PRODUCT EXPLAINER ]
AI citation checker
An AI citation checker should tell you whether selected AI answers cite your website. See what Cited's free check does, what it does not do, and when to start monitoring.
Most people who type “AI citation checker” want a simple thing: did selected AI answers use my website as a source? The honest product answer is a snapshot first, a record second.
Cited’s checker lives at /scan. It is not a ranking tool, a crawler, or a content generator.
What people mean by checker
They want a receipt, not a content strategy. A checker should accept a domain, run selected prompts on supported surfaces, and say whether the site was cited, mentioned, recommended, or missed.
That is the same object described in what AI citation monitoring is. The checker is the first pass. Monitoring is the continuing pass.
What the free check does
The free check asks for a public domain you control or represent, optional brand names, and up to three questions. Cited runs those questions on supported surfaces and emails a private result link when the snapshot is ready.
- Private result link
- The prompts you chose
- An evidence note when the snapshot is ready
- A clear path to ongoing monitoring
Results vary by provider, location, timing, and prompt wording. The scan page says that up front. Believe it.
What the free check does not do
- Watch those prompts next week
- Replace a citation inbox, alerts, or history
- See private AI conversations
- Score your brand against the whole internet
- Guarantee more citations
Snapshot versus record
Snapshot
What happened on this check, for these prompts, on the supported surfaces that ran.
Record
First seen, last observed, and the inbox of notes you can reopen when someone asks what changed.
A snapshot answers a decision. A record answers a week. If you only need the decision, the free check is the right object. If you will still care about the prompts next month, monitor them.
Use the free check to see whether a prompt is worth repeating.
Treat one snapshot as a monitoring program.
Keep citations, mentions, and misses in separate labels.
Turn a brand mention into a made-up visibility score.
Move important prompts onto a plan when you need history.
Re-run informal checks and hope the screenshots line up.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Use the free check to see whether a prompt is worth repeating. | Treat one snapshot as a monitoring program. |
| Keep citations, mentions, and misses in separate labels. | Turn a brand mention into a made-up visibility score. |
| Move important prompts onto a plan when you need history. | Re-run informal checks and hope the screenshots line up. |
What you get from a check
You get a private link, not a public leaderboard. When the snapshot is ready, the result shows the questions checked and any included evidence. Absence is still useful. The result page says that plainly: a single check is a snapshot, monitoring is the record.
Private citation snapshot
Domain, selected prompts, supported surfaces, and an evidence note when your site appears. Fictional example for illustration. Not a live scan result.
For the ChatGPT-shaped decision, see is my brand cited in ChatGPT?. For the method, use how to know if ChatGPT cites your website.
When to start monitoring
Start monitoring when you have prompts you will still care about next month. Cited adds recurring checks, a citation inbox, email alerts, and history. That workflow is on how it works.
- Recurring checks on your prompts
- Citation Inbox with durable evidence notes
- Email alerts when meaningful evidence appears
- History you can reopen when stakeholders ask
Plans, plainly
- Founder, $19/month: ChatGPT and Gemini, 10 prompts, twice-weekly checks.
- Growth, $29/month: adds Perplexity and competitor watch.
- Pro, $49/month: adds Claude and Google AI, daily checks.
- Portfolio, $199/month: multiple domains, 50 prompts per domain.
The free check is not a plan. Compare the full table on pricing. The app lives at /app after you subscribe.
FAQ
Does an AI citation checker see every AI answer?
No. A useful checker only evaluates the prompts, supported surfaces, and domain you submit. Private conversations are out of scope.
Is the free check the same as paid monitoring?
No. The free check is a snapshot for selected prompts on supported surfaces. Monitoring adds a schedule, a citation inbox, alerts, and history.
How many free checks do I get?
The public check is rate limited by network. If today's check is already used, wait until tomorrow or start monitoring for recurring checks.
Will the checker make AI cite my site?
No. Cited does not control AI providers and does not guarantee more citations. It preserves evidence from the check you ran.
Do I need a Cited account to run the free check?
The free check lives at /scan. You submit a domain, prompts, and an email for a private result link. Ongoing monitoring lives in the app after you choose a plan.
Run the check you can stand behind
An AI citation checker is only useful if it tells the truth about scope. Cited’s free check is a snapshot of selected prompts on supported surfaces. Monitoring is the record. Start with the snapshot if that is the decision you need.
[ NEXT STEP ]
Evidence beats guessing.
Start with the buyer prompts that matter. Cited turns monitored AI-search checks into citation notes you can revisit, annotate, and export.
Related field notes
What Is AI Citation Monitoring?
AI citation monitoring helps teams track when selected AI-search prompts cite, mention, recommend, or miss their website. Learn what it is, what it is not, and how Cited works.
Open field note →
Is my brand cited in ChatGPT?
Find out what it means for ChatGPT to cite your brand, what a yes or no actually looks like, and how a free citation check differs from ongoing monitoring.
Open field note →