Echo vs Lettertrace
Echo and Lettertrace are both open-source AI visibility tools you can self-host and audit. Echo's focus is transparent, independently verifiable tracking across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — with white-label support for agencies and a documented methodology behind every number.
The short version
Lettertrace doesn't list Google AI Mode, Perplexity, or Microsoft Copilot among its engines and has no MCP server or citation tracking. Echo has all of that, and it's free to self-host.
Lettertrace appears to be a very early-stage product with limited adoption.
Echo
Open-source AEO platform. Self-host for free, forever. Track AI visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews with full transparency.
Lettertrace
MIT-licensed, bring-your-own-key AI visibility monitor
About Lettertrace
Lettertrace measures how often Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini mention a brand, reporting visibility, share of voice, prominence, and sentiment per topic and per model over time. It is MIT licensed and self-hosted: you supply your own provider keys and the data stays in your own Supabase instance. A single topic is expanded into prompt variations automatically, and runs can be scheduled daily or weekly from the CLI.
Popularity grade: F
- MIT licensed, free end-to-end, self-hosted in your own Supabase
- Bring your own Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google keys — no usage markup
- Generates prompt variations automatically from one topic
Feature comparison
| Feature | Echo | Lettertrace |
|---|---|---|
| Core Tracking | ||
| Multi-LLM Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| AI Visibility Score | Yes | Yes |
| Citation Analytics | Yes | No |
| Competitor Benchmarking | Yes | Yes |
| Brand Mention Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| AI Engines | ||
| ChatGPT | Yes | Yes |
| Google AI Overviews | Yes | Yes |
| Google AI Mode | Yes | No |
| Gemini | Yes | Yes |
| Perplexity | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Copilot | Yes | No |
| Claude | Yes | Yes |
| Grok | Yes | No |
| DeepSeek | Yes | No |
| Meta AI | Yes | No |
| Any Model | Yes | No |
| Real UI Answers | Yes | No |
| Bring Your Own Keys | Yes | Yes |
| Platform | ||
| White-Label / Agency | Yes | No |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
| Content Generation | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | ||
| Prompt Volume Estimates | No | No |
| Sentiment Analysis | Yes | Yes |
| Query Fan-Out | Yes | No |
| AI Crawler Analytics | No | No |
| Geographic Tracking | No | No |
| Social Media Tracking | No | No |
| Shopping Tracking | No | No |
| Multi-Language | No | No |
| Actionable Insights | ||
| Action Recommendations | Yes | No |
| Content Gap Analysis | Yes | No |
| AI Site Audits | No | No |
| AI Keyword Research | Yes | Yes |
| Reporting & Integration | ||
| Email Alerts | No | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| TypeScript SDK | Yes | No |
| Python SDK | Yes | No |
| MCP Access | Yes | No |
| BI Connectors | No | No |
Key differences
Only in Echo
- Citation Analytics
- Google AI Mode
- Perplexity
- Microsoft Copilot
- Grok
- DeepSeek
- Meta AI
- Any Model
- Real UI Answers
- White-Label / Agency
- Query Fan-Out
- Action Recommendations
- Content Gap Analysis
- TypeScript SDK
- Python SDK
- MCP Access
Both offer
- Multi-LLM Tracking
- AI Visibility Score
- Competitor Benchmarking
- Brand Mention Tracking
- ChatGPT
- Google AI Overviews
- Gemini
- Claude
- Bring Your Own Keys
- Open Source
- Sentiment Analysis
- AI Keyword Research
- API Access
Why choose Echo over Lettertrace?
Open source and transparent
Every line of code is open. You can verify exactly how your visibility data is collected, calculated, and presented. No black boxes.
Self-host for free, forever
Run Echo on your own infrastructure. The core platform is free and always will be, and Echo Cloud is there if you would rather not run it yourself.
Your data, in your stack
Pull every metric, sentiment included, into your own code with the REST API and TypeScript and Python SDKs, or ask Claude Code and Cursor about it over MCP. Export, fork, or migrate at any time.
Built to last
Bootstrapped and sustainable. No investors pushing towards dark patterns. We'll outlast the companies taking too much VC money.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between Echo and Lettertrace?
- Both Echo and Lettertrace are open source, so you can self-host either one and inspect the code. Echo focuses specifically on transparent, independently verifiable AI visibility tracking across every major answer engine, with white-label support for agencies and a fully documented methodology behind each number.
- Is Echo a free, open-source alternative to Lettertrace?
- Yes. Echo is a free, open-source alternative to Lettertrace. You can self-host the full platform at no cost, read every line of code, and track your AI visibility across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews without per-seat or per-prompt fees.
- Is Lettertrace open source?
- Yes, Lettertrace is open source. Echo is open source as well and is built specifically for self-hosted, independently verifiable AI visibility tracking, so you can audit exactly how each metric is calculated.
- How do Echo and Lettertrace compare on sentiment analysis, API access, and MCP?
- Echo includes all three: a 0 to 100 sentiment score for every AI answer that mentions you, a REST API with TypeScript and Python SDKs, and an MCP server so assistants like Claude Code and Cursor can query your data. Lettertrace offers sentiment analysis and API access, but we have not found it offering an MCP server.
- Can I self-host Echo instead of Lettertrace?
- Yes. Echo is designed to be self-hosted — deploy it on your own infrastructure in minutes with the CLI. You keep full ownership of your data and prompts, with no per-seat pricing and no third-party dashboard holding your visibility history.
Ready to track your AI visibility?
Deploy Echo in minutes and start monitoring how ChatGPT, Claude, and Google AI Overviews talk about your brand.