Position 1
Spicy Margarita
Boutique B2B SaaS specialist. Max 10 clients. No junior staff. Founded by Ben Goodey.
https://spicymargarita.co/ →Listicle · updated quarterly · last updated May 2026
Best AEO Agencies in 2026. Honest comparison.
Eleven Answer Engine Optimization agencies, explained. Real pricing. Real positioning. Real differentiators.
By Abigail Nathan · Updated May 26, 2026
Disclosure
This list is maintained by ANTE, an AEO and SEO agency. Ranking ourselves on our own list would not be honest, and sophisticated buyers can spot it from across the room. So we have excluded ANTE from the ranked positions entirely. If you want to know how we compare on the same fields, see How ANTE compares at the bottom of this page.
Quick comparison
All eleven, side by side.
| # | Agency | Best for | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spicy Margarita | B2B SaaS, generalist | Not public |
| 2 | DerivateX | B2B SaaS, citation engineering | $5K min |
| 3 | Discovered Labs | Hypergrowth B2B SaaS | Not public |
| 4 | Omnius | Enterprise B2B SaaS | Not public |
| 5 | Optimist | B2B SaaS, marquee logos | Not public |
| 6 | First Page Sage | Mid-market enterprise | Not public |
| 7 | iPullRank | Enterprise | Enterprise tier |
| 8 | Avenue Z | Performance PR + AEO | Not public |
| 9 | Minuttia | B2B SaaS content + AEO | Not public |
| 10 | ColdIQ | Outbound (adjacent) | $5K min |
| 11 | Aleyda Solis | Solo consulting | Not public |
Each agency
Eleven agencies, in detail.
Position 2
DerivateX
LLM SEO for B2B SaaS. $5K/month minimum. Citation Engineering methodology.
https://derivatex.agency/ →Position 3
Discovered Labs
Hypergrowth B2B SaaS. Founders ex-Stanford AI researcher and growth marketer. Five proprietary tools.
https://discoveredlabs.com/ →Position 4
Omnius
Enterprise B2B SaaS, London-based. Atomic AGI proprietary tool. Onboards 8 clients per year.
https://www.omnius.so/ →Position 5
Optimist
B2B SaaS content + AEO. Marquee logos: Semrush, ZoomInfo, DreamHost, HelloSign. Founded 2016.
https://www.yesoptimist.com/ →Position 6
First Page Sage
Mid-market enterprise. Claims to have pioneered GEO in 2023. Owns canonical "Top GEO Agencies" listicle.
https://firstpagesage.com/ →Position 7
iPullRank
Enterprise (Target, Adidas, CVS, MLB). Mike King founder. Relevance Engineering methodology.
https://ipullrank.com/ →Position 8
Avenue Z
Performance PR + AEO + paid. Miami-based, multi-location. Founded 2023 by Jeffrey Herzog.
https://avenuez.com/ →Position 9
Minuttia
B2B SaaS content + AEO. Owns the "Best AEO Agencies" listicle that AI engines cite.
https://minuttia.com/ →Position 10
ColdIQ
Adjacent (outbound focus). $7M ARR, 70+ clients. GTM Flywheel methodology. Best for Clay-Elite outbound.
https://coldiq.com/ →Position 11
Aleyda Solis (Orainti)
International + AEO consulting (solo). 35K newsletter subscribers. Best for established teams that need expert review.
https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/ →How to choose
Pick by budget.
Less than $10K / mo
DerivateX ($5K min), Spicy Margarita.
$10-25K / mo
Discovered Labs, Optimist, Minuttia.
$25K+ / mo
iPullRank, First Page Sage, Omnius (enterprise tier), Avenue Z.
Consulting only
Aleyda Solis / Orainti.
For full transparency
How ANTE compares.
Same fields as the agencies above. Read it as an entry in the same list, just not ranked, for the disclosed reason at the top.
ANTE
- Best for
- B2B SaaS at Series A through C, and DTC consumer brands, wanting transparent boutique pricing and founder-led delivery.
- Pricing
- $6,000/month AEO Retainer. 90-day minimum, then month-to-month with 30 days notice. Enterprise custom.
- Differentiator
- Founder-led delivery (no account manager layer, no juniors), one published rate, citation reporting across five AI engines every Monday, methodology built on the founder's own brand before being charged for.
- Site
- anteagency.ai
Choosing an agency
Common questions, answered.
How long does an AEO agency engagement typically last?
Most retainers are 6 to 12 months. The first 90 days build foundation. Months 4 to 9 compound. Month 9 to 12 is when results meaningfully show in revenue metrics.
What should I expect to pay for a boutique AEO agency?
$3 to 7K/month is the boutique floor. $7 to 15K/month is mid-tier. $15 to 50K/month is enterprise.
Should I work with an AEO specialist or a generalist with AEO services?
For early-stage AEO work, specialists outperform generalists. Generalists treat AEO as one of ten service lines. Specialists treat it as the only thing they do. The difference shows up in citation rates within 90 days.
What questions should I ask an AEO agency before hiring?
What is your citation-monitoring methodology and how often do you measure? Can you show me a real client's citation count delta over 90 days? Which category listicles have you successfully placed clients into in the last six months? What is your trial or termination policy if month one does not deliver?
If ANTE looks like a fit
One published rate. $6,000/month.
Questions? abigail@anteagency.ai
Methodology note. This list was compiled by reviewing public sites, founder LinkedIn profiles, third-party reviews, and pricing pages where published. ANTE is excluded from ranked positions to avoid self-promotion bias. Updated quarterly.