Supported AI Models

Overview

AEO Optima supports monitoring across 10+ AI answer engine providers, giving you comprehensive coverage of the AI visibility landscape. Each provider offers distinct strengths, and tracking multiple providers simultaneously gives you the most complete picture of how AI engines represent your brand.

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Major Providers

The following table lists the major AI answer engine providers supported by AEO Optima, along with their key characteristics.

Note: The specific model families named below are illustrative examples only. The authoritative, always-current set of models — including exact versions and pricing — comes from the dynamic model registry, which syncs daily. Do not treat any version number here as canonical; check your LLM settings for what is actually available today.

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Search-Embedded AI Surfaces

Beyond chat LLMs, AEO Optima also tracks AI answers embedded directly in search results. These are surfaces rather than registry models — enable them from Settings → AI Surfaces.

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Dynamic Model Registry

AEO Optima maintains a dynamic model registry containing hundreds of specific models from dozens of providers. This registry is synchronized daily via an automated process, ensuring that newly released models become available for monitoring without any manual intervention.

How It Works

• The platform maintains a centralized registry of all available AI models across supported providers
• A daily synchronization job runs automatically to detect and add new models from each provider
• Each model entry includes metadata such as provider, display name, context window, capabilities, pricing, and availability status
• Models are marked as "Available" and optionally "Recommended" to help guide selection
• When you configure your LLM settings, you select from the models available in this registry, grouped by provider

What This Means for You

• No manual updates needed — When a provider releases a new model (e.g., a new version of GPT or Claude), it appears in your configuration options automatically after the next daily sync.
• Accurate cost tracking — The registry includes up-to-date pricing data for each model, ensuring your usage and cost reports reflect current rates.
• Broad coverage — With hundreds of models available, you can monitor niche or specialized models in addition to the major flagship products.
• Always current — Model names, capabilities, and pricing are kept up to date without any action from you.

Tip: You do not need to monitor every available model. Start with 2-4 major providers that are most relevant to your audience, and expand coverage as needed. Quality of insight matters more than quantity of models.

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Gateway Access

AEO Optima supports OpenRouter as a gateway provider, allowing you to access all supported models through a single API key.

Benefits of Gateway Access

• Single API key — One OpenRouter API key gives you access to models from all supported providers. No need to create accounts with each provider individually.
• Simplified billing — Usage across all providers is consolidated into a single billing relationship through OpenRouter.
• Automatic model availability — As OpenRouter adds support for new models, they become available in AEO Optima through the same gateway key.

Direct BYOK Access

Alternatively, you can use direct BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) to connect provider-native API keys. For example, you can use your own Anthropic API key specifically for Claude models, or your own OpenAI API key for GPT models.

Direct BYOK is useful when:

• You have existing API agreements with specific providers
• You want to use provider-specific features or pricing tiers
• Your organization requires direct billing relationships with each provider

Tip: You can mix gateway and direct BYOK access. For example, use a direct OpenAI key for GPT models (if you have a volume discount) and an OpenRouter gateway key for all other providers.

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Choosing Which Models to Monitor

Selecting the right set of models depends on your audience and goals. Here are some guidelines:

Start with the models your target audience is most likely to use, and expand from there based on the data you collect.