Who else does this, what they charge, and when to hire them instead.
A buyer comparing agencies in this category currently has two options: directories that charge for placement, or agency websites that pretend competitors do not exist. Neither is research. These comparisons are our attempt at the document we would have wanted.
Declared interest. Pontem One appears in every comparison below and is marked as such. We have no affiliate arrangements, no referral fees, and no paid placements with anyone listed. Where a listed firm is a better fit for a given brief, we say so and explain why.
Fourteen firms offering GEO, AEO or AI search work. Specialisation, pricing band, team size, and who we would send a hospital to.
The established players, what they actually deliver, and which of them have added AI search work versus renamed the old deck.
Who understands the five limbs well enough to build around them.
Where the two overlap, where they genuinely diverge, and the case for not paying twice for the same work.
Our own rate card, plus observed market bands. Published because nobody else in the category will.