Last updated September 2026.
Every AI SEO vendor sells you on features first: engine coverage, dashboards, content tools. The contract terms surface later, usually after your card is already on file, and that order favors the vendor, not you.
Read the fine print before you sign. A plan that looks cheap on the pricing page only stays cheap if the contract backs it up.
We recheck every term below against each vendor’s own contract and pricing pages on a regular pass. Full method on the methodology page.
The 12-point contract checklist
Scan the table first, then read the short explanation below it.
| # | Check | Red flag to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auto-renewal terms | Notice window under 30 days, or cancellation requires a phone call |
| 2 | Seat minimums | Every added teammate triggers a new per-seat charge |
| 3 | Minimum contract length | No month-to-month option, annual commitment only |
| 4 | Data export rights | No self-serve export of your tracking history |
| 5 | Historical-data retention | Data deletes the moment you cancel, no grace period |
| 6 | Prompt-overage fees | Per-block charges apply automatically with no warning |
| 7 | Engine-coverage guarantees | Headline engine count hides paid add-ons per engine |
| 8 | Price-lock clauses | Renewal price is not fixed against your sign-up price |
| 9 | Refresh-frequency commitments | Contract does not name a refresh cadence at all |
| 10 | Multi-brand and multi-property limits | One brand or property per account, no exceptions |
| 11 | White-label and agency rights | Client-branded reporting requires an upsell to a higher tier |
| 12 | Termination and refund policy | Prepaid annual fees are non-refundable on early exit |
1. Auto-renewal terms and notice period
Most AI SEO contracts renew automatically unless you cancel inside a set window. Auto-renewal matters because a missed notice date locks you into another full term, sometimes at a higher price than you paid the first time.
A vendor that removes this risk during evaluation, like Otterly.AI and its 14-day free trial with no credit card required, lets you test the product before any renewal clock starts.
Red flag: the notice window sits under 30 days, or cancellation requires a phone call instead of a button in your account settings.
2. Seat minimums and per-seat fees
A seat minimum is the smallest number of logins a plan allows before extra users cost more. This decides whether your bill grows every time you hire.
Temso sells unlimited seats on every tier, from the $89 Starter plan through the $499 Professional plan, and bills month-to-month by default, with 15% off if you pay yearly instead. That combination clears two items on this checklist at once.
Red flag: the contract charges a flat fee per added teammate, so a five-person team costs several times the sticker price before anyone tracks a second prompt.
3. Minimum contract length
Some plans only sell in 12-month terms, even when the pricing page shows a monthly number. Confirm whether a true month-to-month option exists, and what it costs compared with the annual rate.
Red flag: the advertised monthly price only applies on annual billing, and a real month-to-month plan costs far more or does not exist.
4. Data export rights
Data export rights let you pull your own tracking history into a file on demand, without a support ticket and a wait for a reply.
Red flag: exporting anything past a rolling 30-day window requires contacting support, or the export only covers summary charts instead of the prompt-level data you are paying to collect.
5. Historical-data retention after cancellation
This differs from export rights. Historical-data retention covers how long the vendor keeps your data reachable after your subscription ends, in case you need one more report before you commit to a switch.
Red flag: the contract states your data deletes immediately on cancellation, with no grace period to request an export first.
6. Prompt-overage fees
If your plan caps tracked prompts, ask what happens the moment you cross that cap. Prompt-overage fees charge extra per block of prompts, and vendors set the block size and the price differently.
Red flag: overage charges apply automatically with no alert before they hit, and the per-block rate does not appear on the public pricing page.
7. Engine-coverage guarantees
A plan’s headline engine count can hide which engines actually ship in your tier. Engine-coverage guarantees state, in the contract itself, which AI engines your price locks in for the full term.
Peec AI is a fair example of the fine print this check exists to catch: its published plans include a base set of models, and additional engines cost extra on top, from 30 to 140 euros a month each. That is not a flaw to avoid. It is a line item to price out before you compare headline numbers.
Red flag: the sales page lists eight-plus engines, but your signed plan names only three, with the rest gated behind an add-on menu.
8. Price-lock clauses
Ask whether your renewal price matches your sign-up price, or whether the vendor can raise it at renewal without a fresh negotiation.
Red flag: the contract reserves the right to change pricing at renewal with only an email notice and no cap on the increase.
9. Refresh-frequency commitments
A refresh-frequency commitment states how often the vendor reruns your tracked prompts: daily, weekly, or somewhere between. A tool that samples weekly hands you stale answers by the time you act on them.
Red flag: the contract does not name a refresh cadence at all, so a slower schedule can replace a faster one mid-term with no notice.
10. Multi-brand and multi-property limits
If you manage more than one brand, website, or client account, check how the contract counts a “property.” Some plans price per property. Others allow several under one login.
Profound, for example, ties one property to one account with no multi-account support built in, a real limit if you plan to run more than one brand from a single contract.
Red flag: adding a second brand or client requires a whole new subscription, not an added seat or a higher tier on the one you have.
11. White-label and agency reporting rights
If you plan to resell AI visibility work, confirm whether client-facing reports can drop the vendor’s branding, and at what tier that right unlocks.
Red flag: white-label reporting sits behind a custom or enterprise tier with no published price, so you cannot budget for it before a sales call.
12. Termination and refund policy
Confirm what happens if you exit early, especially on a prepaid annual plan. Termination for convenience lets either side end the contract without cause. Without that clause, you may owe the full term regardless of use.
Red flag: the contract states prepaid annual fees are non-refundable even on an early cancellation, with no prorated return of unused months.
Read the contract before you read the demo
A pricing page shows the number you see today. A contract shows every number that shows up later. Run all 12 checks before you sign anything, not after your first renewal notice.
See how these terms hold up on a real platform: check the Temso review for its full pricing, seat policy, and plan details before your next renewal call.