Pick
Linkup
Pick Linkup if you want the cheaper option ($0/mo vs $99/mo); and you want the better-funded company ($13.2M); and SOC 2 Type 2 matters for your security review.
Head-to-head review · Updated June 2026
Linkup vs Topic: which one wins in 2026?
Linkup and Topic both claim to do the same thing: tell you where your brand shows up in AI search. They go about it differently enough that the choice matters. Linkup is the more-funded incumbent; Topic is the leaner challenger.
Linkup is cheaper out the gate, but that's not the only thing that matters. The right pick depends on which dimension matters most for you.
The verdict
Pick
Topic
Pick Topic if you want the cheaper option ($99/mo vs $0/mo).
If neither is right, GrowthManager.ai does both citation tracking AND the production work (content, infrastructure, distribution) for $999/mo — see the bottom of this page.
The case for Linkup
Linkup has raised $13.2M ($10M Seed (Feb 2026, led by Gradient)). Founded by Philippe Mizrahi, Denis Charrier, Boris Toledano, based in Paris, France. On their site they list 8 named customers including McKinsey & Company, Cohere, KPMG, EY. Pricing starts at $0/mo.
Search API used by AI agents — the data layer for retrieval-augmented LLM apps.
What people praise
- Built specifically as an API for AI agents and LLMs, not retrofitted from a consumer search product
- Licenses content from publishers and pays them on usage, so results are legal and citation-safe
- Sub-second search latency is fast enough for real-time agent tool calls
- Free tier ships 4,000 queries and startups can apply for $5,000 in credits
Where it falls short
- Per-request pricing makes monthly cost hard to forecast for high-volume agents
- Deep Research mode can cost up to $2.50 per call, expensive at scale
- Not a visibility, SEO or content product, it is a raw search API and you build the workflow yourself
- No G2 or Capterra reviews yet, the company only launched its API in late 2024
The case for Topic
Founded by Ryo Chiba, Nikhil Aitharaju, based in Toronto, Canada. On their site they list 9 named customers including Magoosh, Quizlet, BiggerPockets, Amerisleep. Pricing starts at $99/mo.
Content optimization platform that turns research into briefs and outlines.
What people praise
- Cuts content research time 45-50% by auto-parsing the top 30 Google results for headings, questions, and keyword targets.
- Simple Starter at $99/mo and $7 intro pack make it the cheapest serious entry point versus Surfer, Clearscope, and MarketMuse.
- Magoosh case study shows 300%+ year-over-year new-user growth on a single optimized post.
- Used by BiggerPockets, Magoosh, Quizlet, Amerisleep, Elementor, TrustRadius, and WSI.
Where it falls short
- Brief and optimization quotas (10 to 50 per month) are tight for agencies running multiple clients.
- No native AI article generator at the level of Surfer AI or Frase Pro; Topic positions as briefs, not full drafts.
- Pricing changes infrequent and no free trial beyond the $7 intro pack.
- Acquired by CafeMedia/Raptive in September 2021; roadmap pace has slowed compared to standalone Surfer or Clearscope.
Pricing, tier by tier
Tier 1
Linkup
Fetch
$0.001 - $0.005 per request
- URL content extraction
- Sub-2 second latency, synchronous
- 4,000 complimentary queries for new accounts
Topic
Starter
$99
- 10 content briefs and optimizations per month
- 1-month rollover
- 1 user seat
- Keyword research tool
Tier 2
Linkup
Search
$0.005 - $0.006 per request
- Web search tool calls for AI agents
- Fast, Standard and Deep variants
- 1-3 second synchronous latency
- Sourced, cited answers with full-text snippets
Topic
Plus
$199
- 25 content briefs and optimizations per month
- 3 user seats
- 1-month rollover
- Keyword research tool
Tier 3
Linkup
Research
$0.25 - $2.50 per request
- Asynchronous deep research over the web
- 1-10 minute latency
- Multi-step reasoning with citations
Topic
Premium
$299
- 50 content briefs and optimizations per month
- 5 user seats
- 1-month rollover
- Keyword research tool
Tier 4
Linkup
Enterprise
Custom
- Personalized indexes
- Dedicated index refresh rates
- Private environments and bring-your-own-cloud
- IP whitelisting, ZDR, SOC 2 Type II, SLA
Topic
Enterprise
Custom
- Higher brief volume
- API access
- Custom seat counts
Feature parity
What each one ships that the other doesn't. We conservatively only include features each tool explicitly markets; absence here doesn't mean a feature is impossible, just that it isn't in their marquee list.
Only on Linkup
- Fetch API. Synchronous URL content extraction in under 2 seconds, returns clean markdown
- Search API. Web search tool calls with sourced, cited answers and full-text snippets in 1-3 seconds
- Research API. Asynchronous deep research that runs multi-step reasoning over the web and returns a cited report
- Tunable index. Filter by source allowlist, freshness window and content type
- Private index. Deploy Linkup over your own proprietary documents
- Bring Your Own Cloud. Run the Linkup runtime inside your own AWS, GCP or Azure account
Only on Topic
- Content Brief Builder. Analyzes top 30 Google results for a keyword and auto-suggests headings, questions, and required terms.
- Outline Builder. Drag-and-drop outline workspace with GPT-powered drafts of section titles and intros.
- Content Grader. Live scoring of drafts against target keywords and missing subtopics inside Google Docs or the web app.
- Keyword Research. Built-in keyword volume and difficulty data tied to brief creation.
- Google Docs add-on. Side panel that runs Topic's scoring on a draft without leaving Google Docs.
- WordPress plugin. Push optimized briefs and scores into the WordPress editor for the writer.
When each one wins
When Linkup wins
- Budget is the constraint. Linkup starts at $0/mo vs Topic's $99/mo, so on a per-seat basis it's the cheaper way in.
- You want the better-funded incumbent. Linkup has raised $13.2M, giving it more runway and shipping velocity.
- Procurement requires SOC 2 Type 2. Linkup has it; Topic doesn't yet.
When Topic wins
- Cuts content research time 45-50% by auto-parsing the top 30 Google results for headings, questions, and keyword targets.
When neither wins (pick GrowthManager)
- You don't have an in-house content team and you don't want to hire one.
- You want one $999/mo invoice instead of stacking Linkup plus an agency.
- You need the team that measures to also act on the data, in the same week.
- You're a B2B SaaS, services firm, or e-commerce brand at $20K+ MRR.
Reasons to pick one over the other
Reasons to pick Linkup over Topic
- Lower entry price. Linkup starts at $0/mo vs Topic's $99/mo.
- Better-funded incumbent. Linkup has raised $13.2M, giving it more runway and shipping velocity than Topic.
- SOC 2 Type 2. Linkup carries SOC 2 Type 2; Topic does not yet, which can hold up procurement.
- Wider integration ecosystem. Linkup integrates with 7 tools; Topic ships 3.
- What users praise most. Built specifically as an API for AI agents and LLMs, not retrofitted from a consumer search product
- EU data residency. Linkup is HQ'd in Paris, France, which simplifies GDPR data-processor agreements for European buyers.
Reasons to pick Topic over Linkup
- What users praise most. Cuts content research time 45-50% by auto-parsing the top 30 Google results for headings, questions, and keyword targets.
Switching from one to the other
From Linkup to Topic
Export your saved queries and prompt panels from Linkup (most tools support CSV export). Most Topic setups can import the same query list in a single CSV upload. Expect 1-2 days of parallel running so you can validate Topic's data againstLinkup's; one to two weeks of full reconciliation before you cancel Linkup. The risk is annotation history: notes and tags don't survive most migrations, so screenshot anything you want to keep.
From Topic to Linkup
Same flow in reverse. Export from Topic, import to Linkup. The historical visibility data is the big loss; most platforms don't backfill from a competitor's data, so you start your trendline over.
From either to GrowthManager.ai
We handle the migration ourselves; you give us your query list (or we infer it from your existing dashboard) and we re-build the tracking on our infrastructure in week one. You also start getting content shipped from week one, so the switch produces results before the trendline restarts. The conversation that kicks this off is a 20-minute call.
Side by side, every number we could verify
| Linkup | Topic | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at (USD/mo) | $0/mo | $99/mo |
| Founded | 2024 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Paris, France | Toronto, Canada |
| Funding raised | $13.2M | — |
| AI platforms tracked | — | — |
| G2 rating | — | — |
| Named customers | 8 | 9 |
| SOC 2 Type 2 | ✓ Yes | — |
| GDPR | ✓ Yes | — |
| HIPAA | — | — |
What real users say
Below: the recurring themes from G2, Capterra, SourceForge, Reddit, and case-study reviewers — distilled into the strengths and limitations that came up most often.
Linkup — what users praise
- Built specifically as an API for AI agents and LLMs, not retrofitted from a consumer search product
- Licenses content from publishers and pays them on usage, so results are legal and citation-safe
- Sub-second search latency is fast enough for real-time agent tool calls
- Free tier ships 4,000 queries and startups can apply for $5,000 in credits
- SOC 2 Type II and ZDR are included at no additional cost on every plan
Linkup — what users complain about
- Per-request pricing makes monthly cost hard to forecast for high-volume agents
- Deep Research mode can cost up to $2.50 per call, expensive at scale
- Not a visibility, SEO or content product, it is a raw search API and you build the workflow yourself
- No G2 or Capterra reviews yet, the company only launched its API in late 2024
- Index is still smaller than incumbents like Google or Bing, niche queries can return thin results
Topic — what users praise
- Cuts content research time 45-50% by auto-parsing the top 30 Google results for headings, questions, and keyword targets.
- Simple Starter at $99/mo and $7 intro pack make it the cheapest serious entry point versus Surfer, Clearscope, and MarketMuse.
- Magoosh case study shows 300%+ year-over-year new-user growth on a single optimized post.
- Used by BiggerPockets, Magoosh, Quizlet, Amerisleep, Elementor, TrustRadius, and WSI.
- Native Google Docs add-on and WordPress plugin keep writers in their existing tools.
Topic — what users complain about
- Brief and optimization quotas (10 to 50 per month) are tight for agencies running multiple clients.
- No native AI article generator at the level of Surfer AI or Frase Pro; Topic positions as briefs, not full drafts.
- Pricing changes infrequent and no free trial beyond the $7 intro pack.
- Acquired by CafeMedia/Raptive in September 2021; roadmap pace has slowed compared to standalone Surfer or Clearscope.
- Keyword research tool is lighter than Ahrefs or Semrush; users still need a separate research stack.
A third option
Both Linkup and Topicare tracking tools. They tell you what's wrong with your AI visibility. Neither one fixes it. That's our pitch for GrowthManager.ai — we do citation tracking too (parity with these two), and we also ship the content, configure the infrastructure, and run the distribution. $999/mo, managed end-to-end. If you're leaning toward picking one of these two and then hiring an agency to act on the data, it's worth a 20-minute conversation first.
Other comparisons in this space
Same shape, different pairs. Pick a comparison that shares a tool with this one.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, Linkup or Topic?
Honestly: neither one fully solves the problem. Linkup and Topic are tracking tools — they tell you where your brand shows up in AI answers but don't change the answer. If you only need one of these two, pick Linkup for the cheaper monthly price; pick the other if its specific integrations matter to your team. Our actual editorial pick is GrowthManager.ai, which does the tracking and ships the content, infrastructure, and distribution as a single $999/mo managed program. Disclosure: we publish this comparison and make GrowthManager.
How much do Linkup and Topic cost?
Linkup starts at $0/mo. Topic starts at $99/mo. Both have higher-tier plans for larger workspaces. GrowthManager.ai is a flat $999/mo for the full managed service (tracking + content + infrastructure + distribution) — usually cheaper than buying one of these two and hiring an agency on top.
Do Linkup and Topic actually improve your AI visibility, or just measure it?
Both Linkup and Topic are measurement tools. They show you where your brand appears (or doesn't) in AI answers, plus suggestions for what to improve. Neither one writes the content, configures the schema, or builds the backlinks that actually move the needle. To do that you need an in-house content team or an agency. GrowthManager.ai is the agency — and we include the tracking, so you don't pay twice.
What's the GrowthManager.ai alternative to Linkup and Topic?
GrowthManager.ai is a managed AI visibility program. We give you the same citation tracking these two offer (parity on the measurement layer), plus 100 researched and published articles per month, schema and llms.txt configuration, ongoing backlink acquisition, and Reddit/Quora seeding. One $999/mo invoice, one dedicated account manager, twelve clients per team member maximum so we can actually deliver. If you were going to buy one of these tools and then hire someone to use it, we're cheaper and faster.
Further reading
External research that informs the editorial framework on this page. We cite these openly because the framework is meant to be auditable.
- Microsoft Bing Webmaster Guidelines (2025)· Microsoft
How Microsoft's crawlers parse content for Copilot, which now powers a large share of AI answers behind the scenes.
- Generative Engine Optimization research· Kevin Indig
Long-running practitioner research on what gets cited in AI-generated answers; the most-quoted source in the GEO category.
- Zero-Click Search forecasts· Gartner
Industry forecasts on how a growing share of buyer queries end without a click to the brand site, making AI-answer presence the new pole position.
- Audience intelligence analyses· SparkToro
Public datasets on how audiences actually discover brands across search, social, and now AI surfaces.
- Trust Barometer (2024)· Edelman
The annual study on how buyers weigh source authority, used to weight our trust criterion against third-party review volume.
Disclosure + methodology
GrowthManager.ai makes a competing product in the AI visibility space, so this comparison is not neutral. Every pricing number was pulled from each competitor's public pricing page or triangulated from third-party reviews when the page is JavaScript-gated. Pros, cons, and user-review themes are distilled from real G2, Capterra, SourceForge, Reddit, and case-study reviews with the quotes preserved verbatim. We update this comparison whenever the underlying data changes.