AEO agency vs software vs in-house: which fits a credit union or bank?

Credit unions and banks have four ways to run answer engine optimization: an agency, self-serve software, an in-house hire, or a managed program. This page compares who measures, who drafts fixes, who carries compliance review, and what each costs where costs are published.

Scanley wrote this page and sells one of the four options. Published prices were checked on October 12, 2026 and are linked where they appear.

The work AEO actually requires

Whoever does it, the loop is the same: re-ask the questions your customers ask, notice what moved, work out why, draft the fix, get it approved, publish it, and check that it worked. The four models below split that loop differently.

Four models compared

Who does what in each model. Compliance review is always the institution's.
 Who measuresWho drafts fixesWho runs compliance reviewCostBest fitBiggest risk
Self-serve softwareThe software, on its scheduleYour teamYour institutionPublished plans, from $19 a month to $800 a month and upA team with time to act on findingsFindings nobody has time to turn into published fixes
AgencyThe agency, if AEO is in scopeThe agencyYour institutionUsually quoted per engagementAn institution buying SEO, content and web work togetherAEO measured loosely inside a broader retainer
In-house hireYour hire, with tools you buyYour hireYour institutionA salary plus toolsAn institution with steady volume and a person to own itOne person carries measurement, drafting and method
Managed program (Scanley)Scanley, monthly, each question twice per engineScanley, as review documentsYour institution, with a named approver on recordScoped in writing after the free scanA team that wants the work done and the approval keptLess control over tooling than software you run yourself

Software

Software re-asks a set of prompts on a schedule and shows you the answers. Your team still diagnoses, drafts, gets approval and publishes. Published prices:

  • PromptRush: Lite $19, Growth $99, Scale $279 per month; Enterprise custom; 30-day money-back guaranteesource
  • Otterly: Lite $29, Standard $189, Premium $489 per month (15% off billed annually); custom plans from 1,000 promptssource
  • Scrunch: Core $250 per month; Enterprise customsource
  • Toren: Toren Local: $299 per location per month. Toren Competitive: $499 per month. Toren Enterprise: $5,000 to $95,000+ per month. Custom pricing for multi-location businesses.source
  • Evertune: Pro $800 per month; Enterprise customsource

Profound and Atlas Instinct do not publish a price.

Agencies

An agency does the execution: content, web changes, often paid media and SEO alongside. Specialists in financial institutions exist; two examples, not endorsements:

  • BankBound says: "We partner exclusively with banks and credit unions" and has worked with "more than 100 financial institutions". Its SEO work includes AEO and GEO, with copy "approved by both marketing and compliance".source
  • Geear says it has "partnered with over 120 credit unions and banks", works month to month ("No contracts"), and offers a free GEO audit.source

Agencies generally quote per engagement rather than publish a price.

In-house

The most control, the institutional knowledge, and the shortest path through your own compliance review. The cost is a person: $78,000 to $129,000 in base pay for one digital marketing manager (PayScale, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Salary.com and Glassdoor, 2026), before benefits, and the tools still have to be bought.

A managed program

Scanley sits between software and an agency: it measures your questions every month, explains each gap, and drafts the fix as a review document that a named person at your institution approves. Your team publishes through its own process. How Scanley pricing works.

A decision checklist

  • Who on your team has hours each month to act on findings?
  • Do you need drafts written for you, or only the measurement?
  • Which engines, markets and products have to be measured?
  • How will drafted content reach your compliance reviewer, and who keeps the approval record?
  • Can the vendor show its method: engines, runs, dates, and what counts in each number?

Questions buyers ask

Is AEO a job for our SEO agency?

It can be, if the agency measures AI answers directly, separates being recommended from being mentioned, and routes drafts through your compliance review. Ask how they measure and how often; rankings in a list of links are not the same scoreboard.

How much should a credit union budget for AEO?

We do not publish an average, because we have not measured one. What is published: software plans from $19 a month (PromptRush Lite) to $800 a month (Evertune Pro), Toren Local at $299 per location per month, and $78,000 to $129,000 in base pay for one digital marketing manager. The drivers are markets, products, engines and how much drafting you want done for you.

Can a small credit union do AEO in-house?

Yes, if someone owns it: re-asking the questions on a schedule, noticing what moved, diagnosing why, drafting the fix and getting it approved. The tools are affordable; the hours are the cost.

Who is responsible for compliance if a vendor drafts the content?

Your institution. Content is your advertising once you publish it, whoever drafted it, and your compliance review applies the same way. This is general information, not legal advice.

Every option by name: AEO tools for credit unions and banks, compared.

Sources

Scanley wrote this page and competes with the companies on it. Spot an error? Email hello@meetscanley.com with the fact and a public source; how we compare and correct. Product names are trademarks of their owners; no affiliation is implied.

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