AI Brand Concentration Report 2026
How concentrated AI recommendations are across 62 software categories, and where ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Claude disagree.
344 AI answers · 62 categories · Claude · snapshot of Nov 2, 2026
We asked each AI engine the same buyer question for 62 software categories. In 62 categories all 1 engines put the same brand first, and in 57 the leader appears in every single answer. The median category leader is named in 100% of answers: for most buyer questions there is a default answer, and it is the same one everywhere.
Concentration is steep: on average the top 3 brands of a category take 54.5% of all recorded brand mentions, out of up to 15 brands listed per category.
The long tail is engine-specific: 100% of the brands we recorded are recommended by a single engine only, so a brand can be visible in one assistant and absent from the other three.
Leader by category and by engine
The most recommended brand overall and each engine's own #1.
| Category | Leader | Leader rate | Top 3 | Engines agreeing | Claude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRM | HubSpot | 78% | 38.6% | 1/1 | HubSpot |
| VPN | Mullvad | 100% | 69.2% | 1/1 | Mullvad |
| Project management | Asana | 100% | 46.2% | 1/1 | Asana |
| Email marketing | Klaviyo | 100% | 44% | 1/1 | Klaviyo |
| Website builder | Shopify | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Shopify |
| Password manager | 1Password | 100% | 76.9% | 1/1 | 1Password |
| Accounting software | Wave | 100% | 50% | 1/1 | Wave |
| Web hosting | Bluehost | 100% | 40.7% | 1/1 | Bluehost |
| Antivirus | Bitdefender | 100% | 75% | 1/1 | Bitdefender |
| Note-taking app | Apple Notes | 100% | 52.2% | 1/1 | Apple Notes |
| Video conferencing | Google Meet | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Google Meet |
| Help desk software | Freshdesk | 100% | 50% | 1/1 | Freshdesk |
| HR software | BambooHR | 100% | 45.8% | 1/1 | BambooHR |
| Payroll software | Gusto | 100% | 47.6% | 1/1 | Gusto |
| Ecommerce platform | Shopify | 100% | 50% | 1/1 | Shopify |
| SEO tool | Ahrefs | 100% | 48% | 1/1 | Ahrefs |
| AI writing tool | ChatGPT | 100% | 60% | 1/1 | ChatGPT |
| Cloud storage | Google Drive | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Google Drive |
| Hotel PMS | Cloudbeds | 75% | 38.1% | 1/1 | Cloudbeds |
| Restaurant POS | Clover | 100% | 66.7% | 1/1 | Clover |
| Invoicing software | FreshBooks | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | FreshBooks |
| Marketing automation | HubSpot | 100% | 42.3% | 1/1 | HubSpot |
| Social media management | Buffer | 100% | 48% | 1/1 | Buffer |
| Online survey tool | Google Forms | 100% | 45.8% | 1/1 | Google Forms |
| E-signature | Adobe Sign | 100% | 60% | 1/1 | Adobe Sign |
| Online course platform | Udemy | 100% | 37.5% | 1/1 | Udemy |
| Newsletter platform | Beehiiv | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Beehiiv |
| Team chat | Discord | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Discord |
| Appointment scheduling | Acuity Scheduling | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Acuity Scheduling |
| Web analytics | Fathom Analytics | 100% | 50% | 1/1 | Fathom Analytics |
| Real estate CRM | Follow Up Boss | 100% | 50% | 1/1 | Follow Up Boss |
| Dental practice software | Dentrix | 100% | 80% | 1/1 | Dentrix |
| Legal practice management | Clio | 100% | 63.2% | 1/1 | Clio |
| Field service software | Housecall Pro | 100% | 45.5% | 1/1 | Housecall Pro |
| Gym management software | Mariana Tek | 100% | 60% | 1/1 | Mariana Tek |
| Salon booking software | Acuity Scheduling | 100% | 57.9% | 1/1 | Acuity Scheduling |
| Business bank account | Chase | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Chase |
| Payment processor | PayPal | 100% | 52.2% | 1/1 | PayPal |
| Expense management | Concur | 75% | 39.1% | 1/1 | Concur |
| Money transfer service | Wise | 100% | 47.4% | 1/1 | Wise |
| Budgeting app | Goodbudget | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Goodbudget |
| Investing app | Fidelity | 100% | 52.4% | 1/1 | Fidelity |
| Crypto exchange | Coinbase | 100% | 91.7% | 1/1 | Coinbase |
| Flight booking site | Google Flights | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Google Flights |
| Hotel booking site | Booking.com | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Booking.com |
| Travel insurance | Allianz Global | 75% | 60% | 1/1 | Allianz Global |
| Car rental company | Autoslash.com | 100% | 60% | 1/1 | Autoslash.com |
| Language learning app | Duolingo | 100% | 39.1% | 1/1 | Duolingo |
| Meal kit delivery | EveryPlate | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | EveryPlate |
| Music streaming service | Apple Music | 100% | 60% | 1/1 | Apple Music |
| Running shoes | ASICS | 100% | 48% | 1/1 | ASICS |
| Mattress brand | Allswell | 75% | 40.9% | 1/1 | Allswell |
| Electric car | Chevrolet | 100% | 52.2% | 1/1 | Chevrolet |
| Smartphone | Apple | 100% | 80% | 1/1 | Apple |
| AI chatbot | ChatGPT | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | ChatGPT |
| AI image generator | Adobe Firefly | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Adobe Firefly |
| AI coding assistant | Claude | 100% | 57.1% | 1/1 | Claude |
| Customer data platform | mParticle | 100% | 63.2% | 1/1 | mParticle |
| Sales engagement platform | HubSpot | 100% | 52.6% | 1/1 | HubSpot |
| Live chat software | Crisp | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Crisp |
| Applicant tracking system | Ashby | 100% | 54.5% | 1/1 | Ashby |
| Endpoint security | Kaspersky | 100% | 52.6% | 1/1 | Kaspersky |
Leader rate = share of answers naming the brand. Top 3 = share of recorded mentions going to the three most named brands. Ties within an engine go to the brand with more mentions overall.
Methodology
- Each of the 62 categories is one buyer question (e.g. "What is the best CRM software for a small business?") asked in 4 phrasings to each engine: Claude. A second model call extracts the brands recommended in each answer.
- Figures are computed from the published AI Brand Leaderboard snapshot, which keeps the 15 most mentioned brands per category. Nothing is estimated or modelled: every number is a count of real answers.
- This edition is a single snapshot (Nov 2, 2026). Answers from AI engines vary between runs and over time; the leaderboard is refreshed weekly and the report will add week-over-week stability when enough snapshots exist. Engines were queried through their APIs, which can differ from the consumer apps.
- Per-category rankings, with every brand and its mentions by engine, are on the AI Brand Leaderboard.
Dataset
One row per category with leader, leader rate, top-3 share, engine agreement and each engine's #1. Free under CC BY 4.0: cite AIVIS and link this page.
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