Which brands do AI assistants recommend? 115 answers from Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Claude (October 2026)
We asked Google AI Overviews, Gemini (with Google Search) and Claude (with web search) the same 48 buying questions across six software categories, then recorded which brands each answer named, which it named first and which sources it cited. Here is what 115 answers say about how AI assistants pick brands, and what that means if you sell software.
Key findings
- YouTube is the most cited source in Google AI Overviews: 33 of 42 AI Overview answers (79%) linked at least one YouTube video. Reddit followed at 45%.
- Each engine reads different sources. AI Overviews lean on YouTube, Reddit and Quora; Gemini on PCMag, Zapier and CNET; Claude on specialist review sites such as security.org, TechRadar and Cybernews.
- Zapier's blog shows up everywhere: it was cited in 30 of 115 answers (26%), in five of the six categories.
- The engines often disagree on the top pick. For project management, AI Overviews named Asana first most often, Claude named ClickUp and Gemini named monday.com. In email marketing each engine had a different favourite.
- The biggest brand isn't always the default answer. In email marketing, MailerLite (88% of answers) and Brevo (81%) were named more often than Mailchimp (75%). LastPass appeared in only 19% of password-manager answers.
- Some categories have a clear default: Wix was named first in 15 of 21 website-builder answers, by all three engines, and HubSpot was every engine's most frequent first pick for CRM.
- Gemini cited the most sources per answer (9.8 on average), AI Overviews 7.5 and Claude 4.0.
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Which brands each category's answers name
CRM software
| Brand | Answers naming it | Named first |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | 90% | 11 |
| Zoho CRM | 80% | 0 |
| Pipedrive | 70% | 1 |
| Freshsales | 55% | 0 |
| Salesforce | 45% | 5 |
| monday.com | 30% | 0 |
| Less Annoying CRM | 20% | 1 |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 | 15% | 0 |
Named first most often, by engine: Google AI Overviews: HubSpot · Claude: HubSpot · Gemini: HubSpot. Most cited sources: youtube.com, zapier.com, slack.com, uschamber.com, pcmag.com, forbes.com.
Project management tools
| Brand | Answers naming it | Named first |
|---|---|---|
| Asana | 95% | 6 |
| ClickUp | 89% | 6 |
| Trello | 84% | 3 |
| monday.com | 68% | 2 |
| Jira | 53% | 2 |
| Basecamp | 37% | 0 |
| Wrike | 37% | 0 |
| Notion | 32% | 0 |
Named first most often, by engine: Claude: ClickUp · Gemini: monday.com · Google AI Overviews: Asana. Most cited sources: clickup.com, wrike.com, project-management.com, trello.com, zapier.com, ones.com.
Email marketing platforms
| Brand | Answers naming it | Named first |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | 88% | 5 |
| Brevo | 81% | 3 |
| Mailchimp | 75% | 4 |
| ActiveCampaign | 62% | 0 |
| Omnisend | 56% | 0 |
| Klaviyo | 44% | 2 |
| Constant Contact | 44% | 0 |
| Moosend | 31% | 0 |
Named first most often, by engine: Google AI Overviews: MailerLite · Claude: Mailchimp · Gemini: Brevo. Most cited sources: emailvendorselection.com, zapier.com, ventureharbour.com, emailtooltester.com, reddit.com, guideflow.com.
Password managers
| Brand | Answers naming it | Named first |
|---|---|---|
| 1Password | 90% | 8 |
| Bitwarden | 86% | 6 |
| NordPass | 86% | 4 |
| RoboForm | 62% | 0 |
| Keeper | 52% | 1 |
| Proton Pass | 52% | 0 |
| Dashlane | 38% | 0 |
| LastPass | 19% | 2 |
Named first most often, by engine: Google AI Overviews: 1Password · Claude: NordPass · Gemini: 1Password. Most cited sources: allaboutcookies.org, security.org, youtube.com, bitwarden.com, passwordmanager.com, pcmag.com.
Website builders
| Brand | Answers naming it | Named first |
|---|---|---|
| Wix | 95% | 15 |
| Squarespace | 81% | 3 |
| Hostinger | 62% | 0 |
| Shopify | 52% | 2 |
| WordPress | 43% | 1 |
| Webflow | 38% | 0 |
| Carrd | 29% | 0 |
| Weebly | 19% | 0 |
Named first most often, by engine: Google AI Overviews: Wix · Claude: Wix · Gemini: Wix. Most cited sources: youtube.com, website-builders.cybernews.com, tooltester.com, wix.com, zapier.com, sitebuilderreport.com.
VPN services
| Brand | Answers naming it | Named first |
|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 72% | 8 |
| Proton VPN | 72% | 5 |
| ExpressVPN | 50% | 1 |
| Surfshark | 50% | 3 |
| Private Internet Access | 22% | 0 |
| CyberGhost | 11% | 0 |
| Mullvad | 11% | 1 |
| Windscribe | 11% | 0 |
Named first most often, by engine: Claude: NordVPN · Gemini: ExpressVPN · Google AI Overviews: NordVPN. Most cited sources: cnet.com, security.org, pcworld.com, techradar.com, youtube.com, top10vpn.com.
Where the answers come from
The sources the engines cited most often, across all 115 answers:
| Source | Answers citing it |
|---|---|
| youtube.com | 37 |
| zapier.com | 30 |
| reddit.com | 22 |
| pcmag.com | 21 |
| allaboutcookies.org | 17 |
| security.org | 17 |
| techradar.com | 14 |
| cnet.com | 13 |
| pcworld.com | 10 |
| website-builders.cybernews.com | 8 |
| tooltester.com | 8 |
| monday.com | 7 |
| emailvendorselection.com | 7 |
| quora.com | 7 |
| bitwarden.com | 7 |
| Engine | Answers | Average sources cited | Answers with no sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews | 42 | 7.5 | 0% |
| Claude | 48 | 4.0 | 0% |
| Gemini | 25 | 9.8 | 4% |
What this means if you sell software
- Get on YouTube. Google AI Overviews cited a YouTube video in about four out of five answers, so a clear review, demo or comparison video is one of the most direct ways in.
- Earn a place in the lists AI reads. Zapier's 'best apps' posts, PCMag, TechRadar, CNET and category review sites (security.org, tooltester.com, emailtooltester.com) were cited again and again.
- Be part of the conversation on Reddit and Quora. AI Overviews cited Reddit in close to half of their answers.
- Track each engine separately. They rely on different sources and often name a different brand first, so a good showing in one says little about the others.
- Measure the trend, not one snapshot. AI answers change as their sources change, so re-check the same questions monthly.
Method
On 5 October 2026 we ran AutomationNation's AI Visibility Tracker with eight buying questions in each of six software categories (48 prompts, listed below), asking each question once to Google AI Overviews (US Google Search), Gemini with Google Search grounding and Claude with web search. 115 of 144 answers were usable: Google AI Overviews didn't appear for every question and some Gemini requests hit rate limits, which left 42 AI Overview, 48 Claude and 25 Gemini answers. A brand counts as named when its name appears in the answer; 'named first' is the tracked brand that appears earliest. Sources are the distinct domains each answer cites. AI answers vary between runs, locations and users, so treat the percentages as indicative.
CRM software
- What is the best CRM software?
- What is the best CRM for small businesses?
- What is the best free CRM?
- Which CRM should a startup use?
- What are the best Salesforce alternatives?
- What is the easiest CRM to use?
- What is the best CRM for real estate agents?
- What CRM do sales teams recommend in 2026?
Project management tools
- What is the best project management software?
- What is the best project management tool for small teams?
- What is the best free project management app?
- Which project management tool is best for software development?
- What are the best Asana alternatives?
- What is the easiest project management tool to learn?
- What project management software do agencies use?
- What is the best project management tool for remote teams?
Email marketing platforms
- What is the best email marketing software?
- What is the best email marketing platform for small businesses?
- What is the best free email marketing tool?
- What is the best email marketing platform for ecommerce?
- What are the best Mailchimp alternatives?
- What is the best newsletter platform for creators?
- Which email marketing tool has the best deliverability?
- What email marketing software is easiest to use?
Password managers
- What is the best password manager?
- What is the best free password manager?
- What is the most secure password manager?
- What is the best password manager for families?
- What is the best password manager for businesses?
- What are the best LastPass alternatives?
- Which password manager works best on iPhone and Windows?
- Is it worth paying for a password manager, and which one?
Website builders
- What is the best website builder?
- What is the best website builder for small businesses?
- What is the best free website builder?
- What is the best website builder for a portfolio?
- What is the easiest website builder for beginners?
- What are the best Squarespace alternatives?
- What is the best website builder for SEO?
- Which website builder should I use for an online store?
VPN services
- What is the best VPN?
- What is the best free VPN?
- What is the fastest VPN?
- What is the best VPN for streaming?
- What is the most private VPN?
- What is the best cheap VPN?
- What is the best VPN for travel?
- Which VPN do security experts recommend?
Run the same check for your brand and competitors with AI Visibility Tracker (Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Claude), or track Google AI Overview citations for your keywords with AEO & GEO Tracker — Google AI Overview Citation Checker. AI agents can run both through the AutomationNation MCP server.
Published by AutomationNation, 5 October 2026. Aggregated data: data.json.