# AI recommendations study: 4 AI tools agreed on the top pick in 12 of 33 categories

> We asked ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity for the best product in 33 categories. They agreed on first place 36% of the time, and 46% of the brands they named were named by only one tool.

Source: https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/study

Study, 33 categories

# Ask four AI tools for the best product, and they usually disagree

We asked ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity the same "what is the best..." question in 33 categories, from CRM software to password managers, and compared every name they gave.

**12 of 33** categories where all four put the same brand first

**46%** of brands named were named by only one tool

**2.8** brands per category named by all four

## 1\. They agree on first place in only 36% of categories

In 12 of 33 categories (36%), all four tools put the same brand first. In the other 21, at least two tools led with different names. A business that tops one AI tool's list can be missing from the top of the next.

## 2\. 46% of brands are named by only one tool

Across the 33 categories the tools named 437 different brands. 203 of them (46%) came from a single tool. On average only 2.8 brands per category were named by all four. Being recommended by ChatGPT says little about Gemini or Perplexity.

## 3\. Some tools give long lists, others very short ones

The average number of brands in one answer:

- ChatGPT **9.5**
- Claude **8.9**
- Gemini **5.6**
- Perplexity **4**

On a short list there is no room for a fifth or sixth choice. Perplexity, which searched the web live, named the fewest.

## 4\. AI cites review sites and the brands' own pages

Perplexity listed its sources in 33 of its answers. These domains came up most often, counted once per answer:

- forbes.com **5**
- pcmag.com **4**
- zapier.com **3**
- albato.com **3**
- shopify.com **3**
- wix.com **3**
- nytimes.com **3**
- me.pcmag.com **2**
- slack.com **2**
- resources.rework.com **2**

Review and comparison sites like Forbes and PCMag lead the list, and the brands' own pages, like Shopify's and Wix's, show up next to them. What others write about a business matters, and so does what it publishes about itself.

## Every category

| Category | Named by all four | Same first pick? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [accounting software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-accounting-software) | QuickBooks Online, Xero, FreshBooks, Zoho Books, Wave | Yes, QuickBooks Online |
| [AI meeting assistant](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-ai-meeting-assistant) | Otter.ai | No |
| [AI presentation maker](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-ai-presentation-maker) | Beautiful.ai, Canva | No |
| [AI writing tools](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-ai-writing-tools) | Jasper, Grammarly | No |
| [antivirus software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-antivirus) | Bitdefender Total Security, Norton 360 | Yes, Bitdefender Total Security |
| [appointment booking software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-appointment-booking-software) | Square Appointments, Calendly, Acuity Scheduling | No |
| [budgeting app](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-budgeting-app) | YNAB | Yes, YNAB |
| [business email provider](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-business-email) | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail | Yes, Google Workspace |
| [cloud storage](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-cloud-storage) | Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud | Yes, Google Drive |
| [CRM software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-crm-software) | HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive | Yes, HubSpot |
| [domain registrar](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-domain-registrar) | Namecheap, Porkbun | No |
| [e-signature software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-e-signature-software) | PandaDoc | No |
| [ecommerce platforms](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-ecommerce-platform) | Shopify, Wix, WooCommerce, BigCommerce | Yes, Shopify |
| [email marketing software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-email-marketing-software) | Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite | No |
| [landing page builder](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-landing-page-builder) | Leadpages, Instapage, Webflow | No |
| [live chat software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-live-chat-software) | Intercom, Zendesk, Crisp | No |
| [newsletter platform](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-newsletter-platform) | Substack, Kit (ConvertKit), Ghost | No |
| [note-taking apps](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-note-taking-app) | Obsidian, Notion, Apple Notes, Microsoft OneNote | No |
| [online form builder](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-form-builder) | Typeform, JotForm, Google Forms | No |
| [online whiteboard](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-online-whiteboard) | Miro, MURAL | Yes, Miro |
| [password managers](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-password-manager) | Bitwarden, 1Password, Dashlane | No |
| [POS system](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-pos-system) | Shopify POS, Lightspeed Retail, Clover | No |
| [project management software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-project-management-software) | Asana, Monday.com, ClickUp, Jira, Trello | No |
| [screen recording software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-screen-recording-software) | OBS Studio, Camtasia | Yes, OBS Studio |
| [SEO tools](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-seo-tools) | Ahrefs, SEMrush, Google Search Console, Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Moz Pro | No |
| [social media scheduler](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-social-media-scheduler) | Buffer, Hootsuite, Later, Sprout Social | No |
| [survey tool](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-survey-tool) | Typeform, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, JotForm | No |
| [tax software](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-tax-software) | TurboTax, FreeTaxUSA | No |
| [text expander](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-text-expander) | Espanso | No |
| [time tracking app](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-time-tracking-app) | Toggl Track, Harvest, Clockify | Yes, Toggl Track |
| [transcription app](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-transcription-app) | Otter.ai, Rev | Yes, Otter.ai |
| [website analytics tool](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-website-analytics) | Google Analytics, Matomo, Plausible | Yes, Google Analytics |
| [website builders](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-recommends/best-website-builder) | Squarespace, Shopify | No |

## How we did it

Each tool got the same question, in the form "What is the best {category}?", once per category, through its API, from October 17, 2026 to October 18, 2026. ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini answered from what they know; Perplexity searched the web. Spelling variants and rebrands of one product (for example YNAB and You Need A Budget) count as one brand. The models:

- **ChatGPT** gpt-5-mini
- **Claude** claude-haiku-4-5
- **Gemini** gemini-3.8-flash
- **Perplexity** perplexity/sonar

**Limits.** This is one run per tool, on the API models above, which can differ from the apps people use, and AI answers change over time. Read it as a snapshot of how differently the tools answer, not as a ranking of the products. Each category's full answers are on its own page, linked in the table.

**Using this data.** You're welcome to quote and chart these numbers with a link to this page. The data is shared under CC BY 4.0.

## Does AI name your business?

Our [free AI visibility checker](https://aisearchanalyzer.com/ai-visibility-checker) shows what ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and Google's AI say about you.

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