What AI engines say when buyers ask for software
We asked ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini 60 real buyer questions across three software categories and analysed the 176 answers that came back: which brands they named, which they named first, and which sources they cited.
Real data. One run per question through each engine’s API with web search on. API answers can differ from the consumer apps, and AI answers change often, so treat these as a snapshot.
real AI answers analysed from 60 buyer questions (180 requests, 4 returned errors)
engines compared: ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini
of cited sources were review or community sites like G2 and Reddit (40 of 587)
brands per category were named in at least half the answers on all three engines
Method
- Categories
- Product analytics, help desk software, AI meeting note takers
- Questions
- 20 per category, 60 in total. Each category’s set: 6 “best for”, 4 alternatives, 3 comparisons, 3 problem-led, 2 pricing and 2 brand questions
- Engines
- ChatGPT (OpenAI Responses API, gpt-5.4, web search on); Perplexity (Agent API, fast preset); Gemini (gemini-3.8-flash with Google Search grounding)
- Runs
- 1 run per question per engine: 180 requests, 176 answers (ChatGPT and Gemini each returned 2 errors)
- Brand mentions
- Name and alias matching against a fixed list of 10 brands per category. “Share of answers” = % of an engine’s answers in that category that named the brand
- Cited sources
- Domains each answer cited, counted once per answer: 587 in total. Review/community = G2, Capterra, Gartner, Reddit, Trustpilot, Software Advice, GetApp and TrustRadius
- Limits
- One run per question, so expect noise. Gemini used web search on only 19 of its 60 questions; its other answers came from the model without live sources. API answers can differ from what people see in the apps
Product analytics
Named in at least half the answers on all three engines: Amplitude, Mixpanel and PostHog. Review and community sites were 19 of 190 cited domains (10.0%). Answers: ChatGPT 20, Perplexity 20, Gemini 20.
Share of answers
| Brand | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixpanel | 90% | 60% | 95% |
| PostHog | 90% | 60% | 95% |
| Amplitude | 90% | 60% | 90% |
| Heap | 55% | 20% | 75% |
| Google Analytics | 25% | 15% | 30% |
| FullStory | 10% | 10% | 40% |
| Pendo | 25% | 5% | 15% |
| June | 0% | 5% | 35% |
| Hotjar | 0% | 0% | 40% |
| Kissmetrics | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Who gets named first
| Engine | Named first (answers) |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Amplitude 7, Mixpanel 5, PostHog 5 |
| Perplexity | PostHog 7, Mixpanel 5, Amplitude 4 |
| Gemini | PostHog 9, Mixpanel 5, Amplitude 3 |
Most-cited sources
| Engine | Top cited domains (answers citing) | Review/community |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | amplitude.com (12), posthog.com (10), mixpanel.com (8), heap.io (4), artisangrowthstrategies.com (2) | 11% of 55 |
| Perplexity | posthog.com (11), amplitude.com (8), gainsight.com (4), userpilot.com (4), fullstory.com (3) | 9% of 75 |
| Gemini | posthog.com (4), openpanel.dev (4), userpilot.com (4), mixpanel.com (4), amplitude.com (4) | 10% of 60 |
All 20 questions
- What is the best product analytics tool for a B2B SaaS startup? Best for
- Best product analytics software for an early-stage startup with a small team Best for
- Which product analytics tool is best for tracking user retention and funnels? Best for
- Best self-serve analytics tool for product managers who don't write SQL Best for
- What product analytics platform do fast-growing SaaS companies use? Best for
- Best open-source product analytics tool Best for
- What are the best Mixpanel alternatives? Alternatives
- Amplitude alternatives for startups Alternatives
- Cheaper alternatives to Heap for product analytics Alternatives
- Alternatives to Google Analytics for tracking in-app user behavior Alternatives
- Amplitude vs Mixpanel: which is better for a SaaS startup? Comparison
- PostHog vs Mixpanel Comparison
- Heap vs Amplitude for product teams Comparison
- How can I find out where users drop off in my SaaS onboarding? Problem
- How do I measure feature adoption in my web app? Problem
- What tool should I use to see which features drive retention? Problem
- Which product analytics tools have a generous free tier? Pricing
- How much does product analytics software cost for a startup? Pricing
- Is PostHog a good choice for product analytics? Brand
- What do people say about Mixpanel's pricing and ease of use? Brand
Help desk software
Named in at least half the answers on all three engines: Freshdesk and Help Scout. Review and community sites were 2 of 158 cited domains (1.3%). Answers: ChatGPT 19, Perplexity 20, Gemini 19.
Share of answers
| Brand | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zendesk | 79% | 45% | 100% |
| Help Scout | 68% | 60% | 84% |
| Intercom | 79% | 40% | 79% |
| Freshdesk | 58% | 50% | 63% |
| Front | 47% | 20% | 63% |
| HubSpot Service Hub | 32% | 10% | 37% |
| Zoho Desk | 21% | 30% | 26% |
| Gorgias | 16% | 10% | 21% |
| Plain | 5% | 5% | 37% |
| Kustomer | 0% | 5% | 0% |
Who gets named first
| Engine | Named first (answers) |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Intercom 6, Zendesk 6, Help Scout 4 |
| Perplexity | Help Scout 8, Intercom 4, Zendesk 2 |
| Gemini | Help Scout 5, Zendesk 4, Plain 3 |
Most-cited sources
| Engine | Top cited domains (answers citing) | Review/community |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | intercom.com (8), support.zendesk.com (6), zendesk.com (5), helpscout.com (5), front.com (3) | 4% of 56 |
| Perplexity | helpscout.com (8), intercom.com (6), helpdesk.com (4), clearfeed.ai (3), front.com (3) | 0% of 74 |
| Gemini | plain.com (2), intercom.com (2), usepylon.com (2), happyfox.com (2), helpscout.com (2) | 0% of 28 |
All 20 questions
- What is the best help desk software for a B2B SaaS startup? Best for
- Best customer support tool for a small SaaS team Best for
- Which help desk has the best AI features for answering support tickets? Best for
- Best shared inbox tool for customer support Best for
- Best ticketing system for a growing software company Best for
- What customer support platform do startups use in 2026? Best for
- What are the best Zendesk alternatives? Alternatives
- Intercom alternatives that are cheaper Alternatives
- Alternatives to Freshdesk for SaaS companies Alternatives
- Help Scout alternatives Alternatives
- Zendesk vs Intercom: which should a startup choose? Comparison
- Help Scout vs Front Comparison
- Freshdesk vs Zendesk for a small team Comparison
- How can a small team handle a growing volume of support tickets? Problem
- How do I add an AI chatbot to deflect support questions on my SaaS? Problem
- What tool helps manage support emails across a team without losing threads? Problem
- Which help desk software is the most affordable for startups? Pricing
- How much does Intercom cost compared to other help desks? Pricing
- Is Help Scout good for B2B SaaS support? Brand
- What are the downsides of Zendesk for a startup? Brand
AI meeting note takers
Named in at least half the answers on all three engines: Fireflies.ai and Fathom. Review and community sites were 19 of 239 cited domains (7.9%). Answers: ChatGPT 19, Perplexity 20, Gemini 19.
Share of answers
| Brand | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies.ai | 79% | 65% | 89% |
| Fathom | 79% | 50% | 89% |
| Otter.ai | 79% | 45% | 63% |
| tl;dv | 26% | 15% | 53% |
| Avoma | 37% | 30% | 26% |
| Granola | 21% | 30% | 37% |
| Gong | 21% | 10% | 37% |
| Zoom AI Companion | 16% | 10% | 32% |
| Microsoft Copilot | 11% | 0% | 37% |
| Read AI | 26% | 0% | 11% |
Who gets named first
| Engine | Named first (answers) |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Otter.ai 5, Fireflies.ai 4, Fathom 4 |
| Perplexity | Fireflies.ai 5, Fathom 4, Otter.ai 3 |
| Gemini | Fathom 5, Granola 4, Fireflies.ai 4 |
Most-cited sources
| Engine | Top cited domains (answers citing) | Review/community |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | fireflies.ai (9), otter.ai (6), reddit.com (5), help.fathom.video (4), avoma.com (3) | 13% of 68 |
| Perplexity | fellow.ai (8), avoma.com (7), zapier.com (6), krisp.ai (4), g2.com (3) | 6% of 88 |
| Gemini | read.ai (5), medium.com (4), granola.ai (4), tldv.io (3), fabric.so (3) | 6% of 83 |
All 20 questions
- What is the best AI meeting note taker? Best for
- Best AI notetaker for sales calls at a B2B startup Best for
- Which AI meeting assistant works best with Zoom and Google Meet? Best for
- Best AI tool to transcribe and summarize meetings for a small team Best for
- Best AI meeting notes app that syncs to a CRM Best for
- What AI note taker do founders use? Best for
- What are the best Otter.ai alternatives? Alternatives
- Fireflies alternatives Alternatives
- Gong alternatives for small sales teams Alternatives
- Alternatives to Fathom for meeting notes Alternatives
- Otter vs Fireflies: which is better? Comparison
- Granola vs Fathom Comparison
- Fireflies vs Fathom for sales teams Comparison
- How can I automatically take notes during sales calls? Problem
- How do I get action items from meetings without writing them down? Problem
- What tool records meetings and sends a summary to my team? Problem
- Which AI meeting note takers have a free plan? Pricing
- How much do AI meeting assistants cost per user? Pricing
- Is Granola worth it for meeting notes? Brand
- What do users say about Fireflies.ai accuracy? Brand
What it means
Review and community sites were a small share of what the engines cited for these software questions, and the share varied a lot by category: about 10% for product analytics, about 8% for AI meeting note takers and about 1% for help desk software. Most citations went to vendor sites and other third-party pages, so the pages that decide an answer differ by category and by engine.
In every category, the same two or three brands were named in at least half the answers on all three engines. The engines also disagreed on who to name first, so a single “AI visibility” number hides real differences between them.