Where AI Gets SaaS Recommendations: Q3 2026 Study
We asked ChatGPT and Gemini which software to use in 10 SaaS categories and classified every source they cited. Answers were live provider API calls with web search, sampled twice per prompt. Raw answers are retained for audit; the public CSV contains aggregates only.
80
Live answers
1490
Unique citations
338
Cited domains
59%
Answers citing review platforms
Key findings
- The question decides the source. For “best {category}” prompts, 64% of citations pointed to the websites of vendors named in the answer and only 9% to independent sources. For “most trusted” prompts, independent sources rose to 63%.
- Review platforms are the trust layer. Review platforms appeared in 40 of 40 trust answers but in only 7 of 40 discovery answers. g2.com was cited in 40 answers across 10 categories.
- ChatGPT cites about twice as much. ChatGPT averaged 25 citations; Gemini averaged 12.3 citations per answer.
Source mix by prompt type
| Prompt | Named vendor sites | Independent sources | Other / unclassified |
|---|---|---|---|
| What are the best {category} for a growing SaaS team? | 64% | 9% | 27% |
| Which {category} are most trusted, and what public sources support that assessment? | 17% | 63% | 20% |
Most-cited domains
| Domain | Type | Answers citing | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
| g2.com | Review platform | 40 of 80 | 10 |
| gartner.com | Review platform | 34 of 80 | 10 |
| trustradius.com | Review platform | 23 of 80 | 9 |
| reddit.com | Forum | 19 of 80 | 8 |
| capterra.com | Review platform | 18 of 80 | 8 |
| hubspot.com | Vendor / other | 12 of 80 | 6 |
| youtube.com | Social / video | 9 of 80 | 6 |
| salesforce.com | Vendor / other | 8 of 80 | 4 |
| microsoft.com | Vendor / other | 6 of 80 | 3 |
| forrester.com | Vendor / other | 6 of 80 | 5 |
Design
10 categories × 2 prompts × 2 engines × 2 runs = 80 answers
Language: English · Market: United States
Models: ChatGPT (gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17); Gemini (gemini-3.6-flash)
Categories: CRM software, project management tools, helpdesk software, analytics tools, design tools, video conferencing, email marketing platforms, marketing automation, CMS platforms, SEO tools
Limitations and disclosures
The design was reduced before any data was collected (registered 2026-07-26, revised 2026-09-30) to two engines and two source-focused prompts.
Gemini cites redirect URLs; its cited domain was taken from the citation title. Subdomains are grouped by registrable domain, and duplicate URLs within one answer count once.
“Named vendor sites” are unclassified domains whose brand appears in the answer text. Review, forum, media, social and institutional domains are independent. The rest stays “other / unclassified”. A citation is not an endorsement.
Prompt templates
- 1What are the best {category} for a growing SaaS team?
- 2Which {category} are most trusted, and what public sources support that assessment?