In 14 of 20 product and service categories, ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity each put at least two of the same three brands in their own top three. In four categories, all four engines have exactly the same top three.
Analysis of AI answers to 2,000 "best product" and "best service" questions in 20 categories · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.In 70% of product and service categories, 14 of 20, ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity each have at least two of the category's top three brands in their own top three.
- 2.In 4 of 20 categories, health, home, software and travel, all four AI engines have exactly the same top three brands.
- 3.68% of AI answers to "what is the best..." questions name at least one of their category's three most-mentioned brands, on average across 20 categories.
- 4.84.6% of AI answers about the best gaming products name one of the category's top three brands, the most concentrated of 20 categories.
- 5.In beauty, 40.8% of AI answers name one of the category's top three brands, the least concentrated category, where more brands share the attention.
Summary
Ask ChatGPT which business software is best and the answers keep naming Zoho, HubSpot and Pipedrive near the top. Ask Gemini, Google AI Mode or Perplexity and the same three names come back. The order may change from answer to answer, but the shortlist does not.
For a brand, that shortlist is the real prize in AI search. A brand in it shows up whichever assistant a customer uses; a brand outside it has to break into a list that four different engines have settled on. Knowing how settled your category is tells you whether you are defending a place or fighting for one.
In 14 of 20 categories, 70%, every engine shares at least two of the same top three brands, and in four categories all four engines agree exactly. On average, 68% of answers in a category name one of its top three brands.
What we measured
In September 2026 we asked five AI engines, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews, 2,000 questions of the form "What is the best [product or service]?", about 100 in each of 20 categories, from software and pets to beauty and gaming. In every answer we recorded which brands were mentioned.
A category's top three are the three brands mentioned in the most answers across all engines. We then built a separate top three for each of four engines, ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Mode and Perplexity, and checked how many of the category's top three each one shared. Concentration is the share of a category's answers that name at least one of its top three brands.
Two in three AI answers name a top three brand
On average, 68% of answers in a category name at least one of its top three brands, about two answers in three. Gaming (84.6%), streaming (83.6%), finance (82.8%) and cars (80.2%) are the most concentrated. Beauty (40.8%), home (40.9%) and office (43.6%) are the least, with attention spread across many more brands.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of AI answers to 2,000 "best product" and "best service" questions in 20 categories · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Concentration and agreement are different things. Six categories miss the two-of-three test: beauty, finance, fitness, gaming, kitchen and outdoor. In gaming and finance, answers are highly concentrated, but each engine favors its own set of leaders. Home is the reverse: the engines agree exactly on the top three, yet those brands appear in only 40.9% of answers because home questions cover many different kinds of product.
What this means for brand marketers
If you are in your category's top three, you are likely to appear on every major AI engine, even as your exact position changes from one answer to the next. Protect that place by keeping your coverage current in the review and comparison sites AI engines draw on, and by tracking whether any engine starts to drop you.
If you are outside the top three, pick your ground. In a concentrated category such as gaming or finance, look for the engine whose shortlist differs from the rest and win there first. In a spread-out category such as beauty, home or office, more brands get named, so strong reviews and roundup placements can win a place in the answer quickly. An ai seo company can map your category's shortlist on each AI engine and show where you stand.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-recommends-same-top-three-brands">AI Engines Agree on at Least Two of the Top Three Brands in 70% of Product Categories - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). AI Engines Agree on at Least Two of the Top Three Brands in 70% of Product Categories. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-recommends-same-top-three-brands
AI Engines Agree on at Least Two of the Top Three Brands in 70% of Product Categories - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/ai-recommends-same-top-three-brands
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