Google's AI Overviews cite Reddit in 23.5% of their answers, while ChatGPT cites it in 0.1%, a 176-fold gap. Across five AI engines, Reddit appears in 11.8% of answers to everyday questions, about one in eight.
Analysis of 25,940 AI answers to 2,984 general questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.Google AI Overviews cite Reddit in 23.5% of their answers, 176 times ChatGPT's rate of 0.1%.
- 2.Reddit is cited in 11.8% of AI answers to everyday questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, about one answer in eight.
- 3.Google AI Mode cites Reddit in 19.2% of its answers and Perplexity in 15.5%, while Gemini cites it in 4.2%.
- 4.For questions about pets, 44.3% of Google AI Mode answers and 41.7% of Google AI Overviews cite Reddit, the highest of 31 topics.
- 5.ChatGPT never cites Reddit in 25 of 31 question topics, and its highest rate in any topic is 1%.
Summary
Search Google for how often to bathe a dog and the AI Overview at the top of the page will, about four times in ten, cite a Reddit thread where owners compare notes. Ask ChatGPT the same question and its answer almost never links to Reddit. The same question gets a forum on one engine and something else entirely on another.
Reddit is where millions of people trade first-hand opinions, and whether an AI engine cites it changes what people hear about products, services and brands. For a business, it decides whether the conversation about your category on Reddit reaches customers through AI, and on which engine.
Google AI Overviews cite Reddit in 23.5% of answers and Google AI Mode in 19.2%. ChatGPT cites it in 0.1%, 8 answers out of 5,968. Across all five engines, 11.8% of answers cite Reddit.
What we measured
On September 23, 2026 we asked 2,984 general questions across 31 topics, from pets and beauty to taxes and health, to ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Mode, and recorded Google's AI Overviews (the AI summary above Google's search results) for the same questions. Every question was asked from a US location. That produced 25,940 answers.
A citation is a source link an AI engine shows with its answer. An answer counts as citing Reddit when at least one of its source links goes to reddit.com. Every rate in this study is a share of answers, by engine and by topic; AI Overviews count only when Google showed one for the question.
Google's AI features lean on Reddit
The 11.8% average hides a wide split. Google AI Overviews cite Reddit in 23.5% of answers and Google AI Mode in 19.2%, about one answer in five. Perplexity follows at 15.5%. Gemini, also a Google product, cites Reddit in 4.2%, and ChatGPT in 0.1%, eight answers out of 5,968.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 25,940 AI answers to 2,984 general questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Google's AI features sit on top of Google Search, where Reddit threads rank for a huge range of everyday questions, so its AI answers inherit that source. ChatGPT builds its answers from a different mix of sources and almost never links to Reddit. The same Reddit thread can be a prominent source on Google and invisible on ChatGPT.
Product questions lean on Reddit even more
On a separate set of 2,000 "best" product questions, such as "best air fryer" or "best running shoes", Reddit's role grows. Google AI Overviews cite Reddit in 26.4% of these answers, Google AI Mode in 24% and Perplexity in 22.5%, roughly one answer in four. ChatGPT cited Reddit in 1 answer out of 4,000.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 25,940 AI answers to 2,984 general questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
| AI engine | Everyday questions citing Reddit | "Best" product questions citing Reddit |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews | 23.5% | 26.4% |
| Google AI Mode | 19.2% | 24% |
| Perplexity | 15.5% | 22.5% |
| Gemini | 4.2% | 5.9% |
| ChatGPT | 0.1% | 0.03% |
Reddit is one source among several in each answer, so its share of all citations is smaller: 3.5% of the sources in Google AI Overviews and 3.7% in Google AI Mode point to Reddit, against 0.05% of ChatGPT's. ChatGPT turns to other sources instead, including government and university websites, which it cites in about half its answers.
Pets, beauty and home questions draw the most Reddit citations
Reddit citations are highest for lifestyle topics where people swap experiences. For pet questions, 44.3% of Google AI Mode answers and 41.7% of AI Overviews cite Reddit. Beauty (41.3% of AI Overviews), home (37.1%), careers (36.4%) and software (36.2%) follow.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 25,940 AI answers to 2,984 general questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
| Topic | AI Overviews | AI Mode | Perplexity | Gemini | ChatGPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | 41.7% | 44.3% | 33% | 5.7% | 1% |
| Beauty | 41.3% | 33.5% | 34% | 1% | 0% |
| Home | 37.1% | 27.3% | 21.6% | 3.1% | 1% |
| Careers | 36.4% | 27% | 10.8% | 5.4% | 0% |
| Software | 36.2% | 30.4% | 18.6% | 13.9% | 0% |
| Shopping | 32.8% | 25.8% | 20.6% | 16% | 0.5% |
| Real estate | 29.7% | 18% | 21.6% | 11.3% | 0% |
| Parenting | 29.4% | 13.4% | 17.5% | 4.1% | 0% |
| Food | 16.5% | 18% | 17.5% | 3.1% | 0.5% |
| Mental health | 12.3% | 1.5% | 4.1% | 0.5% | 0% |
| Sleep | 10.6% | 13.4% | 11.3% | 0% | 0% |
| Weather | 9% | 0.5% | 8.2% | 1% | 0% |
| Fitness | 8.5% | 8.8% | 4.1% | 0.5% | 0% |
| Health | 6% | 4.6% | 4.1% | 0% | 0% |
| Taxes | 4.3% | 1% | 0% | 2.1% | 0% |
Reddit is cited far less for topics with an official authority: health (6% of AI Overviews), fitness (8.5%), weather (9%) and taxes (4.3%). On these questions AI engines turn to government agencies, medical sources and forecasters. The pattern follows the question: where experience is the answer, Reddit is cited; where rules or facts are the answer, it mostly is not.
ChatGPT almost never cites Reddit
ChatGPT's highest Reddit rate in any topic is 1%, for pet and home questions. In 25 of 31 topics it never cites Reddit at all. For a business whose customers mostly use ChatGPT, Reddit activity rarely shows up as a cited source.
Gemini cites Reddit rarely overall, but more often for shopping (16% of answers), software (13.9%) and real estate (11.3%), followed by money (8.2%) and investing (7.2%). These are topics where people compare options and share first-hand experience before they spend, and where Gemini, too, reaches for owner opinions.
What this means for brands and community managers
If your customers discuss your category on Reddit, those threads are feeding Google's AI answers, especially in pets, beauty, home, software and shopping. Monitor the subreddits for your category, answer questions honestly from a clearly named brand account, and fix the problems customers raise there, because their words may be what Google's AI repeats.
Do not count on Reddit to reach ChatGPT users; ChatGPT almost never cites it. For ChatGPT, publisher reviews, official sources and your own website matter more. Working with an ai seo company shows which communities and sources each AI engine cites in your category.
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<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/reddit-citations-ai-answers">Google's AI Overviews Cite Reddit 176x More Often Than ChatGPT - Suff Digital</a></p>
Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). Google's AI Overviews Cite Reddit 176x More Often Than ChatGPT. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/reddit-citations-ai-answers
Google's AI Overviews Cite Reddit 176x More Often Than ChatGPT - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/reddit-citations-ai-answers
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