Google's AI Overviews cite a YouTube video in 67.5% of their answers to "what is the best..." shopping questions. Across five AI engines, YouTube is the most-cited review source at 24.9% of answers, ahead of Reddit (14.7%) and Forbes (14.4%), but each engine trusts a different reviewer.
Analysis of 17,524 AI answers to 2,000 "best product" and "best service" questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
Key Findings
- 1.Google AI Overviews cite YouTube in 67.5% of their answers to "what is the best..." shopping questions, about two answers in three.
- 2.YouTube is cited in 24.9% of AI answers to "what is the best..." shopping questions, more than any other review or community site.
- 3.Perplexity cites Forbes in 63.8% of its answers to "what is the best..." shopping questions.
- 4.ChatGPT's most-cited review site is RTINGS, a product testing lab, in 11.3% of its shopping answers, while Gemini's is Forbes at 11.4%.
- 5.Wikipedia is cited in 0.5% of AI answers to "what is the best..." shopping questions, against 14.7% for Reddit.
Summary
A shopper asks Google for the best robot vacuum. The AI Overview at the top of the page answers the question and, two times in three, cites a YouTube review under it. The same question on Perplexity cites a Forbes roundup, and on ChatGPT a lab test from RTINGS.
The sources an AI engine cites are the reviewers it trusts, and they shape which products it recommends. For a brand, knowing which reviewers each engine relies on shows where coverage of your product will carry into AI answers, and where it will not.
Across all five engines, YouTube is cited in 24.9% of shopping answers, ahead of Reddit at 14.7% and Forbes at 14.4%. That lead comes almost entirely from Google: its AI Overviews cite YouTube in 67.5% of answers. Each of the other engines has a different favorite reviewer.
What we measured
In September 2026 we asked five AI engines, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews (the AI summary shown above Google's search results), 2,000 questions of the form "What is the best [product or service]?" across 20 categories, from electronics and cars to finance and software. That produced 17,524 answers.
For every answer we checked the cited sources, the links an engine shows next to its answer, against 30 review, publisher and community sites, from YouTube and Reddit to Wirecutter, RTINGS and Car and Driver. A site's rate is the share of answers that cite it at least once, overall and for each engine.
YouTube leads, Reddit and Forbes follow
Video reviews are the most-cited review source overall, about one answer in four. Reddit, at 14.7%, is the most-cited community site, where real owners discuss what they bought. Among publishers, Forbes (14.4%), Wirecutter (10.3%), PCMag (9.4%) and NerdWallet (8.7%) lead, with Consumer Reports, TechRadar, CNET, Tom's Guide and RTINGS each cited in about 7% of answers.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 17,524 AI answers to 2,000 "best product" and "best service" questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
The list mixes three kinds of source: video creators, communities of owners and publishers who test and rank products. AI engines draw on all three, so a product that is reviewed on YouTube, discussed on Reddit and ranked in a publisher's roundup has three routes into an AI answer.
Every AI engine trusts a different reviewer
The overall ranking hides big differences between engines. Google AI Overviews cite YouTube in 67.5% of their shopping answers and Google AI Mode in 44.5%, which is what puts YouTube at the top overall. Google owns YouTube, and its AI features lean on it far more than any other engine does. Perplexity cites Forbes in 63.8% of its answers, followed by Wirecutter.
Source: Suff Digital analysis of 17,524 AI answers to 2,000 "best product" and "best service" questions · answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI features, September 2026
| AI engine | Most-cited review source | Share of its answers |
|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews | YouTube | 67.5% |
| Perplexity | Forbes | 63.8% |
| Google AI Mode | YouTube | 44.5% |
| Gemini | Forbes | 11.4% |
| ChatGPT | RTINGS | 11.3% |
ChatGPT and Gemini cite review sites far less often. ChatGPT's favorite is RTINGS, a lab that measures products with standard tests, at 11.3% of its answers, followed by Tom's Guide. Gemini's is Forbes at 11.4%. The same product question can be answered from a YouTube video on Google, a Forbes list on Perplexity and a lab measurement on ChatGPT.
Specialist reviewers show up less than generalists
Specialist review sites appear far less often than the big generalists, since each covers one category. Car and Driver is cited in 2.7% of all shopping answers, Edmunds in 2.4% and Kelley Blue Book in 1.7%. Runner's World (1.4%) and OutdoorGearLab (1.3%) are similar, and software review sites G2 (0.7%) and Capterra (0.4%) are rare.
Amazon is cited as a source in 5.2% of answers, ahead of Wired (4.9%) and Bankrate (4.5%). Wikipedia, a staple of general AI answers, appears in 0.5% of shopping answers: for buying questions, AI engines go to reviewers, not encyclopedias.
What this means for brands and PR teams
Spread your review coverage across the three kinds of source. A YouTube review can reach Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode, a Forbes or Wirecutter roundup reaches Perplexity and Gemini, and a lab test from a site like RTINGS reaches ChatGPT. Send products to video reviewers and testing labs as well as to the publishers that write "best of" lists.
Treat Reddit as a source, not only a community. Reddit threads are cited in about one shopping answer in seven, so honest owner discussion of your product can end up in AI answers. Answer questions in the subreddits where your customers talk, and fix the problems they raise. A digital pr agency that knows which review sources each AI engine cites can put your product in front of the right reviewers.
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Cite this study
Suff Digital. (2026). Google's AI Overviews Cite YouTube in 67.5% of Shopping Answers. https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/review-sites-ai-cites-most
Google's AI Overviews Cite YouTube in 67.5% of Shopping Answers - Suff Digital - https://www.suffdigital.com/resources/data-studies/review-sites-ai-cites-most
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