ORIGINAL RESEARCH · 23 OCTOBER 2026
AI Visibility Index #1.
Which AI tools do AI assistants recommend to small businesses? We asked two Google AI experiences the same 15 questions in fresh, logged-out sessions and recorded what changed.
Findings
- HEADLINE FINDING
8 of 13 comparable answers matched.
Tidio, InVideo AI, Fathom, Wix AI, Canva, Apollo.io, Zapier, and ChatGPT or Claude were shared top picks in comparable answers.
- VARIATION
Different engines still produce different winners.
Bookkeeping, email marketing, scheduling and SEO produced different recommendations. One content question had no single clear pick.
- REPEATED VISIBILITY
HubSpot appeared repeatedly.
HubSpot was named six times across five categories in this snapshot, illustrating the advantage of being a credible answer across neighbouring buyer questions.
METHOD
Stated honestly.
A single-run snapshot is not a universal ranking. AI answers shift by model, day, location and user context.
- 01
Engines
Gemini (model shown as Flash-Lite) and Google AI Mode, both logged out.
- 02
Questions
15 fixed small-business AI-tool questions, each asked in a fresh chat on 23 October 2026.
- 03
Coverage
Gemini answered 13 of 15; Google AI Mode answered all 15. CRM and hiring could not be compared because Gemini stalled.
AI visibility is a system, not one lucky ranking.
List the questions buyers ask before they buy, test how multiple AI engines answer them, note which competitors appear, and publish useful, quotable answers on your own site.