{
  "title": "The 12 AI assistants compared",
  "url": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/",
  "publisher": "AI Syndicate Research",
  "published": "2026-10-06",
  "modified": "2026-10-06",
  "period": "2026-09-01/2026-10-05",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "cite": "AI Syndicate Research, \"The 12 AI Assistants Compared: How Each One Picks Local Businesses,\" October 2026, measured 1–5 October 2026, https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/",
  "note": "Ranges are 95% bootstrap intervals, resampling markets.",
  "findings": [
    {
      "finding": "Share of memory-based AI assistants' local picks that are national brands",
      "value": 9.1,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        8.1,
        9.9
      ],
      "sample": "600 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#national-brands"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of web-search AI assistants' local picks that are national brands",
      "value": 3.8,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        3.4,
        4.2
      ],
      "sample": "600 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#national-brands"
    },
    {
      "finding": "How many times as often memory assistants pick national brands as web-search assistants",
      "value": 2.4,
      "unit": "times",
      "range_95": [
        2.3,
        2.6
      ],
      "sample": "600 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#national-brands"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Grok's local picks that are national brands",
      "value": 16.7,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        14.7,
        19.3
      ],
      "sample": "407 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#national-brands"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of ChatGPT's local picks that are national brands",
      "value": 1.8,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        1.5,
        2.1
      ],
      "sample": "599 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#national-brands"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where Gemini named the #1 the other eleven assistants agreed on",
      "value": 87.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        85.6,
        89.6
      ],
      "sample": "599 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#agreement"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where Perplexity named the #1 the other eleven assistants agreed on",
      "value": 50,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        46.9,
        54.1
      ],
      "sample": "586 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#agreement"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of markets where Google AI Overviews named the #1 the other eleven assistants agreed on",
      "value": 49.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        45.7,
        54.8
      ],
      "sample": "431 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#agreement"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Average overlap between two memory assistants' local picks",
      "value": 32,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        31,
        33
      ],
      "sample": "600 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#two-camps"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Average overlap between two web-search assistants' local picks",
      "value": 25,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        25,
        26
      ],
      "sample": "600 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#two-camps"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Average overlap between a memory assistant's and a web-search assistant's local picks",
      "value": 15,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        15,
        16
      ],
      "sample": "600 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#two-camps"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Mistral's local picks that no other assistant named",
      "value": 22.9,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        21,
        25
      ],
      "sample": "599 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#solo-picks"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Google AI Overviews' local picks that are a market's top three",
      "value": 38.1,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        35,
        40.3
      ],
      "sample": "431 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Claude's local picks that are a market's top three",
      "value": 24.8,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        24.1,
        25.5
      ],
      "sample": "591 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Ranked businesses Claude names in a typical market",
      "value": 9,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "591 markets (median)",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Ranked businesses Google AI Overviews names in a typical market",
      "value": 4,
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "431 markets (median)",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#breadth"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of its September local picks Grok named again in October",
      "value": 70.6,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        65.9,
        75.3
      ],
      "sample": "155 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#month-to-month"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of its September local picks Gemini named again in October",
      "value": 40.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        38.7,
        42.1
      ],
      "sample": "245 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#month-to-month"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of its September local picks Google AI Overviews named again in October",
      "value": 33.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": [
        29.4,
        37.5
      ],
      "sample": "152 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#month-to-month"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of legal markets outside California where Grok named a ranked lawyer",
      "value": 38,
      "unit": "%",
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "84 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#blind-spots"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Gemini's citations going to Reddit, September to October 2026",
      "value": "1% → 7%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "238 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#citation-changes"
    },
    {
      "finding": "Share of Google AI Overviews' citations going to Google Maps and business listings, September to October 2026",
      "value": "4% → 14%",
      "unit": null,
      "range_95": null,
      "sample": "161 markets",
      "source": "https://www.aisyndicate.com/research/ai-assistants-compared-october-2026/#citation-changes"
    }
  ]
}