How AI answer engines name Perplexity
Data through October 24, 2026
Across 1,338 answers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI surfaces gave to buyer questions about AI Visibility & GEO between May 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026, Perplexity was named in 806 (60.2%).
By engine
Answers each engine gave to buyer questions in the 4 categories where Perplexity was named at least 3 times, and how many of them named Perplexity.
| Engine | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 171 | 804 | 21.3% |
| Claude | 167 | 813 | 20.5% |
| Gemini | 306 | 805 | 38.0% |
| Perplexity | 185 | 784 | 23.6% |
| Google AI Mode | 16 | 177 | 9.0% |
| Google AI Overviews | 10 | 74 | 13.5% |
By question type
The same answers, split by the shape of the buyer question.
| Question type | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best-of | 204 | 452 | 45.1% |
| Ranked list | 148 | 408 | 36.3% |
| Head-to-head | 116 | 451 | 25.7% |
| Is it worth it | 141 | 470 | 30.0% |
| How to choose | 142 | 445 | 31.9% |
| Problem first | 67 | 443 | 15.1% |
| News | 37 | 788 | 4.7% |
Week by week
Perplexity was named in at least one answer in 17 of the 18 weeks on record; the latest was the week of October 19, 2026.
Each week's answers to buyer questions in the 4 categories where Perplexity was named at least 3 times, Monday to Sunday, newest first, and how many of them named Perplexity. The questions asked can differ from one week to the next.
| Week of | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 108 | 260 | 41.5% | |
| 84 | 236 | 35.6% | |
| 54 | 239 | 22.6% | |
| 102 | 336 | 30.4% | |
| 96 | 336 | 28.6% | |
| 63 | 232 | 27.2% | |
| 94 | 347 | 27.1% | |
| 123 | 372 | 33.1% | |
| 94 | 311 | 30.2% | |
| 7 | 84 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | 80 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | 107 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | 95 | 8.4% | |
| 2 | 66 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | 194 | 3.6% | |
| 2 | 111 | 1.8% | |
| 2 | 48 | 4.2% | |
| 0 | 3 | 0.0% |
Named first
When an answer named Perplexity alongside another brand in this record, it was named first in 405 of 702 (57.7%).
Named alongside
Sources the engines cited when they named Perplexity
Domains cited in answers that named Perplexity, by the number of those answers that cited them.
| Domain | Answers |
|---|---|
| youtube.com | 132 |
| reddit.com | 125 |
| semrush.com | 100 |
| hubspot.com | 94 |
| seranking.com | 88 |
| tryprofound.com | 81 |
| therankmasters.com | 77 |
| stackmatix.com | 66 |
| dageno.ai | 63 |
| otterly.ai | 60 |
Perplexity's own site (perplexity.ai) was cited in 0 of 865 (0.0%).
Across every answer run in the Machine Relations Index, not only the answers that named Perplexity, perplexity.ai was cited in 5 of 30,766 (0.02%), by 2 of the 6 engines it observes. The Index is still collecting evidence on perplexity.ai before it grades or ranks it.
Across every AI Visibility & GEO buyer question, not only the answers that named Perplexity, the Machine Relations Index ranks which sources AI engines cite for AI Visibility & GEO questions.
All categories
| Category | Named | Answers | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Visibility & GEO | 806 | 1,338 | 60.2% |
| PR & Earned Media | 29 | 287 | 10.1% |
| AI Security & Privacy | 12 | 1,331 | 0.9% |
| Enterprise AI | 8 | 501 | 1.6% |
| AI Infrastructure | 2 | 1,331 | 0.2% |
| Martech & Advertising | 2 | 1,054 | 0.2% |
| Professional Services | 2 | 401 | 0.5% |
| Enterprise Software | 1 | 1,751 | 0.1% |
| Healthcare Services | 1 | 1,603 | 0.1% |
| Legal & Compliance | 1 | 486 | 0.2% |
| Sales, GTM & CRM | 1 | 357 | 0.3% |
Para Labs research that names Perplexity
- Strac Holds Top 10, Then Falls to 309th (September 29, 2026)
- Any Two Buyer Questions Share 2 Sources Of 10 (September 28, 2026)
- Nature Made Holds Rank 9 in AI Comparison Answers and Rank 273 in AI Roundups: A Consumer-Health Shape Gap (September 24, 2026)
- Shopping-Shape Carriers, Re-Measured: 6 of 7 Vendors That Hold Two Shopping Shapes Also Hold a Top-10 Decision-Question Slot. 3 of 25 Single-Shape Vendors Do. (September 19, 2026)
- Shopping-Shape Cross-Section: In 26 of 33 Cases a Vendor Holds a Top-10 AI Citation Slot in Only One Question Shape (September 18, 2026)
How this is measured
Names are matched case-sensitively from each brand's own homepage title, in answers stored by the Machine Relations Index. Only derived counts are published here; no answer text is.
A brand appears only once it has been named in at least 10 answers on 7 separate days.
A name match counts a mention. It does not count a recommendation, and it does not measure sentiment.
Categories are the Index's buyer-question categories.
Source: Machine Relations Index.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT recommend Perplexity?
ChatGPT named Perplexity in 171 of 804 answers (21.3%) to buyer questions in the 4 categories where Perplexity was named at least 3 times between May 10, 2026 and October 24, 2026. This record counts a name, not a recommendation: it does not judge whether the answer endorsed Perplexity.
Which sources do AI engines cite when they mention Perplexity?
The domains cited most often in answers that named Perplexity were youtube.com (132 answers), reddit.com (125 answers) and semrush.com (100 answers).
Which AI engine names Perplexity most often?
Gemini, at 38.0%: it named Perplexity in 306 of 805 answers to buyer questions in the 4 categories where Perplexity was named at least 3 times.