Who AI recommends as an AEO agency in 2026

From our platform (September 2026): ChatGPT and Perplexity rarely agree on which AEO agency to recommend. Only about 1 in 8 of the companies named (12%) showed up on both. ChatGPT leaned on directories: Clutch alone was 51% of the links it cited. About half (49%) of Perplexity's sources were "best of" lists, many written by agencies.

Every figure on this page comes from our platform's data, September 2026, unless it links somewhere else. The method and its limits come first, before the findings. These figures show who gets named. They are not a ranking of quality.

Key numbers

How did we run the study?

In September 2026, our platform asked ChatGPT and Perplexity the questions B2B SaaS buyers ask when they choose an AEO agency. Web search was on. It recorded which companies each answer named and which sources it used. Then it grouped the sources by type.

Questions. They cover "best AEO agency", GEO agencies, AI SEO, SaaS SEO agencies, pricing, red flags and timelines. Examples are listed at the end of this page. They sit inside a wider set of buyer questions we track.

Names. The companies, agencies and products named in each answer were read automatically. A name counts once in each answer, however often it appears there. We dropped the AI engines themselves.

Sources. The two engines show sources in different ways, so we treat them differently. For ChatGPT, sources are the links it cites in the answer. For Perplexity, they are the pages it read to write the answer. So compare the mix of source types between the engines, never the totals.

Source types. Each source was sorted by fixed rules on its domain and path:

Media sites and community sites (Reddit, LinkedIn, YouTube) make up the rest.

What are the limits of this data?

• Answers change from one ask to the next. A brand named once may not be named again. Treat every figure as a snapshot of September 2026.
• Names were read automatically, so expect some noise. The list includes things that are not agencies: directories (Clutch, G2), publishers (Forbes), tools (Profound, Semrush, Ahrefs), client names that answers mention as examples (such as Jasper, Loom, Asana and Mentimeter), and the generic terms "AEO" and "GEO". We report the names as read.
• Name variants were not merged. "Directive" and "Directive Consulting" are counted apart, as are "RevenueZen" and "RevenueZen by Eastern Standard". Each pair is most likely one company; we left them as read rather than guess.
• Source types come from rules, not people. A list on a site our rules do not tag as an agency counts as a third-party list, even if the publisher is an agency. So the agency-written share is a floor, not a ceiling.
• The engines' sources are not like for like. ChatGPT figures are links it cited in the text. Perplexity figures are the sources it read.
• English only, no location set. Results in other languages or markets may differ.

Finding 1: do ChatGPT and Perplexity agree on which agencies to recommend?

Rarely. Only about 1 in 8 of the companies named (12%) appeared in both ChatGPT's and Perplexity's answers. ChatGPT named about 50% more different companies than Perplexity.

The gap shows up question by question too. Often, when both engines named agencies for the same question, they named none in common.

Most names do not repeat, even on the same engine. Two thirds of the companies ChatGPT named appeared only once.

Perplexity was steadier. It more often named the same agency each time a question was asked. When ChatGPT did repeat a name, it was often Clutch or G2, which are directories, not agencies.

The brands named by both engines (alphabetical, as read): AEO (generic term), Avenue Z, B2BSEO, derivatex, Directive Consulting, Discovered Labs, First Page Sage, Flow Agency, GEO (generic term), GrowPad, Ignite Visibility, Intero Digital, iPullRank, LoudFace, MADX Digital, Minuttia, Obility, Omniscient Digital, Omnius, PipeRocket Digital, Profound (a software tool), RevenueZen, Searchbloom, SEO Brand, Siege Media, SimpleTiger, Skale, Stratabeat, Victorious, Virayo, WebFX.

Two of these are generic terms and one is a software tool, not an agency.

Finding 2: do the two engines read the same sources?

No. On the agency questions, 62% of the links ChatGPT cited were directories and review sites. For Perplexity, directories were under 1% of the sources it read. About half of Perplexity's sources were "best of" lists.

One site leads ChatGPT's links. Clutch alone was 51% of the links ChatGPT cited on agency questions. The link it cited most was Clutch's "generative engine optimization" category page.

On Perplexity, lists made up about half (49%) of the sources it read: 27% written by agencies and 23% by third parties.

The pattern holds across all the buyer questions our platform tracks, not only the agency ones:

We cover what this means for any B2B company in how ChatGPT decides which companies to recommend.

Finding 3: who writes the "best AEO agency" lists that AI reads?

Often an agency that is also on the list. These are the list pages Perplexity read most often on our agency questions, most-read first. ChatGPT cited none of them.

We opened all nine on 1 October 2026. Eight put their own publisher, or the author's employer, in first place. That includes concurate.com, which our rules filed as a third-party list, and the LinkedIn post, written by someone at the agency it ranks first. The ninth, from an AEO tool vendor, ranks agencies and lists its own tool separately. None of the list pages we opened explained how they tested what AI engines say.

Publishing a list about your own market is normal practice, and many of these lists state criteria. The point for a buyer is simple: when Perplexity recommends an agency, the sources behind that answer are often lists that agencies wrote.

Finding 4: which brands get named most, by engine?

Different names lead on each engine. Only Siege Media is near the top on both. The tables show the share of agency answers on each engine that named each brand. Names are shown as read, with variants not merged.

ChatGPT: share of answers naming each brand

Also named often on ChatGPT, in fewer answers: Angelfish Marketing, Funnel Boost Media, Stellar AEO Labs, Ignite Visibility, RevenueZen by Eastern Standard, Takeoff Agency, Forbes (publisher), Intero Digital, Generate More and MADX Digital.

Perplexity: share of answers naming each brand

Also named often on Perplexity, in fewer answers: Rock The Rankings, Directive Consulting, Grow and Convert, RevenueZen, NoGood, Embarque, Mentimeter (software company) and MADX Digital.

LoudFace appeared in under 3% of answers on both engines.

Being named often is not the same as being good. It shows which sources an engine read at that time. On ChatGPT, the most-named "brand" was a directory, not an agency.

What does this mean if you are choosing an agency?

Use AI answers as a long list, not a verdict. The two engines gave different names, the names changed from one ask to the next, and many of the sources were written by agencies about themselves.

• Ask two engines, more than once. One answer is a sample of one.
• Open the sources. Check who wrote the list and whether it shows a method.
• Ask every agency for its method. Which questions, which engines, how often they re-check, and how they link mentions to pipeline. That includes us.
• Compare published prices directly. As of 1 Oct 2026, the published retainers we checked start from USD 3,000 a month for Optimist advisory. They go up to EUR 15,995+ a month for Discovered Labs' Outlier plan. Several agencies AI names most, such as iPullRank and Siege Media, publish no price.
• Be wary of promises. No one controls what an AI engine says. Treat promised rankings or citations as a red flag.

What does this mean if you want your company named?

Work where each engine reads. In our platform's data, that meant review directories for ChatGPT and "best of" lists and guides for Perplexity. One page on your own site will not cover both.

• For ChatGPT: build complete, honest profiles on the directories it cites, such as Clutch and G2. Reviews must come from real clients.
• For Perplexity: earn a place on third-party lists in your category with real proof. Publish your own list only if it states its method and treats rivals fairly.
• For both: answer buyer questions plainly on your own pages, with prices, proof and a clear "who this is for".
• Measure it. Track a fixed set of buyer questions on each engine, and re-check each one, because AI answers change from one ask to the next. Then tie it to leads and deals.

We explain the source patterns in more depth in how ChatGPT decides which companies to recommend.

Where does Noudar AI stand?

Nowhere yet. AI does not name Noudar AI yet: we did not appear in any AI answer about agencies.

That is our honest starting point. We have no client case studies yet. We will ask the same questions again and publish the next round on this page, flat results included. We plan the next round for late October 2026.

Examples of the questions we asked

• What's the best AEO agency for a B2B SaaS company?
• Best answer engine optimization agencies in 2026
• Which AEO agencies actually get SaaS companies mentioned in ChatGPT?
• Recommend an AEO agency for a Series A SaaS startup
• Top AEO agencies in Europe for B2B tech companies
• Best generative engine optimization agency for B2B SaaS
• Who are the leading GEO agencies right now?
• Best SEO agency for SaaS companies in 2026
• SEO agency for a SaaS company with $2M ARR
• How much does an AEO agency cost for a B2B SaaS company?
• Red flags when hiring an AEO or GEO agency
• How long does it take an AEO agency to get results?

Questions that ask for advice more than names, such as pricing, red flags and timelines, produced few or no brands. The full question list is available on request: hello@noudar.ai.

Want to know what AI says about your company?

We turn AI visibility into pipeline. Our free AI visibility audit asks your buyers' questions on ChatGPT and Perplexity. We re-check every question, because AI answers change from one ask to the next. It shows who AI names instead of you, the sources behind each answer and your top 3 blockers. Results in 12 hours.

Get your free AI visibility audit

We are also opening our Design-Partner batch 1: 3 spots, open until 31 Oct 2026. You pay EUR 1,500 at the start and EUR 1,500 at day 90. If we miss the goals agreed at kickoff, you get a refund. A case study with us is part of the deal. See pricing