We asked ChatGPT and Google AI to recommend B2B software in 5 categories. Here's who got named, who didn't, and why.

More B2B buyers now build their first shortlist by asking an AI. They don’t start with a search results page or a G2 grid. They type something like “what’s the best CRM for a company our size?” and read whatever comes back.

So we asked. We put the same plain question to ChatGPT and to Google’s AI Overviews in five everyday software categories, then compared who got named. The two engines agreed on the big names. Where they disagreed, the sources Google showed made it easy to see why.

How we did it

• Engines:ChatGPT (chatgpt.com, logged out, new chat for each question) and Google Search AI Overviews (logged out, US English). We also tried Perplexity, but every logged-out question hit a “Sign up and repeat your request” wall, so it’s left out.
• Date: October 16, 2026, between about 4:18 and 4:22 PM CT.
• Prompts: one neutral question per category, word for word the same on both engines:
  • “What are the best CRM tools for a mid-sized B2B company?”
  • “What are the best project management tools for a mid-sized B2B company?”
  • “What are the best payroll tools for a mid-sized B2B company?”
  • “What are the best cybersecurity tools for a mid-sized B2B company?”
  • “What are the best analytics tools for a mid-sized B2B company?”
• What we recorded: every tool named, in order, plus every source the engine showed.

One caveat before the results. This is one run per prompt, on one day, logged out. AI answers change between runs, between users and over time. Read this as a snapshot of how these engines behaved that afternoon, not as a ranking.

CRM: near-total agreement

Four of the five names matched, and HubSpot came first on both. Each engine had one name the other didn’t. ChatGPT included Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Google included Insightly. One of Google’s listed sources was Insightly’s own page, “The Best CRM for Mid-Sized Businesses.”

Project management: Google led with two names ChatGPT never mentioned

The two engines shared six tools. But Google’s top two picks were Workzone (“Best Overall for Mid-Sized Teams”) and Celoxis, and ChatGPT named neither. Both cited pages belong to those vendors: Workzone’s “Best Project Management Software for Mid-Sized Teams” and Celoxis’s “Best Project Management Software for Mid-Size Companies: Celoxis vs 7 Alternatives.” Each page uses almost the same words as the question we asked.

Payroll: same core, a different number one

Rippling, ADP, Paylocity and Paychex showed up on both. Google put HiBob first, and its source chip for that line was a third-party SitePoint article, “Best HR and Payroll Software for SMBs.” ChatGPT didn’t mention HiBob. It added Deel for international hiring and Gusto for simpler US payroll, and Google named neither. Paylocity’s own midsize-business page was one of Google’s sources, as was a 2024 Reddit thread in r/Bookkeeping.

Cybersecurity: the biggest split

ChatGPTnamed 26 products. It organized them into a full stack (endpoint, identity, email, cloud, managed detection, vulnerability management, compliance, backups and more) and offered three example setups. Five of the products were Microsoft’s: Defender for Endpoint, Entra ID, Defender for Office 365, Sentinel and Intune. Its lean starting stack was built on Microsoft 365. The only source it showed was a citation to CISA guidance.

Googlenamed six entries: CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne Singularity, Vade Secure, Darktrace, Cortex XSOAR, and “Okta or Duo Security.”

Only CrowdStrike and Okta appeared on both. Google didn’t name a single Microsoft security product, and ChatGPT didn’t name SentinelOne, Vade Secure, Darktrace, Cortex XSOAR or Duo. SentinelOne’s own SMB cybersecurity guide was among Google’s sources.

Analytics: Google went niche and B2B-specific

Five names overlapped: HubSpot, Mixpanel, Amplitude, Tableau and Power BI. ChatGPT answered with general business-intelligence and web-analytics tools. Google sorted its answer into B2B attribution, product analytics and revenue metrics, and put Cometly first. One of its listed sources was Cometly’s own “9 Best Marketing Analytics Tools for B2B Companies in 2026.” Leadfeeder appeared with a Leadfeeder source chip. Dreamdata was attributed to a SourceLoop comparison. None of Cometly, Dreamdata, 6sense, Pendo, ChartMogul, Leadfeeder or Supermetrics appeared in ChatGPT’s answer.

Why some brands got named

From one run we can’t prove what causes a mention. But the sources the engines showed point to a few clear patterns.

1. Vendors that wrote the “best X for mid-sized companies” page got pulled in. In Google’s answers, Workzone, Celoxis, Insightly, Cometly, SentinelOne and Paylocity were all named alongside a source page from their own site that answered our question nearly word for word. Workzone, Celoxis and Cometly came first in their categories. The pattern held for both big vendors and small ones.
2. Third-party listicles and comparisons carry the rest. Google’s source panels were mostly roundups: Forbes Advisor (CRM and project management), TechRepublic, Dotsquares, 4dev.com, SourceLoop, Upsolve AI, NetDiligence, Corsica Technologies. HiBob’s top payroll spot was attributed to a SitePoint article, not to HiBob’s own site.
3. Fresh content shows up.Most of the dated sources in Google’s panels were from 2026, including several from September and October. Some older pieces still made it in, like a 2024 NetDiligence list and a 2024 Reddit thread.
4. Reddit counts.Reddit threads were among Google’s sources for both CRM and payroll.
5. ChatGPT leaned on official sites and household names. Its visible links were mostly vendor homepages and pricing pages, with a few third-party chips (TechRadar, iTechGuides, G2 Learn Hub, TechnologyAdvice). Its picks skewed toward the most established brands in each category, and toward Microsoft wherever there was a Microsoft product.
6. Clear category language matched the question.The vendor pages that got cited don’t describe their product in clever terms. They describe it in the buyer’s words: “project management software for mid-sized teams,” “CRM for mid-sized businesses,” “payroll software for midsize business.”

What this means for your brand

• Being well known doesn’t guarantee a spot. ChatGPT and Google agreed on the market leaders, but the rest of each list was up for grabs, and they filled those spots differently.
• A smaller brand can lead an AI answer. Workzone, Celoxis and Cometly each came first in a Google AI Overview, ahead of much bigger names. Each had a page answering the exact question buyers ask.
• Check each engine separately. If you sell security software, being named on Google tells you nothing about ChatGPT, and the reverse is also true.
• Your third-party footprint counts. Roundups, comparison posts and community threads made up most of the sources these engines showed.
• Ask your own question.Type the question your buyers would ask into both engines and see who comes back. If it isn’t you, look at who is and what they’ve published.

That’s the work we do at Crescendo: getting B2B brands named and cited in AI answers. If you want to know whether your brand is a fit, check if you’re a fit (60 sec).