ChatGPT vs Google AI: 62% Brand Recommendation Disagreement

Data Collected: Analyzed tens of thousands of identical prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Overview, and Google AI Mode using BrightEdge AI Catalyst to compare brand recommendations and citation patterns.

Key Finding: Platforms disagree on brand recommendations for 61.9% of queries. Only 17% of queries result in the same brands across all three platforms, revealing massive untapped visibility opportunities.

Platform Disagreement Patterns

• 61.9% of queries get different brand recommendations across platforms
• Only 33.5% of queries trigger brands from all three platforms
• Just 17% result in the same brands across all three
• Only 4.6% of queries get zero brands from all platforms
• Google AIO dominates mentions in 36.8% of queries
• ChatGPT beats both Google platforms in only 3.9% of queries

Brand Mention Averages

• ChatGPT: 2.37 brands per query
• Google AI Overview: 6.02 brands per query (2.5x higher than ChatGPT)
• Google AI Mode: 1.59 brands per query
• ChatGPT silent on 43.4% of queries
• Google AIO silent on only 9.1% of queries
• Google AIM silent on 46.8% of queries

The Citation Paradox

• ChatGPT: Mentions 3.2x MORE than cites (2.37 mentions vs. 0.73 citations)
• Google AIO: Cites 2.4x MORE than mentions (14.30 citations vs. 6.02 mentions)
• Google AIM: Cites 6x MORE than mentions (9.49 citations vs. 1.59 mentions)
• ChatGPT = trust/training data patterns
• Google = transparent source trails

Same Brand Alignment Triggers

• “Compare” queries: 80% same-brand agreement (highest)
• “Buy” queries: 62% same-brand agreement
• “Where” queries: 38% same-brand agreement
• “Best” queries: 23% same-brand agreement
• Overall: Only 17% of queries get same brands across platforms

Industry Disagreement Rates

• Healthcare: 68.5% disagreement
• Education: 62.1% disagreement
• B2B Tech: 61.7% disagreement
• Finance: 57.9% disagreement
• E-Commerce: 57.1% disagreement (lowest)