Software is the industry of companies whose product is software: SaaS tools, business applications, mobile apps and AI tools. When people ask AI assistants which tool to choose, the answers lean on vendor websites, software directories and review platforms, developer communities and, for regulated features such as invoicing, e-signature or personal data, official government pages.
ShopifyShopifyBiggest movers in October 2026
Most cited domains in AI answers, Software
5 of the 10 most cited domains in Software (GitHub, antsroute.com and sage.com) do not appear among the 50 most cited domains of the whole panel.
How to read it: each bar is a domain; its length is its number of citations per 100 answers over the selected period and filters.
Domains ranked by citations per 100 answers, all periods combined.
| Rank | Rank change | Domain | Citations | per 100 answers | Share of citations | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unchanged | Shopify shopify.com | 2'419 | 9.07 | 1.98% | Trend: 12.81 in Jul 2026, 6.98 in Oct 2026, high 12.81. |
| 2 | new |  woocommerce.com | 637 | 2.39 | 0.52% | 6.85 in Oct 2026. |
| 3 | Down 1 |  GitHub github.com | 631 | 2.37 | 0.52% | Trend: 1.97 in Jul 2026, 2.63 in Oct 2026, high 2.63. |
| 4 | Down 3 |  cnil.fr | 608 | 2.28 | 0.50% | Trend: 2.03 in Jul 2026, 2.30 in Oct 2026, high 2.66. |
| 5 | Unchanged |  Salesforce salesforce.com | 594 | 2.23 | 0.49% | Trend: 4.40 in Jul 2026, 1.82 in Oct 2026, high 4.40. |
| 6 | new |  WordPress wordpress.com | 497 | 1.86 | 0.41% | 5.35 in Oct 2026. |
| 7 | Down 8 |  antsroute.com | 488 | 1.83 | 0.40% | Trend: 2.48 in Jul 2026, 1.46 in Oct 2026, high 2.48. |
| 8 | out of top |  sage.com | 472 | 1.77 | 0.39% | Trend: 3.74 in Jul 2026, 1.34 in Sep 2026, high 3.74. |
| 9 | Down 1 |  rentila.com | 451 | 1.69 | 0.37% | Trend: 2.37 in Aug 2026, 2.25 in Oct 2026, high 2.37. |
| 10 | new |
| 435 | 1.63 | 0.36% | 4.68 in Oct 2026. |
| 11 | Down 6 |  adobe.com | 425 | 1.59 | 0.35% | Trend: 3.30 in Sep 2026, 2.11 in Oct 2026, high 3.30. |
| 12 | Down 5 |  HubSpot hubspot.com | 396 | 1.48 | 0.32% | Trend: 2.41 in Jul 2026, 1.65 in Oct 2026, high 2.41. |
| 13 | out of top |  yousign.com | 327 | 1.23 | 0.27% | Trend: 2.60 in Jul 2026, 1.38 in Sep 2026, high 2.60. |
| 14 | Down 14 |  Amazon amazon.com | 325 | 1.22 | 0.27% | Trend: 1.63 in Aug 2026, 1.31 in Oct 2026, high 1.77. |
| 15 | out of top |  g2.com | 325 | 1.22 | 0.27% | Trend: 2.50 in Jul 2026, 1.58 in Sep 2026, high 2.50. |
| 16 | No comparison |  pennylane.com | 317 | 1.19 | 0.26% | Trend: 3.89 in Jul 2026, 2.08 in Aug 2026, high 3.89. |
| 17 | Down 5 |  apollo.io | 314 | 1.18 | 0.26% | Trend: 1.81 in Sep 2026, 2.02 in Oct 2026, high 2.02. |
| 18 | No comparison |  indy.fr | 269 | 1.01 | 0.22% | Trend: 2.48 in Jul 2026, 2.69 in Aug 2026, high 2.69. |
| 19 | Up 8 |  lodgify.com | 269 | 1.01 | 0.22% | Trend: 1.40 in Sep 2026, 1.85 in Oct 2026, high 1.85. |
| 20 | No comparison |  qonto.com | 269 | 1.01 | 0.22% | Trend: 3.17 in Jul 2026, 1.92 in Aug 2026, high 3.17. |
Rankings are rebuilt from monthly rankings: the counts at the end of a list can be minimums. Industry: the business of the analyzed website, classified by Sorank. Data since July 2026. Rank change: rank in the October 2026 monthly list against September 2026 (new: absent from the September 2026 list). A dash: fewer than 1'000 answers in one of the two months in this scope, or absent from the October 2026 list. 12 months: monthly rate per 100 answers; gaps when the domain is out of the monthly list, hollow points for months under 1'000 answers.
Most cited platforms in AI answers, Software
Shopify is the platform AI cites most in Software: 7.47 citations per 100 answers, 8.9 times its rate across all sectors over the same months (0.84).
How to read it: each bar is one of the tracked platforms; its length is its number of citations per 100 answers over the selected period.
| Rank | Rank change | Platform | per 100 answers | 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unchanged | Shopify | 7.47 | Trend: 9.84 in Jul 2026, 6.14 in Oct 2026, high 9.84. |
| 2 | Down 1 |  Microsoft | 2.86 | Trend: 3.94 in Jul 2026, 2.75 in Oct 2026, high 3.94. |
| 3 | Up 8 |  Apple | 2.62 | Trend: 1.57 in Jul 2026, 5.11 in Oct 2026, high 5.11. |
| 4 | Down 3 | GitHub | 2.28 | Trend: 1.83 in Jul 2026, 2.56 in Oct 2026, high 2.56. |
| 5 | Unchanged | Salesforce | 2.04 | Trend: 3.98 in Jul 2026, 1.70 in Oct 2026, high 3.98. |
| 6 | Up 17 | WordPress | 1.83 | Trend: 0.20 in Jul 2026, 4.84 in Oct 2026, high 4.84. |
| 7 | Down 2 | HubSpot | 1.54 | Trend: 1.92 in Jul 2026, 1.59 in Oct 2026, high 1.92. |
| 8 | Down 4 | Amazon | 1.45 | Trend: 1.37 in Jul 2026, 1.28 in Oct 2026, high 1.71. |
| 9 | Down 2 |  YouTube | 1.36 | Trend: 4.76 in Jul 2026, 0.26 in Oct 2026, high 4.76. |
| 10 | Down 2 |  LinkedIn | 1.15 | Trend: 1.37 in Jul 2026, 1.14 in Oct 2026, high 1.37. |
Rank change: rank among the platforms cited in October 2026 against September 2026 (new: not cited in September 2026). A dash: fewer than 1'000 answers in one of the two months in this scope, or not cited in October 2026. 12 months: monthly rate per 100 answers, hollow points for months under 1'000 answers.
AI models compared
AI assistants do not agree on the first source in Software: ChatGPT and Gemini cite Shopify first; Perplexity cites YouTube first; Claude cites apple.com first.
How to read it: left, how the citations split between the five models; right, each model's citations per 100 answers over time.
First source of each AI model in Software
ChatGPT
Gemini
Perplexity
Claude
GrokWhat do people ask AI assistants about software?
Software prompts are mostly decision prompts. Buyers use ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity to build a shortlist before they open a free trial, so the question usually names a task and a type of user.
- Selection: "best invoicing software for freelancers", "CRM for a 10-person sales team", "booking app for a hair salon".
- Alternatives and comparisons: "cheaper alternative to Salesforce", "Notion or Confluence for internal documentation".
- Compliance: "is this electronic signature legally valid", "which accounting software is ready for mandatory e-invoicing", "is this tool GDPR compliant".
- How-to: "how to connect my online store to my accounting tool", "how to export contacts from HubSpot".
Each intent pulls a different family of sources, which explains why the domains cited in this industry look so varied.
Which sources do AI models rely on for software recommendations?
Four types of sites carry most of the weight.
- Vendor websites. Product pages, pricing pages and help centres of large publishers such as Microsoft, Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe or Shopify are cited for their own products and also as reference explanations of a category (what a CRM does, how a payment gateway works).
- Software directories and review platforms. G2, Capterra or Trustpilot give AI models structured comparisons, user ratings and category pages that fit "best X for Y" prompts.
- Official and regulatory sources. In French-language answers, the data protection authority (CNIL), the national cybersecurity agency and government portals for small businesses appear whenever a question touches on personal data, e-signature or invoicing obligations.
- Developer and community platforms. GitHub, YouTube tutorials, Reddit threads and LinkedIn posts are cited for open-source options, setup guides and first-hand feedback. GitHub weighs noticeably more in English answers.
Why specialised vendors can win AI citations
An AI answer about software often lists several tools by name, each with a short justification and sometimes a link. That format leaves room for specialised publishers: a niche tool with a clear page for "rental management software for landlords" can be cited next to global brands, because it answers the exact prompt better.
The flip side is that AI models summarise what they can read. If a pricing page is vague, if the feature list hides behind a demo form, or if directories describe the product with outdated information, the answer repeats those gaps. A software company is cited for what is publicly readable, not for what its sales team explains on a call.
For software companies, GEO (Generative Engine Optimization, the practice of making content easy for AI assistants to find and cite) is therefore largely a documentation exercise. Unlinked brand mentions count as well: many answers name a product without citing its domain, and those mentions still shape the buyer's shortlist.
How to get a software product cited by AI assistants
- Publish one page per use case and per target user (for example "scheduling software for physiotherapists"), with a plain-language definition of what the tool does in the first paragraph.
- Keep a public pricing page with plan names, prices and limits written as text, so an AI can quote them without guessing.
- Claim and complete your profiles on G2, Capterra and similar directories, and ask active customers for a review right after a successful onboarding milestone.
- Write honest comparison and alternative pages that state which type of customer each option suits; AI answers tend to reuse balanced comparisons rather than sales copy.
- Document compliance in detail (GDPR, data hosting location, certifications, e-invoicing or e-signature standards), using the exact regulation names an AI will look for.
- Track which prompts cite your product and which cite competitors with an AI mention tracker such as Sorank, then fill the gaps with targeted pages.
Related industries
Sectors sharing the most domains with Software among their 20 most cited, then sectors with a similar number of answers.
Frequently asked questions
Do review sites like G2 or Capterra influence ChatGPT's software recommendations?
Yes, indirectly. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini often retrieve directory and review pages when a prompt asks for the best tool in a category, because those pages already group options, ratings and prices. A complete, well-reviewed profile raises the chance that your product enters the shortlist the AI builds, although the final answer also draws on vendor sites and community discussions.
Why does an AI cite a government website for a software question?
Because many software purchases depend on a legal requirement. Questions about electronic invoicing, e-signature validity, personal data or security obligations are best answered by the official source, so AI models cite regulators and public portals alongside the tools. Vendors who explain the rule clearly and connect their features to it are more likely to be cited in the same answer.
Can a small SaaS company be cited by AI next to Salesforce or Microsoft?
Yes, especially on specific prompts. Large vendors dominate generic questions, but a prompt such as "invoicing app for craftsmen" or "CRM for real estate agents" rewards the page that matches the niche precisely. Clear use-case pages, public pricing and reviews on independent platforms give a smaller publisher a realistic path into AI answers.
Does an AI mention of my software count if there is no link?
It counts for visibility, not for traffic. Many AI answers name products without a clickable source, especially in chat interfaces that display only a few links. Those unlinked mentions still shape the buyer's shortlist, so it is worth tracking both brand mentions and cited URLs to understand how often your product is actually recommended.
Which websites do AI assistants cite for Software businesses?
Shopify (9.07 citations per 100 answers), woocommerce.com (2.39) and GitHub (2.37), across 26'668 answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity about Software businesses since July 2026.
Which platforms do AI assistants cite in Software?
Shopify (7.47 citations per 100 answers), Microsoft (2.86) and Apple (2.62).
Method and sources
498'158 answers from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity, from August 2025 to October 2026, to the questions Sorank asks every week to follow its clients' visibility (87% of them in French). A citation is a source domain given in an answer; the rate is the number of citations per 100 answers. Data snapshot of 2 November 2026.
Full methodology · Raw data (JSON)
How to cite this page: Sorank Data, “Websites AI cites most in Software (October 2026)”, sorank.com/data, data snapshot of 2 November 2026.
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