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Original research · measured 2026-08-27

Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?

We asked two AI answer engines 16 B2B software buying questions twice and recorded all 768 cited URLs. See which sources they used and how often.

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Findings

768 citations from 125 domains, and five patterns in them.

Finding 01

105 vs 27

The two engines drew on very different source pools.

Perplexity Sonar cited 636 URLs from 105 domains (19.9 per answer). The OpenAI model cited 132 URLs from 27 domains (4.1 per answer) for the same questions. Visibility measured on one engine does not transfer to another.

Finding 02

28 of 32

Reddit was the most-cited domain, but only on one engine.

reddit.com appeared in 28 of 64 answers, more than any vendor's own site. Every one of those answers came from Perplexity Sonar; the OpenAI model cited Reddit in 0 of 32. A pooled "Reddit matters for AI" claim would hide that split.

Finding 03

89%

Most citations pointed away from the vendors being recommended.

Only 81 of 768 URLs were the own sites of the ten tracked vendors. The rest were comparison articles, independent reviews, agency posts, communities, and the blogs of other software companies. Several of the most-cited domains belong to vendors outside the tracked set that publish category round-ups, including custify.com, sequenzy.com, and hubspot.com.

Finding 04

2 of 768

Review marketplaces were almost absent.

Across g2.com, capterra.com, trustradius.com, getapp.com, softwareadvice.com, the answers cited 2 URLs, both on learn.g2.com, G2's editorial blog, rather than a product listing or review page. This likely reflects what the retrieval layer could reach, not a model judgment about review sites; treat it as a finding about this setup.

Finding 05

14/16 vs 2/16

Asking the same question twice changed the sources on one engine.

We ran every question twice within minutes. Perplexity Sonar returned the identical set of cited domains in 14 of 16 pairs. The OpenAI model did so in 2 of 16, with an average domain overlap of 55% between runs. A single observation from that engine is a sample, not a baseline.

By engine

Same questions, different evidence.

Engine (model)AnswersCited URLsURLs per answerUnique domainsAnswers citing RedditIdentical sources on rerun
OpenAI model with web searchopenai/gpt-5.6-luna321324.1270 of 322 of 16 pairs
Perplexity Sonarperplexity/sonar-pro3263619.910528 of 3214 of 16 pairs
Bar chart comparing the sources cited by two AI answer engines for the same 16 questions, measured 2026-08-27: OpenAI model with web search cited 4.1 URLs per answer from 27 unique domains; Perplexity Sonar cited 19.9 URLs per answer from 105 unique domains.
Cited URLs per answer and unique domains cited, by engine, for the same 16 questions.Measured 2026-08-27, 07:38–07:47 UTC. Pilot sample: 64 answers from 16 questions, 2 engines via API, 2 runs each. API answers, not the consumer apps; not a market census. Point-in-time measurement. Not a guarantee of future AI recommendations.Source: RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? (CC BY 4.0)
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<figure><a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-engine-sources"><img src="https://recoproof.com/charts/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software/engine-sources.svg" alt="Bar chart comparing the sources cited by two AI answer engines for the same 16 questions, measured 2026-08-27: OpenAI model with web search cited 4.1 URLs per answer from 27 unique domains; Perplexity Sonar cited 19.9 URLs per answer from 105 unique domains." width="720" height="314" loading="lazy"></a><figcaption>Source: <a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-engine-sources">RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?</a> (CC BY 4.0). Pilot sample of 64 AI answers, measured 2026-08-27.</figcaption></figure>
Cite this data

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RecoProof and a link to the source page.

Text

Source: RecoProof, "Cited URLs and source domains, by engine", in "Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?" (2026-09-22). https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-engine-sources (CC BY 4.0)

APA

RecoProof. (2026, September 22). Cited URLs and source domains, by engine [Chart]. In Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-engine-sources

BibTeX

@misc{recoproof-research-ai-answer-citations-b2b-software-engine-sources,
  author = {{RecoProof}},
  title = {Cited URLs and source domains, by engine},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  howpublished = {\url{https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-engine-sources}},
  note = {Chart in: Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? Licensed under CC BY 4.0}
}

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Bar chart of question pairs whose cited domains were identical on rerun, out of 16 per engine, measured 2026-08-27: OpenAI model with web search 2 of 16; Perplexity Sonar 14 of 16.
Pairs of runs of the same question that cited exactly the same set of domains, out of 16 per engine.Measured 2026-08-27, 07:38–07:47 UTC. Pilot sample: 64 answers from 16 questions, 2 engines via API, 2 runs each. API answers, not the consumer apps; not a market census. Point-in-time measurement. Not a guarantee of future AI recommendations.Source: RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? (CC BY 4.0)
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<figure><a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-rerun-stability"><img src="https://recoproof.com/charts/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software/rerun-stability.svg" alt="Bar chart of question pairs whose cited domains were identical on rerun, out of 16 per engine, measured 2026-08-27: OpenAI model with web search 2 of 16; Perplexity Sonar 14 of 16." width="720" height="196" loading="lazy"></a><figcaption>Source: <a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-rerun-stability">RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?</a> (CC BY 4.0). Pilot sample of 64 AI answers, measured 2026-08-27.</figcaption></figure>
Cite this data

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RecoProof and a link to the source page.

Text

Source: RecoProof, "Identical cited domains when a question was asked twice", in "Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?" (2026-09-22). https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-rerun-stability (CC BY 4.0)

APA

RecoProof. (2026, September 22). Identical cited domains when a question was asked twice [Chart]. In Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-rerun-stability

BibTeX

@misc{recoproof-research-ai-answer-citations-b2b-software-rerun-stability,
  author = {{RecoProof}},
  title = {Identical cited domains when a question was asked twice},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  howpublished = {\url{https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-rerun-stability}},
  note = {Chart in: Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? Licensed under CC BY 4.0}
}

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By category

The domains cited most often.

Counts are answers that cited the domain at least once, out of 32 per category, plus the total URLs from that domain. “Tracked vendor” marks the own site of one of the five brands we measured in that category.

Project management software

Tracked vendors: Asana, ClickUp, monday.com, Trello, Wrike. 69 domains cited; a tracked vendor's own site appeared in 28 of 32 answers.

DomainAnswersURLsType
clickup.com16/3216Tracked vendor
project-management.com16/3220Other
monday.com15/3215Tracked vendor
asana.com14/3214Tracked vendor
reddit.com13/3213Other
atlassian.com12/3213Other
custify.com12/3212Other
larksuite.com12/3212Other
Bar chart of the 8 domains cited most often in 32 AI answers about project management software, measured 2026-08-27: clickup.com 16 of 32 (tracked vendor), project-management.com 16 of 32, monday.com 15 of 32 (tracked vendor), asana.com 14 of 32 (tracked vendor), reddit.com 13 of 32, atlassian.com 12 of 32, custify.com 12 of 32, larksuite.com 12 of 32.
The 8 most-cited domains for project management software: answers citing each domain, out of 32. Tracked vendors' own sites are highlighted.Measured 2026-08-27, 07:38–07:47 UTC. Pilot sample: 32 answers from 8 questions, 2 engines via API, 2 runs each. API answers, not the consumer apps; not a market census. Point-in-time measurement. Not a guarantee of future AI recommendations.Source: RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? (CC BY 4.0)
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<figure><a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-project-management"><img src="https://recoproof.com/charts/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software/top-domains-project-management.svg" alt="Bar chart of the 8 domains cited most often in 32 AI answers about project management software, measured 2026-08-27: clickup.com 16 of 32 (tracked vendor), project-management.com 16 of 32, monday.com 15 of 32 (tracked vendor), asana.com 14 of 32 (tracked vendor), reddit.com 13 of 32, atlassian.com 12 of 32, custify.com 12 of 32, larksuite.com 12 of 32." width="720" height="396" loading="lazy"></a><figcaption>Source: <a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-project-management">RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?</a> (CC BY 4.0). Pilot sample of 32 AI answers, measured 2026-08-27.</figcaption></figure>
Cite this data

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RecoProof and a link to the source page.

Text

Source: RecoProof, "Most-cited domains: Project management software", in "Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?" (2026-09-22). https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-project-management (CC BY 4.0)

APA

RecoProof. (2026, September 22). Most-cited domains: Project management software [Chart]. In Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-project-management

BibTeX

@misc{recoproof-research-ai-answer-citations-b2b-software-top-domains-project-management,
  author = {{RecoProof}},
  title = {Most-cited domains: Project management software},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  howpublished = {\url{https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-project-management}},
  note = {Chart in: Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? Licensed under CC BY 4.0}
}

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Email marketing software

Tracked vendors: Brevo, Constant Contact, GetResponse, Mailchimp, MailerLite. 61 domains cited; a tracked vendor's own site appeared in 15 of 32 answers.

DomainAnswersURLsType
sequenzy.com16/3248Other
ventureharbour.com16/3226Other
encharge.io15/3217Other
reddit.com15/3221Other
emailtooltester.com14/3216Other
hackceleration.com14/3214Other
hubspot.com13/3213Other
mailtrap.io12/3214Other
Bar chart of the 8 domains cited most often in 32 AI answers about email marketing software, measured 2026-08-27: sequenzy.com 16 of 32, ventureharbour.com 16 of 32, encharge.io 15 of 32, reddit.com 15 of 32, emailtooltester.com 14 of 32, hackceleration.com 14 of 32, hubspot.com 13 of 32, mailtrap.io 12 of 32.
The 8 most-cited domains for email marketing software: answers citing each domain, out of 32. Tracked vendors' own sites are highlighted.Measured 2026-08-27, 07:38–07:47 UTC. Pilot sample: 32 answers from 8 questions, 2 engines via API, 2 runs each. API answers, not the consumer apps; not a market census. Point-in-time measurement. Not a guarantee of future AI recommendations.Source: RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? (CC BY 4.0)
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<figure><a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-email-marketing"><img src="https://recoproof.com/charts/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software/top-domains-email-marketing.svg" alt="Bar chart of the 8 domains cited most often in 32 AI answers about email marketing software, measured 2026-08-27: sequenzy.com 16 of 32, ventureharbour.com 16 of 32, encharge.io 15 of 32, reddit.com 15 of 32, emailtooltester.com 14 of 32, hackceleration.com 14 of 32, hubspot.com 13 of 32, mailtrap.io 12 of 32." width="720" height="411" loading="lazy"></a><figcaption>Source: <a href="https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-email-marketing">RecoProof, Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?</a> (CC BY 4.0). Pilot sample of 32 AI answers, measured 2026-08-27.</figcaption></figure>
Cite this data

Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to RecoProof and a link to the source page.

Text

Source: RecoProof, "Most-cited domains: Email marketing software", in "Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software?" (2026-09-22). https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-email-marketing (CC BY 4.0)

APA

RecoProof. (2026, September 22). Most-cited domains: Email marketing software [Chart]. In Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-email-marketing

BibTeX

@misc{recoproof-research-ai-answer-citations-b2b-software-top-domains-email-marketing,
  author = {{RecoProof}},
  title = {Most-cited domains: Email marketing software},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  howpublished = {\url{https://recoproof.com/research/ai-answer-citations-b2b-software#chart-top-domains-email-marketing}},
  note = {Chart in: Which Sources Do AI Answers Cite for B2B Software? Licensed under CC BY 4.0}
}

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What to do with this

Four implications for B2B SaaS teams.

  1. Measure per engine. A combined “AI visibility” number would average a source pool of 27 domains with one of 105. Report each engine separately.
  2. Audit the pages that get cited, not only your own site. Most citations went to third-party comparisons. Find which round-ups the engines cite for your category and whether they describe you accurately.
  3. Do not generalise one engine's source habits. Reddit, for example, mattered on one engine and not at all on the other in this sample.
  4. Repeat before you conclude. On the engine whose sources changed between runs, one answer is a sample. Compare at least two runs before treating a gap as real, which is how RecoProof's methodology handles it.
Method

How the answers were collected.

Four buying intents (best tools, a specific use case, a shortlist request, and a constrained 25-person persona), each phrased two ways, in two categories: 16 questions. Each question went to both engines twice between 07:38 and 07:47 UTC on 2026-08-27. All 64 runs completed and were retained with their raw answers. Citations are the URLs each answer returned, grouped by domain; subdomains count toward their parent only for the tracked vendors. Total provider cost was $1.53.

All 16 questions
  • What are the best project management software options for a B2B SaaS company?
  • Which project management platforms would you recommend to a B2B SaaS business?
  • What is the best project management software for coordinating product, marketing, and customer success launches?
  • Which project management tools work well when product, marketing, and customer success teams run launches together?
  • Create a shortlist of project management tools for a growing SaaS company.
  • Which project management platforms should a scaling SaaS business evaluate?
  • What project management software would you recommend for a 25-person SaaS team that needs quick setup and cross-team reporting?
  • Which project management tool fits a SaaS company of about 25 employees that wants fast onboarding and reports across teams?
  • What are the best email marketing software options for a B2B SaaS company?
  • Which email marketing platforms would you recommend to a B2B SaaS business?
  • What is the best email marketing software for SaaS onboarding campaigns and product newsletters?
  • Which email marketing tools work well for product newsletters and automated SaaS onboarding emails?
  • Create a shortlist of email marketing tools for a growing SaaS company.
  • Which email marketing platforms should a scaling SaaS business evaluate?
  • What email marketing software would you recommend for a 25-person SaaS team that needs easy automation and straightforward reporting?
  • Which email marketing tool fits a SaaS company of about 25 employees that wants simple automations and clear campaign reports?

Raw answer text is not republished. Study version rec-gap-pilot-2026-v1. To cite this study, link to this page and name RecoProof, the sample (64 answers), and the measurement date (2026-08-27).

The charts and their CSV files are licensed under CC BY 4.0: credit RecoProof, link to the chart on this page, and keep the pilot-sample note with it. Every chart has copy-ready embed code and citations below it.

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