March 23, 202617 min read

ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini: Who They Recommend in Each Niche — 2026 Study

GEO Scout study: comparing 8 AI providers across 5 Russian market niches. Data on 716 brands — mention rate, positions, recommendations, and domain citations in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and YandexGPT.

Vladislav Puchkov

Founder of GEO Scout, GEO optimization expert

Every AI provider sees the market differently. ChatGPT may consider your brand a leader, while Claude doesn't know it exists. Gemini will recommend Aviasales in 76.7% of responses, while ChatGPT will mention it but not recommend it. YandexGPT knows Netology (96.7%) but has no idea about DigitalOcean (0%).

This is not a theoretical problem. 51% of Russians use neural networks when choosing products and services, and the share of AI traffic to commercial sites grew 6x in 2025. If your GEO strategy doesn't account for differences between providers, you're optimizing blindly.

At GEO Scout, we monitor 9 AI providers daily. In this study — the first cross-provider analysis across 5 niches: how each AI sees the Russian market, who it recommends, and where its blind spots are.

Methodology: How We Measured

The study is based on data from the GEO Scout platform, collected in March 2026.

Parameters:

• AI providers: ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Grok, Perplexity, YandexGPT — 8 platforms
• Niches: EdTech, E-commerce, FinTech, tourism, hosting
• Brands analyzed: 716
• Query type: commercial prompts in Russian (product/service selection)
• Monitoring frequency: daily

Key metrics:

• Mention rate (SoV) — in what percentage of responses AI mentions the brand. 100% means the brand is named in every response to a relevant query.
• Avg position — average brand position when AI lists several options. 1.0 — always first.
• Recommendation rate — how often AI directly recommends the brand, rather than just listing it.
• Domain citation — how often AI links to the brand's domain. Critical for traffic from AI.

Full ranking with daily updates at the GEO Scout ratings page.

ChatGPT: A Blind Spot on the Russian Market

ChatGPT is the world's most popular AI assistant. But its knowledge of the Russian market is uneven. In some niches, it gives a flawless picture; in others, it practically ignores major brands.

Where ChatGPT Is Strong: E-commerce

E-commerce is the only niche where ChatGPT shows consistently high coverage of Russian brands:

The top 3 marketplaces get 100% — ChatGPT mentions them in every response about shopping in Russia. This makes sense: Ozon and Wildberries are brands known beyond Russia, with English-language media coverage.

Where ChatGPT Fails: EdTech

A completely different picture in education:

SkillFactory is mentioned in only 6.7% of responses. Skypro and ProductStar — zero. Meanwhile, ChatGPT knows Coursera perfectly (86.7%) and Udemy. The problem is obvious: ChatGPT relies on English-language sources, and Russian EdTech is poorly represented there.

ChatGPT by Niche: Summary

ChatGPT pattern: favors international or largest brands. If your brand isn't represented in English-language sources, ChatGPT likely doesn't know about you.

Hosting: DigitalOcean matters more than Beget. ChatGPT mentions DigitalOcean (56.7%) and AWS (56.7%) more often than Beget (23.3%) or SprintHost (3.3%). The only exception is Cloud.ru at 80%. If you're a Russian hosting provider and your audience uses ChatGPT, you need an English-language content strategy.

Claude: A Selective Expert with Record Domain Citation

Claude from Anthropic shows an interesting pattern: it either knows a brand excellently or doesn't know it at all. There's little middle ground.

Record: Skillbox 100%

Claude is the only provider that mentions Skillbox in 100% of EdTech query responses. Neither Gemini nor Google AI Mode reach this level (though they also show 100% in our data — but Claude is more consistent across all query types).

The Domain Citation Phenomenon

Claude links to brand domains more often than other providers. Yandex Travel gets 62.1% domain citation — meaning in 62% of responses, Claude provides a direct link to travel.yandex.ru. For comparison, ChatGPT provides links far less frequently.

High domain citation means real traffic from AI responses. If Claude links to your site, the user will very likely click through.

Claude's Blind Spots

Despite all this, Claude completely ignores some major brands:

• MTS Bank — 0% mention rate in FinTech. While VTB gets 63.3% and Alfa — 63.3%.
• E-commerce — Ozon and WB get only 70% (vs 100% at ChatGPT and Gemini). Claude is less confident about marketplaces.

Claude pattern: deep knowledge of specific brands + high domain citation. But if Claude doesn't know you, it doesn't know you at all. Zero. No middle ground.

Gemini: The Most Complete Coverage of Russian Brands

Gemini from Google demonstrates the most even and complete coverage of the Russian market. If a brand is major, Gemini knows it. Across all five niches.

100% Is Normal for Gemini

Yandex Practicum gets an average position of 1.5 — Gemini places it first or second in nearly every response. This is the best position for an EdTech brand among all providers.

Gemini by Niche

EdTech:

E-commerce:

FinTech:

Gemini is the only provider where Gazprombank gets a notable 56.7%. ChatGPT and Claude give it significantly less.

Tourism — record Aviasales recommendation:

76.7% recommendation rate is a record across all niches and providers in our database. Gemini doesn't just mention Aviasales — it actively recommends it. Three out of four responses contain a direct recommendation.

Hosting:

Gemini pattern: the broadest and most even coverage. If a brand is major in the Russian market, Gemini knows it. The ideal baseline provider for GEO monitoring.

Google AI Mode: Best Positions and Recommendations

Google AI Mode is a relatively new format, but it already shows the best positional metrics among all providers. Brands aren't just mentioned — they consistently land in top positions.

Record Positions

Timeweb — average position 1.43. This means: in the vast majority of responses, Google AI Mode places Timeweb first. Skillbox — 1.57: consistently first or second.

For business, this is a key indicator. Users read AI responses from top to bottom. The first brand in the list gets disproportionately more clicks and attention.

Google AI Mode by Niche

E-commerce:

FinTech:

Tourism:

Hosting:

EdTech:

Google AI Mode pattern: high coverage + best positions + notable recommendation rate. If you're optimizing for one provider, Google AI Mode delivers maximum return for the Russian market.

Grok, DeepSeek, Perplexity: Quick Overview

Three "second tier" AI providers deserve special attention. Each has its own strengths.

Grok: The Recommendation King

Grok from xAI shows record recommendation rates:

Grok doesn't just mention brands — it actively advises them to the user. A 70% recommendation for Aviasales means: in 7 out of 10 responses, Grok says "I recommend Aviasales" or similar. For business, this is direct conversion: the user gets specific advice, not a list of 10 options.

Grok's high Share of Voice for many brands makes it an important provider to monitor, despite its smaller audience compared to ChatGPT.

DeepSeek: Average Coverage, High Domain Citation

DeepSeek occupies an intermediate position on coverage but stands out in domain citation:

55.2% domain citation for Netology — DeepSeek links to netology.ru in every other response. That's direct AI traffic to the site without SEO or advertising.

DeepSeek is less predictable by mention rate, but its domain citation makes it valuable for brands that manage to "anchor" there. If DeepSeek knows your domain, it will link to it more often than most other providers.

Perplexity: A Stable Middle Player

Perplexity shows even, predictable coverage:

Perplexity is an AI search assistant, and its responses most often contain source links. For brands with strong content, Perplexity becomes a stable source of AI traffic. Unlike ChatGPT, Perplexity always shows sources — meaning the user can click through to your site.

YandexGPT: Russian AI and Its Blind Spots

YandexGPT (Yandex with Alice) is the only fully Russian AI provider in our monitoring. With an audience of 88 million users, it's the most widely used AI assistant in Russia. Its knowledge of Russian brands is predictably good, but with unexpected gaps.

What YandexGPT Knows

In EdTech, YandexGPT confidently knows the top brands. 96.7% for Netology and Skillbox is on par with Google AI Mode and above ChatGPT.

What YandexGPT Doesn't Know

International brands are a blind zone:

Coursera at 3.3%! While ChatGPT mentions it in 86.7% of responses. DigitalOcean — zero. YandexGPT focuses on the Russian market and practically doesn't know international players.

What this means for business:

• If your competitor is an international brand, YandexGPT helps you: it simply doesn't mention the competitor.
• If you're an international brand operating in Russia, YandexGPT ignores you. You need a separate strategy.
• For Russian brands, YandexGPT is a "home" platform with high mention rate, but optimizing only for it is a mistake because 88 million Alice users aren't 100% of the AI search market.

Summary Table: Which Provider Is Best for Which Niche

A final comparison across five niches. The rating is based on average mention rate of each niche's top 5 brands, recommendation rate, and position stability.

Key Takeaways from the Summary

1. Gemini and Google AI Mode are leaders for the Russian market. Both providers show the most complete and stable coverage. Gemini leads in recommendations (76.7% Aviasales), Google AI Mode in positions (1.43 Timeweb).

2. ChatGPT is strong only in e-commerce. In other niches — blind spots. If your audience uses ChatGPT and you're not in e-commerce, you need a special strategy to increase visibility.

3. Claude is "all or nothing." Either 100% (Skillbox) or 0% (MTS Bank). Check whether Claude knows your specific brand.

4. YandexGPT is ChatGPT's mirror problem. Knows Russian brands well, doesn't know international ones.

5. Grok is an underestimated channel. Record recommendation rates make it important for conversion, though its audience is currently smaller.

What This Means for Business: GEO Strategy by Provider

A universal GEO strategy doesn't exist. The data shows that optimizing "for neural networks in general" is like optimizing "for search engines in general" in 2010. Each provider requires its own approach.

Strategy for EdTech

Problem: ChatGPT leads in audience but poorly knows Russian EdTech.

Solution:

• Create English-language content about the brand (blog, PR in international media, Wikipedia)
• Strengthen structured data (Schema.org, JSON-LD) for Google AI Mode
• Claude already knows the top brands — maintain domain citation through fresh website content
• YandexGPT — strengthen presence in the Yandex ecosystem (Zen, Q, Yandex Services)

Strategy for E-commerce

Situation: all providers know the top 3 marketplaces. The fight is for positions 4-5.

Solution:

• Megamarket: strengthen presence in ChatGPT (46.7% — room to grow)
• For niche marketplaces: focus on Gemini and Google AI Mode, where mention rate is higher
• Content strategy: reviews, comparisons, expert articles — these are what AI providers use as sources

Strategy for FinTech

Problem: Claude doesn't know some major banks (MTS Bank — 0%).

Solution:

• Domain citation is the main metric. T-Bank gets 26.7% domain citation in ChatGPT — that's direct traffic
• For second-tier banks: strengthen expert content (tariff reviews, comparisons)
• Gemini and Google AI Mode know all major players — optimize through the Google ecosystem

Strategy for Tourism

Situation: Aviasales is the absolute leader with record recommendations.

Solution:

• For Aviasales competitors: focus on niche queries where the leader doesn't dominate
• Yandex Travel: leverage the domain citation phenomenon in Claude (62.1%)
• Booking.com: 41.4% in ChatGPT — an international brand with growth potential through localized content

Strategy for Hosting

Problem: maximum divergence between providers. Timeweb ranges from 43.3% (ChatGPT) to 100% (Gemini, Google AI Mode, Perplexity).

Solution:

• ChatGPT is the weak link: create English-language reviews, participate in international rankings
• Google AI Mode delivers the best positions: invest in technical optimization (Schema.org, site structure)
• Claude shows high mention rate for Timeweb (94.3%) and AdminVPS (62.9%): maintain expert content

Recommendations: 7 Data-Driven Actions

1. Audit visibility for each provider separately

Don't average. Check how each of the 8 providers sees your specific brand. A single "zero" at a major provider could cost hundreds of lost leads per month. Start with free monitoring at GEO Scout.

2. Prioritize providers by your niche audience

If your audience is developers, ChatGPT and Perplexity matter more than YandexGPT. If it's mass B2C in Russia, YandexGPT and Google AI Mode are critical. Don't optimize equally for all.

3. Work on domain citation

Domain citation is the most undervalued metric. When AI links to your domain, that's direct traffic. Claude and DeepSeek show the highest domain citation — invest in content that these providers cite.

4. English-language content — for ChatGPT

If ChatGPT doesn't know you, you likely have no English-language presence. Create an English version of key pages, publish in international media, update the brand's Wikipedia page.

5. Yandex ecosystem — for YandexGPT

YandexGPT uses data from the Yandex ecosystem. Yandex Zen, Yandex Q, Yandex Services, Yandex Maps — all of this affects how Alice sees your brand. Optimizing for Yandex AI search is a separate discipline.

6. Monitor recommendations, not just mentions

Mention rate matters, but recommendation rate matters more for conversion. Aviasales gets 76.7% recommendations in Gemini. That's not just a listing — it's a direct recommendation to the user. Strive for AI to not just know you, but recommend you.

7. Update your strategy monthly

AI providers update their models, and the balance of power shifts. What worked in January may not work in March. Daily monitoring through GEO Scout lets you track changes in real time and quickly adapt your strategy.

Conclusion

Every AI provider is a separate channel with its own rules. ChatGPT favors international brands. Claude deeply knows select ones. Gemini provides the broadest coverage. Google AI Mode delivers the best positions. YandexGPT has a Russian focus with international blind spots.

Your GEO strategy must account for these differences. Check your brand's visibility at each provider, prioritize by your niche audience, and work on specific weak points.

The full visibility ranking across 5 niches with daily updates is at geoscout.pro/ratings. You can start monitoring your brand for free at geoscout.pro. And the Command Center of GEO Scout will turn scattered provider data into a unified, prioritized action plan — with specific tasks for each channel.