Hosting Provider Visibility Ranking in Neural Networks — March 2026
Analytical ranking of Russian hosting provider visibility across 8 AI systems: ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Grok, Perplexity, and YandexGPT. GEO Scout data from March 23, 2026 based on 245 neural network responses.
When businesses choose hosting, they increasingly ask a neural network: "Which hosting should I choose for an online store?", "Best VPS in Russia", "Compare Timeweb and Beget." And the neural network's answer shapes the decision — without clicking through to a website, without reading reviews on tech forums, without looking at comparison tables.
We analyzed how 8 AI providers answer questions about hosting. 245 responses. 10 major Russian hosting providers. Data collected by the GEO Scout platform on March 23, 2026.
The results are paradoxical.
Research Methodology
Before diving into the numbers — how they were obtained.
Data source: GEO Scout platform, data snapshot from March 23, 2026.
AI providers (8): ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Grok, Perplexity, YandexGPT (Yandex with Alice).
Sample size: 245 neural network responses to prompts related to choosing hosting, VPS, servers, and cloud solutions in Russia.
Key metrics:
| Metric | What it measures |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | Percentage of AI responses mentioning the brand |
| Avg position | Average position in the recommendation list (1 = first) |
| Share of Voice | Brand's voice share among all competitors |
| Recommendation rate | Share of direct recommendations ("I recommend", "best choice") |
| Positive rate | Share of positive mentions out of the total |
| Domain citation | How often AI cites the domain as an information source |
Learn more about each metric in the article what is Share of Voice in AI. Current rankings across all industries are available on the GEO Scout rankings page.
Top 10 Hosting Providers in Neural Networks
1. Timeweb — Absolute Leader with a Caveat
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 89.80% |
| Average position | 2.06 |
| Share of Voice | 12.30% |
| Recommendation rate | 2.45% |
| Positive rate | 94.09% |
| Domain citation | 18.78% |
Timeweb dominates Russian neural networks in a way rarely seen in any other niche. Nine out of ten AI responses about hosting contain a mention of Timeweb. An average position of 2.06 means the brand is almost always in the top three recommendations.
The per-provider results are particularly impressive:
- Gemini — average position 1.27. Timeweb is almost always first in Gemini responses.
- Google AI Mode — average position 1.43. The Google ecosystem clearly considers Timeweb the #1 hosting provider.
- Perplexity — mention rate 100%. Every Perplexity response about hosting includes Timeweb.
- DeepSeek — domain citation 30%. Every third DeepSeek response cites the Timeweb domain.
- Gemini — domain citation 30%. Similar picture.
- Google AI Mode — domain citation 30%. The Google ecosystem not only mentions but also links to Timeweb.
A positive rate of 94.09% is record-breaking. AI doesn't just know Timeweb — it praises it. For comparison: in other niches, the leader's positive rate is typically 70-80%.
89.80%Timeweb is mentioned in 9 out of 10 neural network responses about hosting — the absolute leader with a record positive rate of 94.09%
But there is a problem. ChatGPT mentions Timeweb in only 43.3% of responses. For a brand with an 89.80% overall mention rate, this is a failure. The world's most popular neural network knows the leader of Russian hosting worse than less-known AI systems.
This is not a bug — it is a pattern we will return to below.
2. Beget — Stable Runner-Up
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 75.51% |
| Average position | 2.84 |
| Share of Voice | 10.35% |
| Positive rate | 89.19% |
Beget firmly holds second place. Three quarters of AI responses about hosting include Beget, with an average position in the top three at 2.84.
Interesting per-provider anomalies:
- Google AI Mode — mention rate 96.7%. Google knows Beget almost as well as Timeweb.
- ChatGPT — mention rate 23.3%. ChatGPT again lags catastrophically behind.
A positive rate of 89.19% is the second-best result in the ranking. AI systems confidently recommend Beget, especially for shared hosting and beginner projects.
3. AdminVPS — Grok's Favorite, ChatGPT's Invisible Brand
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 61.63% |
| Average position | 4.15 |
| Share of Voice | 8.45% |
| Positive rate | 82.78% |
AdminVPS is an example of extreme variation between AI providers:
- Grok — mention rate 93.3%. Grok mentions AdminVPS in almost every response.
- ChatGPT — mention rate 0%. Zero. ChatGPT does not know AdminVPS exists at all.
A 93.3 percentage point difference between two neural networks is not statistical noise. It is a fundamental difference in training data and ranking algorithms across AI systems. A brand visible in Grok at the level of an absolute leader is completely invisible in ChatGPT.
93.3 p.p.The visibility gap for AdminVPS between Grok (93.3%) and ChatGPT (0%) is a record disparity proving the necessity of multi-provider monitoring
4. REG.RU — Big Brand, Average Visibility
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 51.43% |
| Domain citation | 5.71% |
REG.RU is one of the most recognizable hosting brands in Russia. The largest domain registrar. Active advertising. But in neural networks — only fourth place with a mention rate just above 50%.
Perplexity stands out: domain citation 20%. Perplexity references REG.RU as a source of information about domains and hosting, which makes sense for a major reference resource.
But overall, REG.RU demonstrates an important principle: offline brand recognition does not guarantee AI position. Marketing budgets do not convert into neural network responses.
5. Cloud.ru — The Only One ChatGPT Knows
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 51.02% |
Cloud.ru — fifth place in overall mention rate, but this brand has a unique characteristic:
- ChatGPT — mention rate 80%. The only Russian hosting provider that ChatGPT mentions in the majority of responses.
Why? Most likely, several factors are at play: an English-language brand name, international positioning as a cloud platform, and presence in English-language sources. ChatGPT is trained primarily on English content, and Cloud.ru naturally falls into its training dataset.
At the same time, Claude knows Cloud.ru only in 17.1% of cases. Even an "English-language" brand name does not guarantee uniform visibility across all AI systems.
6. SprintHost — Minimal Visibility in ChatGPT
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 46.53% |
SprintHost appears in almost every other neural network response about hosting, but the distribution is extremely uneven:
- ChatGPT — mention rate 3.3%. One response out of thirty. Practically invisible.
SprintHost is a classic example of a brand well-known to Russian AI providers (YandexGPT, Grok, Google AI Mode) but practically non-existent for ChatGPT. For a brand with this pattern, it is critically important to work on presence in English-language sources and international databases.
7. Selectel — Business Scale Does Not Equal AI Position
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 33.88% |
| Domain citation | 5.71% |
Selectel is a major infrastructure provider with its own data centers, enterprise clients, and serious technical expertise. Seventh place in the AI ranking.
An interesting point:
- ChatGPT — SoV 43.3%, domain citation 23.3%. ChatGPT not only knows Selectel — it references its content. This is the best domain citation result among all hosting providers in ChatGPT.
Selectel shows the reverse picture compared to the rest: worse in Russian AI, better in ChatGPT. International content and technical publications in English work.
8-10. Fornex, FirstVDS, Aeza
| Brand | Mention rate | Notable feature |
|---|---|---|
| Fornex | 33.88% | Gemini — 0% mentions. Completely invisible in Gemini. |
| FirstVDS | 33.06% | Consistently low visibility without pronounced anomalies. |
| Aeza | 22.86% | Closes out the top 10. Young brand, still poorly represented in AI training data. |
The HostingHUB Phenomenon: When Content Matters More Than Brand
HostingHUB deserves separate analysis — 12th place by mention rate, but an absolute record for domain citation.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Mention rate | 22.45% |
| Domain citation | 49.39% |
A mention rate of 22% means neural networks mention HostingHUB as a hosting provider in every fifth response. But a domain citation of 49.39% means that in almost every other response about hosting, AI cites the HostingHUB domain as an information source.
The per-provider distribution is striking:
- Perplexity — domain citation 90%. Nine out of ten Perplexity responses about hosting reference HostingHUB.
- Grok — domain citation 76.7%. Three quarters of Grok responses cite HostingHUB.
49.39%HostingHUB, with a mention rate of only 22%, achieves a domain citation of 49.39% — AI cites its content in every other hosting response
What does this mean? HostingHUB has created content that AI systems consider an authoritative source of knowledge about hosting. Reviews, comparisons, rankings — all of this has made it into the training data of neural networks and is now cited in every response.
This is the perfect example of content GEO. A brand can be small, relatively unknown, not in the top 10 by mentions — yet its domain is cited more often than the domains of all major players. Content beats scale. Expertise beats advertising budgets.
For marketers, this is a signal: domain citation is a separate strategy, unrelated to brand promotion. You can be invisible as a brand but cited as a source. And this brings traffic — Perplexity and Grok place direct links to cited sources.
ChatGPT Does Not Know Russian Hosting
The key insight from the ranking is ChatGPT's systemic blindness toward Russian hosting providers.
| Brand | Overall mention rate | ChatGPT mention rate | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdminVPS | 61.63% | 0% | -61.63 p.p. |
| SprintHost | 46.53% | 3.3% | -43.23 p.p. |
| Beget | 75.51% | 23.3% | -52.21 p.p. |
| Timeweb | 89.80% | 43.3% | -46.50 p.p. |
| Cloud.ru | 51.02% | 80% | +28.98 p.p. |
AdminVPS with an overall mention rate of 61.63% has zero percent in ChatGPT. Not "low" — zero. SprintHost — 3.3%. Beget — 23.3%. Even the leader Timeweb loses nearly half its visibility in ChatGPT.
Cloud.ru is the sole exception. 80% in ChatGPT with 51% overall mention rate. A reverse anomaly — ChatGPT knows Cloud.ru better than Russian AI systems.
The reason is obvious: ChatGPT is trained on predominantly English-language data. Brands with Russian-language names, Russian-language content, and an audience exclusively in Russia fall outside its training dataset. Cloud.ru with its English-language name and international positioning is the exception that proves the rule.
What this means for hosting providers:
- If your audience uses ChatGPT — and this is tens of millions of Russian-speaking users — you are invisible to them.
- English-language content, publications on international platforms, and presence in English-language reviews are a necessity, not an option.
- Cloud.ru shows the problem is solvable: an English-language brand + international positioning = visibility in ChatGPT.
AI Praises Hosting: Record Positive Rate
A separate surprise from the ranking is the anomalously high positive rate across the entire niche.
| Brand | Positive rate |
|---|---|
| Timeweb | 94.09% |
| Beget | 89.19% |
| AdminVPS | 82.78% |
For comparison: in other niches, the leader's positive rate is typically 70-80%. In hosting — 94%. Neural networks don't just mention hosting providers — they recommend them with positive sentiment.
There are several possible reasons:
- Industry maturity. Hosting is an established market with a clear product. There are fewer negative contexts (lawsuits, scandals, consumer complaints) than in younger niches.
- Technical content. Hosting providers publish documentation, guides, tutorials — neutral and useful content that AI interprets positively.
- Absence of conflicts. Unlike fintech or healthcare, hosting has little content with warnings, risks, and negative case studies.
For marketers at hosting companies, this is good news: AI is positively disposed toward the niche. If a brand makes it into a response — there is a high probability it will be mentioned in a positive context.
Domain Citation: A Strategy That Works
The ranking revealed a clear pattern: domain citation and mention rate are different metrics with different strategies.
| Brand | Mention rate | Domain citation | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| HostingHUB | 22.45% | 49.39% | 2.2x |
| Timeweb | 89.80% | 18.78% | 0.2x |
| REG.RU | 51.43% | 5.71% | 0.1x |
| Selectel | 33.88% | 5.71% | 0.2x |
HostingHUB with a mention rate of 22% has a domain citation that is 2.2 times higher than its own mention rate. Timeweb shows the opposite picture: domain citation is 4.8 times lower than mention rate.
What this means:
- Timeweb — AI knows and recommends the brand, but rarely cites the website as a source. A brand strategy.
- HostingHUB — AI does not know the brand as a hosting provider, but massively cites the domain as a source. A content strategy.
Both strategies work, but differently:
Brand strategy (Timeweb): High mention rate attracts users who ask AI "which hosting to choose." AI recommends — the user goes to the website.
Content strategy (HostingHUB): High domain citation means AI places a link to the domain in its response. The user clicks the link to learn more. This is direct AI traffic.
For companies that cannot compete with major players on mention rate, a content strategy is a realistic path. Create expert content that AI will want to cite. HostingHUB proved: this works even from 12th place in brand recognition.
Summary Table: Complete Ranking
| # | Brand | Mention rate | Avg position | SoV | Positive rate | Domain citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timeweb | 89.80% | 2.06 | 12.30% | 94.09% | 18.78% |
| 2 | Beget | 75.51% | 2.84 | 10.35% | 89.19% | — |
| 3 | AdminVPS | 61.63% | 4.15 | 8.45% | 82.78% | — |
| 4 | REG.RU | 51.43% | — | — | — | 5.71% |
| 5 | Cloud.ru | 51.02% | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | SprintHost | 46.53% | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | Selectel | 33.88% | — | — | — | 5.71% |
| 8 | Fornex | 33.88% | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | FirstVDS | 33.06% | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Aeza | 22.86% | — | — | — | — |
| — | HostingHUB | 22.45% | — | — | — | 49.39% |
The current ranking with real-time data is available on the GEO Scout rankings page.
Five Takeaways for Hosting Providers
1. Monitor Each AI Provider Separately
AdminVPS — 93.3% in Grok and 0% in ChatGPT. Cloud.ru — 80% in ChatGPT and 17.1% in Claude. Aggregated metrics hide critical gaps. If you are only looking at "overall visibility" — you are not seeing the real picture.
2. ChatGPT Is a Separate Front
For Russian brands, ChatGPT is the most challenging AI provider. English-language content, publications on international platforms, structured data in English — without this, ChatGPT will not see you. Cloud.ru proves: the problem is solvable.
3. Domain Citation Is an Alternative Strategy
Can't compete with Timeweb on mention rate? Create content that AI will cite. HostingHUB with 22% mention rate gets 49% domain citation — higher than any provider in the top 10. Reviews, comparisons, guides, expert materials — all of this converts into citability.
4. Positive Rate in Hosting Is Your Ally
94% positive mentions for the leader is rare for any niche. AI is favorably disposed toward hosting. If you make it into a response — you will almost certainly be praised. The challenge is getting in.
5. Business Size Does Not Guarantee Position
Selectel is seventh. REG.RU is fourth. Infrastructure scale, advertising budgets, and brand recognition do not automatically convert into AI position. AI ranks differently: expert content, presence in training data, structured information.
How to Track Brand Visibility in AI
The data for this ranking was collected using GEO Scout — a brand visibility monitoring platform across 9 AI providers. The platform daily tracks mention rate, Share of Voice, recommendation position, sentiment, domain citation, and other metrics.
Available for hosting providers — and any other companies:
- Daily monitoring across 9 AI systems: ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overview, Grok, Perplexity, YandexGPT.
- Competitive analytics — Share of Voice, competitor comparison, gap analysis.
- Content plans — AI generates recommendations for improving visibility based on neural network response analysis.
- Technical audit — robots.txt, Schema.org, PageSpeed checks for AI bots.
Public rankings by industry are updated daily.
Not sure where to start with optimization? The Command Center of GEO Scout will automatically analyze your hosting brand's monitoring data and generate a prioritized action plan — from content to technical fixes.
Data is current as of March 23, 2026. AI responses are unstable and change daily — the ranking reflects a snapshot on a specific date. Current data is available at geoscout.pro/ratings.
Частые вопросы
Which hosting provider is most frequently mentioned by neural networks in 2026?
Why does ChatGPT poorly recognize Russian hosting providers?
What is domain citation and why does HostingHUB have 49%?
How is hosting visibility in neural networks measured?
Does the size of a hosting company affect its AI ranking position?
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