YouGov’s U.S. AI brand rankings 2026: ChatGPT leads, but Gemini shows momentum

The first U.S. AI brand rankings from YouGov look at which tools U.S. consumers prefer, which brands gained ground from February to July, and how preferences differ between knowledge and frontline workers.

AI tools are no longer a niche experiment for U.S. consumers. They are part of how people search, write, create, plan, communicate, and interact with the devices around them. As the category becomes more crowded, the question for marketers is not just which brands people recognize or try, but also which tools they prefer using, where that preference is moving, and which audiences are leaning toward different kinds of AI platforms.

YouGov’s U.S. AI brand rankings 2026 examine consumer-facing, general-purpose AI tools and platforms tracked in YouGov BrandIndex.

In this article, we cover:

• Top 10 AI brands by Preference among U.S. AI users
• The biggest movers in Preference between February and July 2026
• How Preference differs between knowledge-intensive workers and frontline or operational workers
• Which AI brands lead on Accuracy
• Which AI brands lead on Personal Impact
• Where to find deeper AI brand data and competitor benchmarks
• Methodology behind the rankings

Look out for follow-up rankings exploring AI brand Preference by generation, what Americans use AI tools for, and Satisfaction among current and former AI tool users.

ChatGPT leads AI brand Preference

OpenAI’s ChatGPT ranks first in user preference, with 33.7% of U.S. adults who have used generative AI in the past 30 days saying it is the tool they like or prefer using most.

Google’s Gemini ranks second at 18.2%, placing it well ahead of the rest of the field but still 15.5 percentage points behind ChatGPT. Microsoft’s Copilot follows in third at 8.2%, with Apple’s Siri fourth at 7.7% and Anthropic’s Claude fifth at 6.1%.

The rest of the top 10 includes Meta AI, Amazon’s Alexa, xAI’s Grok, Apple Intelligence, and Perplexity AI. The shape of the ranking shows a clear leader, a distinct second-place brand, and a wider set of tools competing for smaller shares of stated Preference.

Preference is a narrower measure than awareness, trial, or general usage. Respondents are first asked which AI tools they would consider using, and then which one of those tools they like or prefer using most. That second step helps distinguish broad consideration from the brand a consumer would put first when choosing among tools they already see as options.

Gemini leads the year-to-date movers list

YouGov began daily tracking of these AI brands in mid-January, so this year’s movers table provides an early view of how Preference has shifted across the year to date. Gemini records the largest gain, rising 6.8 points between February and July 2026. Copilot follows with a 3.0-point increase, while Claude rises 0.8 points.

ChatGPT is 5.9 points lower in July than in February, but it still leads the ranking by a wide margin. Its July Preference score remains higher than Gemini’s February and July scores, which makes the movement table a story about momentum beneath the leader rather than a change at the top.

YouGov will continue daily tracking of this evolving sector, adding more context as brand positions develop over time.

Gemini’s rise also comes during a period when Google has been making the brand more visible across its AI ecosystem, including model, agentic-tool, and product announcements around Google I/O.

Worker type changes the Preference picture

AI brand Preference also varies across industries and work types.

ChatGPT is 10.9 points higher among knowledge workers than among frontline and operational workers. Claude shows a similar, though smaller, tilt: 7.1% among knowledge workers compared with 1.9% among frontline and operational workers.

Copilot is also higher among knowledge workers, though the gap is narrower at 0.9 points. That pattern fits the brand’s place inside Microsoft’s productivity ecosystem, where Copilot is closely associated with workplace software, document creation, meetings, and other desk-based workflows.

The pattern reverses for voice-first assistants. Siri is 10.3% among frontline and operational workers compared with 4.8% among knowledge workers, a 5.6-point frontline tilt. Alexa is 6.0% among frontline and operational workers and 3.9% among knowledge workers, a 2.1-point frontline tilt.

One possible lens is access. Siri and Alexa are device-embedded, voice-first assistants that can sit inside everyday routines, while tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot are more closely associated with written, research, coding, and productivity tasks. The split suggests that the most relevant AI competitor set may change depending on whether the audience is desk-based, mobile, customer-facing, or using AI mainly through devices.

Importantly, this ranking reflects which AI tool respondents like or prefer using most overall, not which tool they specifically prefer for work specifically. The differences between worker groups may therefore reflect both personal and professional experiences with these brands. See the methodology statement for job titles used to identify knowledge and frontline workers.

ChatGPT and Gemini lead on Accuracy

Preference shows which AI tools people say they like or prefer using most. Accuracy looks at a different question: whether a brand is more often associated with accurate information than inaccurate information.

ChatGPT leads on Accuracy perceptions among all generative AI users with a Net score of 30.3. In other words, the share of respondents who say ChatGPT provides accurate information is 30.3 points higher than the share who say it provides inaccurate information. Gemini ranks second at 25.3, followed by Claude at 14.4.

Siri and Copilot complete the top five, with scores of 14.2 and 13.9, respectively. The order keeps ChatGPT and Gemini at the top, but it also shows Claude performing relatively strongly on a measure tied to information confidence.

Overall Awareness should also be considered when viewing these rankings. Compared to other brands in the top 5, brand Awareness for Claude is notably lower, at 59.3% compared to 94.3% for ChatGPT. When looking at Accuracy perceptions among only those aware of Claude, its net score jumps nearly 10 points to 24.3.

Personal Impact puts Copilot ahead of Claude

Personal Impact asks whether people see each AI brand as having a positive or negative effect on how they work, think, or feel. The score is calculated as positive impact minus negative impact, which makes it a measure of perceived benefit rather than simple popularity.

ChatGPT again ranks first, with a Personal Impact score of 35.3. Gemini follows at 25.9, giving the two leading Preference brands the top two positions on this measure as well.

The next positions differ from the Accuracy ranking. Copilot ranks third on Personal Impact at 18.4, ahead of Siri at 14.0 and Claude at 14.0. For marketers, that contrast matters: one brand may stand out for information confidence, while another may feel more useful in people’s day-to-day work or routines.

Both the Accuracy and Personal Impact rankings reflect the broad opinions of all generative AI users in the U.S. For a more focused analysis into the users of each individual tool, check back for a follow-up article exploring Customer Satisfaction.

Explore more AI brand data

These rankings provide a selected view of the AI brand data available in YouGov BrandIndex. Deeper analysis can help AI, technology, software, device, and platform brands understand not only where they rank, but which audiences, competitors, and measures shape their position.

In an AI brand briefing, YouGov can walk through:

• Full rankings across tracked AI brands and general-purpose assistant tools
• Competitor benchmarks across Preference, Accuracy, Personal Impact, Satisfaction, and other BrandIndex metrics
• Movement across the full eligible comparable universe
• Audience cuts by generation, worker type, usage by tasks, customer/non-customer, demographics, and other segments
• Perception gaps between Preference, Accuracy, Personal Impact, and Satisfaction
• Trend data showing how AI brand health changes over time

Methodology

This article draws on YouGov BrandIndex data collected from February 1, 2026 to July 31, 2026, unless otherwise stated. YouGov began daily tracking these AI brands in mid-January 2026. The February-to-July movers table compares July 1–31, 2026 with February 1–28, 2026 and should not be read as year-over-year movement.

The primary ranking is based on Preference among U.S. adults who have used generative AI in the past 30 days. Respondents are first asked which AI tools they would consider using, then asked which of those tools they like or prefer using most. Preference is based on the question: “And which of the following AI tools do you like/prefer using the most?”

Accuracy is based on the question: “Which of the following AI tools do you think provides accurate or inaccurate information?” The Net score is calculated as the share who say the tool provides accurate information minus the share who say it provides inaccurate information.

Personal Impact is based on the question: “Which of the following AI tools have a positive or negative impact on how you work, think, or feel?” The Net score is calculated as the share who say the tool has a positive impact minus the share who say it has a negative impact.

YouGov BrandIndex tracks 18 AI brands in the U.S. For this ranking, Canva Magic Studio, DALL·E, Midjourney, DeepMind, and LLaMA were excluded from the published tables because the analysis focuses on consumer-facing, general-purpose AI assistant tools. These excluded brands are either primarily associated with specialist image-generation or creative tools, research/company brands, or model families rather than broad consumer AI assistants.

The worker comparison uses two audience groupings. Knowledge workers include: Nurse, Physician or Surgeon, Dentist, Other Health-related professional, Network Manager, Software Developer or Computer Programmer, Systems Administrator, Other IT professional, Accountant, Commercial or Investment banker, Financial or business analyst, Investment or financial advisor, Retail or personal banker / loan officer, Other Finance professional, Compensation or benefits professional, Recruiter, Trainer or professional development, Other HR Professional, Sales person / Account Executive, Sales support / Account Manager, Other Sales or Sales support role, Architect, Artist, graphic artist, visual design specialist, Attorney or Lawyer, Engineer, Executive Assistant / Administrative Assistant, Management Consultant, Market researcher, Scientific researcher, Teacher or Professor, Writer or journalist, Commissioned officer, Veterinarian, Marketing and related disciplines (PR / Brand / Insight etc.), Media Agency Professional (e.g. buyer/planner), and Insurance Agent.

Frontline and operational workers include: Caregiver, Call center professional, Sales associate / sales clerk / cashier, Clerk, Cook / chef, Driver (e.g., truck, bus, taxi), Food service waitstaff, Security guard, Trade specialist (e.g., Carpenter, Plumber, Electrician, Pipefitter), Non-commissioned officer, Enlisted, Police officer, corrections officer, or other law enforcement, Hairdresser, and Craftsman.

*The image accompanying this article was created by AI

About YouGov BrandIndex

YouGov BrandIndex is YouGov’s daily brand tracking tool, measuring public perception of thousands of brands across markets, sectors, and audiences. BrandIndex helps organizations understand how brand health changes over time and how they compare with competitors on key measures including awareness, consideration, preference, satisfaction, value, quality, and reputation.