Leader
75Heralded Score, range 54–81
The most visible accounting tools in United Kingdom, October 2026
Most cited source
3citations
From Google AI Mode, Gemini and ChatGPT
Where engines disagree most
2/4engines put it in their top three
Top three on Google AI Mode and ChatGPT, not on Gemini and Google AI Overviews
Brands
| Rank | Brand | Rank change | Heralded Score All | AI | Search | Score trend | Mentioned | Recommended | By engine | Mentioned by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 75 , range 54–81 | 75#1 | 74#1 | 75
| 64% | 31% | | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 73 , range 43–80 | 73#2 | 73#2 | 73
| 58% | 30% | | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 53 , range 28–70 | 54#3 | 51#8 | 53
| 36% | 22% | | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 53 , range 22–62 | 42#4 | 70#4 | 53
| 28% | 15% | None | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 51 , range 23–61 | 42#5 | 66#6 | 51
| 26% | 17% | | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 45 , range 7–53 | 32#7 | 67#5 | 45
| 15% | 11% | | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 44 , range 10–54 | 33#6 | 63#7 | 44
| 18% | 10% | | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 34 , range 13–50 | 13#8 | 72#3 | 34
| 15% | 6% | | First reading | |
| 9 | | New entry | 7 , range 2–36 | 8#9 | 6= #13 | 7
| 4% | 4% | None | First reading | |
| – | | Unranked | Too few answers | Not measured | 0= #28 | –
| 0% | 0% | None | First reading |
“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI and Search give each brand’s score and rank on that side alone. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.
Most cited sources
| Rank | Source | Type | Cited in | Engines | Pages cited | Brands its pages mention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Vendor site | 5.0% | 3 of 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | | Vendor site | 5.0% | 2 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 3 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 5 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 7 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 9 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 8 |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| What’s the best accounting software for small businesses? | English | |
| How can small businesses track income and expenses? | English | |
| How can a small business keep track of expenses? | English | |
| How do I record my business’s income and expenses? | English | |
| Accounting software or spreadsheets for a small business? | English | |
| Outsourced or in-house accounting for entrepreneurs? | English | No brand recommended |
| What’s an alternative to spreadsheet accounting for small businesses? | English | |
| What can I use instead of manually tracking my business expenses? | English | |
| I’m a freelancer looking for online accounting software to manage invoices and expenses. | English | |
| I run a business with five employees and need simple bookkeeping software. | English | |
Each engine's top three
Google AI Mode
- 1
QuickBooks
- 2
Xero
- 3
FreeAgent
Gemini
- 1
- 2
- 3
Wave
Google AI Overviews
- 1
- 2
- 3
ChatGPT
- 1
- = 2
- = 2
Related leaderboards
Method
Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.
For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.