Leader
17Heralded Score, range 4–46
The most visible AI automation and consulting agencies, October 2026
Most cited source
3citations
From Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews
Where engines disagree most
1/4engines put it in their top three
Top three on Google AI Overviews, not on Google AI Mode, Gemini and ChatGPT
Brands
| Rank | Brand | Rank change | Heralded Score All | AI | Search | Score trend | Mentioned | Recommended | By engine | Mentioned by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 17 , range 4–46 | 6#7 | 35#1 | 17
| 9% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 15 , range 3–42 | 4#8 | 33#2 | 15
| 7% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 12 , range 3–48 | 11#1 | 13#5 | 12
| 11% | 1% | | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 7 , range 2–46 | 7#3 | 6#8 | 7
| 6% | 2% | | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 6 , range 2–46 | 8#2 | 3#14 | 6
| 4% | 4% | | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 5 , range 1–45 | 6#4 | 4#13 | 5
| 5% | 2% | | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 4 , range 1–44 | 6#5 | 2#22 | 4
| 5% | 1% | | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 4 , range 1–40 | 6#6 | 0= #30 | 4
| 4% | 2% | | First reading | |
| – | | Unranked | Too few answers | Not measured | 0= #30 | –
| 0% | 0% | None | First reading | |
| – | 729 Solutions | Unranked | Too few answers | Not measured | 0= #30 | –
| 1% | 1% | 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 | | Brand site | 5.0% | 3 of 4 | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | | Brand site | 5.0% | 2 of 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | | Brand site | 5.0% | 2 of 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 | | Brand site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | | Brand site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 6 | | Brand site | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
| 7 | | Brand site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 8 | | Brand site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
| 9 | | Brand site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
| 10 |  amazon.com | Brand site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| What are the best AI consulting agencies for mid-sized companies? | English | |
| AI automation agency for a growing business | English | A & H Solutions, AI Automation NY, AutomateNexus and Flow Digital, tied |
| How can a company find a partner to build AI into its processes? | English | |
| How do I get help deploying AI agents in my business? | English | No brand recommended |
| Building AI in-house vs. hiring an AI agency for a mid-sized company | English | No brand recommended |
| AI freelancer vs. AI consulting firm for a small business | English | No brand recommended |
| Alternatives to hiring an in-house AI team | English | No brand recommended |
| Alternatives to large consulting firms for AI projects | English | |
| I run a 100-person company and want to automate customer service with AI. Which agency should we work with? | English | |
| I lead operations at a manufacturer and need a partner to build AI workflows. | English | |
Each engine's top three
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.