Leader
45Heralded Score, range 37–68
The most visible merchant of record platforms in Germany, October 2026
Brands
| Rank | Brand | Rank change | Heralded Score All | AI | Search | Score trend | Mentioned | Recommended | By engine | Mentioned by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 45 , range 37–68 | 72#1 | 0= #5 | 45
| 50% | 23% | | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 41 , range 32–65 | 64#2 | 0= #5 | 41
| 45% | 19% | | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 25 , range 21–50 | 40#3 | 0= #5 | 25
| 25% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 16 , range 5–48 | 24#4 | 3= #3 | 16
| 12% | 2% | None | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 5 , range 1–44 | 6#6 | 3= #3 | 5
| 5% | 1% | None | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 4 , range 2–38 | 7#5 | 0= #5 | 4
| 7% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 3 , range 1–37 | 5#7 | 0= #5 | 3
| 4% | 1% | None | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 3 , range 1–37 | 5#8 | 0= #5 | 3
| 5% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 9 | | New entry | 2 , range 1–33 | 4#9 | 0= #5 | 2
| 4% | 0% | None | First reading | |
| – | | Unranked | Too few answers | Not measured | 0= #5 | –
| 0% | 0% | | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | | Vendor site | 5.0% | 1 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 12 | | Regulator | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 13 | | Vendor site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 14 | | Unclassified | 5.0% | 2 of 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | | Regulator | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 16 |  shopify.com | Vendor site | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 17 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 18 | | Consultancy | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 19 | | Vendor site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 20 | | Review site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 1 | 7 |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Was sollte ein Softwareunternehmen nutzen, um weltweit Abos zu verkaufen und die Umsatzsteuer abzuwickeln? | German | |
| Welche Plattform kann digitale Produkte weltweit verkaufen und Zahlungen, Steuern und Rückerstattungen verwalten? | German | |
| Wie kann ein kleines SaaS-Unternehmen in mehreren Ländern verkaufen, ohne ein eigenes Abrechnungsteam aufzubauen? | German | |
| Welcher Dienst übernimmt Checkout und Steuern für ein Unternehmen, das international Software verkauft? | German | |
| Wie ziehe ich Steuern ein und führe sie ab, wenn Kunden meine Software im Ausland kaufen? | German | |
| Wie kann ich Zahlungen von Kunden in verschiedenen Ländern für mein Abo annehmen? | German | No brand recommended |
| Was brauche ich, um digitale Downloads weltweit zu verkaufen, ohne mich selbst um Steuererklärungen kümmern zu müssen? | German | |
| Wie kann ein Softwareunternehmen Rückerstattungen und Rückbuchungen bei internationalen Verkäufen verwalten? | German | |
| Sollte ich für den weltweiten Softwareverkauf einen einzigen Checkout-Dienst oder separate Zahlungs- und Steueranbieter nutzen? | German | |
| Lassen sich Abos weltweit einfacher mit einem Merchant of Record oder einem Zahlungsdienstleister verwalten? | German | |
Each engine's top three
Google AI Mode
- 1
Paddle
- 2
Lemon Squeezy
- 3
Gumroad
Gemini
- = 1
- = 1
- 3
FastSpring
Google AI Overviews
- 1
- 2
- 3
ChatGPT
- 1
- 2
- 3
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.