Leader
11Heralded Score, range 2–31
The most visible software development companies in Europe, October 2026
Brands
| Rank | Brand | Rank change | Heralded Score All | AI | Search | Score trend | Mentioned | Recommended | By engine | Mentioned by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 11 , range 2–31 | 4#1 | 24#1 | 11
| 4% | 2% | None | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 5 , range 1–30 | 3#3 | 7#2 | 5
| 2% | 1% | None | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 3 , range 2–30 | 4#2 | 3#4 | 3
| 3% | 1% | None | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 3 , range 1–29 | 2#5 | 4#3 | 3
| 2% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 2 , range 1–29 | 3#4 | 1#8 | 2
| 2% | 0% | None | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 1 , range 1–28 | 2#7 | 1= #9 | 1
| 1% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 1 , range 1–28 | 2#8 | 1= #9 | 1
| 1% | 0% | None | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 1 , range 1–28 | 2#9 | 1= #9 | 1
| 1% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 9 | | New entry | 1 , range 1–28 | 2#10 | 1= #9 | 1
| 1% | 0% | | First reading | |
| 10 | | New entry | 1 , range 1–28 | 1#11 | 1= #9 | 1
| 1% | 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 | | Review site | 2.6% | 3 of 4 | 7 | Not read |
| 12 | | Consultancy | 2.6% | 3 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
| 13 | | Consultancy | 2.4% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 14 | | Vendor site | 1.4% | 1 of 4 | 4 | Not read |
| 15 | | Consultancy | 2.4% | 1 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
| 16 | | Directory | 1.9% | 4 of 4 | 5 | Not read |
| 17 | | Consultancy | 2.4% | 3 of 4 | 1 | Not read |
| 18 | | Consultancy | 2.1% | 2 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 19 | | Consultancy | 2.1% | 2 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 20 | | Industry authority | 1.0% | 3 of 4 | 7 | 7 |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| best software development companies for startups | English | |
| custom software development outsourcing | English | |
| how to choose a software development partner | English | No brand recommended |
| how much does custom software development cost | English | No brand recommended |
| nearshore vs offshore software development | English | No brand recommended |
| Wat zijn de beste softwareontwikkelaars voor het bouwen van een product op maat? | Dutch | No brand recommended |
| Softwareontwikkeling op maat uitbesteden voor startups | Dutch | No brand recommended |
| Hoe kan een bedrijf software op maat laten bouwen zonder eigen ontwikkelteam? | Dutch | No brand recommended |
| Hoe vind ik een betrouwbare partner voor softwareontwikkeling? | Dutch | No brand recommended |
| Eigen developers of een softwarebedrijf voor een startup? | Dutch | No brand recommended |
Each engine's top three
Google AI Mode
- 1
Toptal
Gemini
- 1
- 2
Thoughtworks
- 3
N-iX
Google AI Overviews
- 1
- 2
ScienceSoft
- 3
ChatGPT
- 1
Netguru
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.