The October 2026 Index Report
84 categories changed hands · DigitalOcean climbed 16 places in web hosting · 136 categories left the AI models split. Every line below is computed from the frozen October 2026 edition and its predecessor. Nothing here is written by hand, and nothing is for sale.
New #1s · 12
Biggest risers
AWSweb hosting#19 → #7▲ 12Biggest fallers
AWS API GatewayAPI development tools#10 → #22▼ 12Notable entrants · new to the top 5
Where the AI models disagree
Web design companies divides the AI models: 8 different top answers across the 9 we track, led by Bop Design (Perplexity and Copilot).
No agreement in air purifiers: Coway Airmega Mighty AP-1512HH leads for ChatGPT and Gemini, Rabbit Air A3 Ultra Quiet Air Purifier for Claude and Perplexity, and 5 other picks split the rest.
Coding bootcamps divides the AI models: 7 different top answers across the 9 we track, led by Codesmith (Gemini and Google AI Mode).
No agreement in electric bikes: Aventon Level 4 REC leads for ChatGPT and Gemini, Ride1Up Roadster V3 for Perplexity, and 5 other picks split the rest.
No agreement in resume builders: Resume.io leads for Perplexity and Google AI, Zety for Gemini and Google AI Mode, and 5 other picks split the rest.
No agreement in running shoes: Nike Pegasus 42 leads for Gemini and Grok, Asics Superblast 3 for Claude, and 5 other picks split the rest.
No agreement in smart locks: Yale Assure Lock 2 leads for Claude and Gemini, Aqara Smart Lock U100 for ChatGPT, and 5 other picks split the rest.
No agreement in social media marketing agencies: Viral Nation leads for ChatGPT and Google AI Mode, We Are Social for Perplexity and Copilot, and 5 other picks split the rest.
Closest races
Every claim above links to the frozen October 2026 record: the full ranking, the per-model splits, and every verbatim answer as captured. Rankings are computed from AI responses alone and are not for sale. Browse the October 2026 edition → Read the methodology →