Solutions by need 3 of 8

AI competitor monitoring: see who AI picks instead of you

When AI doesn't recommend you, it recommends someone. MentionX records every shortlist on your buyer prompts, so you see which rival takes each slot, on which engine, and why.

Start free See how it's calculated

Shortlist slots this scan1,163

Recommendation share20%

Kestrel's share35%

Gap to the leader15 pts

Example: Vela CRM is an invented brand, scanned on Nova (200 prompts × 4 engines).

The definition

What is AI competitor monitoring?

AI competitor monitoring tracks which competitors AI engines mention and recommend on your buyer prompts, in what position, and how that changes week to week. MentionX finds your competitors automatically and tracks as many as you need.

Found for you: MentionX suggests the competitors AI already compares you with. Add any others; competitors are unlimited.
Slots, not guesses: Every ranked shortlist in a stored answer is counted, so recommendation share is a count, not an estimate.
Head to head, weekly: See where a rival took a slot from you since the last scan, prompt by prompt.

Kestrel or Vela CRM for a 20-person sales team?

For a team of 20, Kestrel^#1 is the safer choice: mature reporting and a large integration library. Vela CRM^#2 is faster to set up but has fewer integrations.

No sources cited in this answer.

Recorded for Vela CRM#2, Kestrel #1On the shortlist, but the rival takes the top slot.

Kestrel #1Vela CRM #2

Example answers. Kestrel, Pipewise and Vela CRM are invented brands.

Four brands, one shortlist

Every shortlist slot goes to a brand

Recommendation share splits every ranked slot in every stored answer between you and your rivals.

Halyard

Takes fewer slots than you on your prompts.

…Halyard, if you already use its help desk.

Pipewise

Often ranked second, for forecasting.

2. Pipewise, for forecasting…

Kestrel

Takes the most slots, usually at #1.

1. Kestrel is the safer choice…

Vela CRM

Every slot you take is a slot a rival doesn't.

1. Vela CRM is the better fit if…

All shortlist slots: the denominator4 brands

Your recommendation shareyour slots

The calculation

How competitor recommendation share is calculated

Each square below is one shortlist slot in a stored answer, coloured by the brand that took it. Pick a share to light up that brand's slots.

KestrelPipewiseVela CRMHalyard

24%

ChatGPT

18%

Gemini

23%

Google AI Overviews

15%

Google AI Mode

Each square is one shortlist slot. Engines that produce more get bigger blocks.1,163 shortlist slots this scan

Recommendation share = your shortlist slotsall shortlist slots for tracked brands

236 ÷ 1,163 = 20%1,163 shortlist slots across 4 engines

15 ptsKestrel takes 166 more shortlist slots than Vela CRM on the same prompts.

Example data for an invented brand. Counts are calculated in code from stored answers; formulas are published on the methodology page.

Kestrel's recommendation shareYour recommendation shareGap between them

Week over week

See who loses when you gain

A rival's share falls only when someone else takes its slots. Weekly re-runs show whose, prompt by prompt.

Your recommendation shareWeek 1 to week 8+3 pts

Kestrel's recommendation shareWeek 1 to week 8−2 pts

Gap to the leader20 pts to 15 pts−5 pts

Example data for an invented brand.

The method

How to monitor competitors in AI answers

Day 0
Confirm the rivals
MentionX suggests the competitors AI already pairs you with. Add your own; there's no limit.
Day 1
Run the baseline
Every prompt on every engine in your plan. Each answer's shortlist is stored.
Week 1
List the prompts you lose
Prompts where a rival is recommended and you're absent, ranked by how many engines agree.
Weeks 2–4
Answer the rival's claims
Read why engines pick them, then publish comparison and proof pages and earn the sources they cite.
Monthly
Report head to head
Recommendation share and position against each rival, by engine and intent.

Reading the results

Five patterns worth acting on

Competitor data is most useful when it tells you which rival to answer first.

Every chart here uses one colour code

Coral: absent, or a rival aheadBlue: mentioned, not pickedMint: recommendedSilver: first choice, or you

A rival holds #1 on your best prompts

Engines see one brand as the default pick.

First move: Read the reasons they give and publish proof for the same claims.

Answers & Evidence

A rival's share jumps in one week

It earned new coverage that engines now cite.

First move: Diff the sources in answers that changed.

Citation & Source Intelligence

You beat a rival on one engine only

That engine relies on sources where you're strong.

First move: Find the same kind of source for the other engines.

Cross-Engine Monitoring

You win comparisons, lose category prompts

Buyers who compare pick you; buyers who browse never see you.

First move: Work category and use-case prompts first.

Intent Coverage

An untracked brand keeps appearing

A new competitor is taking slots you don't track.

First move: Add it as a tracked brand. Competitors are unlimited.

Competitor Tracking

The tools behind it

The MentionX features that do the work

Plans

How much each plan tracks

Answers per scan is prompts × engines, re-run 4 times a month. Spark and above include unlimited seats and competitors; Starter includes 3 of each.

SparkSelf-serve

$149 /mo

100 prompts × 3 engines = 300 answers a scan

Each square is 10 answers1,200 a month

ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Choose Spark

NovaSelf-serve

$249 /mo

200 prompts × 4 engines = 800 answers a scan

Each square is 10 answers3,200 a month

Adds Google AI Mode

Choose Nova

GalaxySelf-serve

$599 /mo

300 prompts × 5 engines = 1,500 answers a scan

Each square is 10 answers6,000 a month

Adds Perplexity

Choose Galaxy

Questions

Competitor monitoring, answered

The questions buyers ask before they start. Your first scan answers the rest with your own data.

Read the methodology

How do I see which competitors AI recommends?

MentionX runs your buyer prompts on every engine in your plan and stores each answer's shortlist, so you see which brand takes each slot.

What is recommendation share?

Your shortlist slots divided by all shortlist slots for tracked brands, across the same prompts and engines.

How many competitors can I monitor?

Unlimited from Spark; Starter includes 3. MentionX also suggests the competitors AI already compares you with.

Can I see why a competitor is recommended?

Yes. Open the stored answer for the engine's wording, and check the cited sources for the pages it relied on.

Does this cover prompts like 'X vs Y'?

Yes. Competitive and alternatives prompts are two of the six buyer intents MentionX tracks.

How often is competitor data refreshed?

Weekly. Your full prompt set is re-run 4 times a month.

Other needs

Start from a different question

Free forever, no card needed. Free is a plan ($0, no card, ChatGPT): 20 prompts the first week, then 10 a week. There is no 7-day trial

See who AI recommends instead of you

Prefer to talk first?

Talk to the founder· 20 min

Your first scan shows every rival on your prompts, the shortlist slots they take and the answers that put them there.