In-app messaging software: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank in-app messaging software by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured monthly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Platforms used to deliver targeted in-app messages, onboarding prompts, nudges, announcements, and lifecycle campaigns inside products. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 13, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
Braze and Sendbird jointly lead the in-app messaging software category, each holding 25.0% visibility against a category average of just 3.8%. That combined share of 50% at the top, compared to Intercom and Userpilot at 12.5% each, shows a sharp two-tier structure. The gap between ranks 2 and 3 is significant because it effectively halves the exposure a brand receives, meaning buyers querying Google AI Mode are overwhelmingly directed toward just two vendors.
A clear divergence exists between visibility and citation across this category. Braze, Sendbird, Intercom, and Userpilot all carry 0.0% citation rates despite holding meaningful visibility scores. MoEngage and Pushwoosh show the inverse pattern, with 0.0% visibility but 12.5% citation each. This means Google AI Mode names certain brands in responses without linking to them, while citing others it does not explicitly name, suggesting different mechanisms drive each signal.
Google AI Mode is the top engine for every brand in this dataset, indicating the category's AI footprint is entirely concentrated in one engine. The cited sources list is dominated by third-party domains such as youtube.com, gleap.io, pumble.com, and knock.app, with only moengage.com appearing as a vendor's own domain. This pattern suggests Google AI Mode anchors its in-app messaging responses on independent review and tutorial content rather than vendor-owned material.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Braze 0% → 25% · rank #0 → #1+25pp
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Sendbird 0% → 25% · rank #0 → #2+25pp
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Intercom 0% → 12% · rank #0 → #3+12pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
braze.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Braze shares the top visibility score of 25.0% with Sendbird, sitting 6.6 times above the category average, yet records a 0.0% citation rate. |
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| 2 |
sendbird.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sendbird matches Braze exactly at 25.0% visibility and 0.0% citation, making them statistically indistinguishable in AI presence at this point in time. |
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| 3 |
intercom.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Intercom sits at 12.5% visibility, exactly half the leaders' score, and like them carries a 0.0% citation rate despite being a widely recognised brand in the category. |
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| 4 |
userpilot.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Userpilot matches Intercom at 12.5% visibility and 0.0% citation, placing it above the 3.8% category average but well behind the joint leaders. |
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| 5 |
moengage.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
MoEngage holds 0.0% visibility but 12.5% citation, the only top-5 brand cited without being named, and its own domain appears in the top cited sources list. |
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| 6 |
pushwoosh.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
onesignal.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
customer.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
iterable.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
clevertap.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
airship.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
pendo.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
appcues.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
webengage.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
batch.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
wonderpush.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
hubspot.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
salesforce.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
useinsider.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
leanplum.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on in-app messaging software, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer.
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence — different from being named.
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps.
Rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 30 days and refresh this page automatically.
Get your own in-app messaging software brand audited
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about in-app messaging software AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in in-app messaging software?
Braze and Sendbird jointly lead with 25.0% visibility each, both well above the category average of 3.8%. No other brand comes close, with the next tier at 12.5%.
What sources does Google AI Mode cite most for in-app messaging research?
The top cited sources include youtube.com, gleap.io, pumble.com, knock.app, and cometchat.com, with only moengage.com appearing as a vendor-owned domain in the list.
Which brands are cited by Google AI Mode but not named in responses?
MoEngage and Pushwoosh each hold 12.5% citation with 0.0% visibility, meaning Google AI Mode references their content without explicitly naming them in answers.
Are any brands completely absent from Google AI Mode in this category?
Yes, OneSignal, Customer.io, Iterable, and CleverTap all show 0.0% visibility and 0.0% citation, giving them no measurable presence in Google AI Mode responses.
Which engine dominates AI visibility for in-app messaging software brands?
Google AI Mode is listed as the top engine for every single brand in the dataset, indicating the category's entire AI footprint is concentrated there.
How does citation rate compare to visibility rate across this category?
The category average visibility is 3.8% versus an average citation rate of 1.2%, and the top four visible brands all carry 0.0% citation, showing the two metrics move largely independently here.