Location intelligence software: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank location intelligence 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. Location intelligence platforms used to analyze geospatial data, map audiences, study foot traffic, and improve site, territory, or expansion decisions. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 14, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
HERE dominates this category with 87.5% visibility, more than three times the nearest competitor Esri at 25.0%. The category average visibility sits at just 6.9%, which means HERE is visible at a rate roughly 12 times the norm. This gap is structurally significant: a single brand absorbing nearly all AI mentions leaves the remaining 19 brands competing for a narrow share of attention. Esri, Placer.ai, and CARTO collectively account for the rest of meaningful visibility, with 15 brands recording zero.
HERE's 87.5% visibility comes with a citation rate of 0.0%, creating a sharp divergence between being named and being trusted as a source. Esri and Placer.ai align their visibility and citation rates exactly, both at 25.0% and 12.5% respectively, suggesting AI Mode treats their own domains or associated content as citable references. CARTO shows the same zero-citation pattern as HERE despite 12.5% visibility, confirming that named presence in AI responses does not automatically translate to cited sourcing.
Google AI Mode is the top engine for every brand in this dataset, and the top cited sources include youtube.com, trustradius.com, smappen.com, and esri.com itself. This pattern suggests Google AI Mode is anchoring on review platforms and instructional video content rather than vendor documentation, with esri.com being the only brand domain appearing directly in the cited sources list. The presence of growthfactor.ai, guideflow.com, and felt.com points to third-party comparison and tutorial sites carrying meaningful citation weight.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
HERE 0% → 88% · rank #0 → #1+88pp
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Esri 0% → 25% · rank #0 → #2+25pp
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Placer.ai 0% → 12% · rank #0 → #3+12pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
here.com
|
88% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
HERE leads with 87.5% visibility, roughly 13 times the 6.9% category average, but its 0.0% citation rate means AI Mode names it without linking back to its domain. |
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| 2 |
esri.com
|
25% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
Esri sits at 25.0% visibility and 25.0% citation, the only top-5 brand where both rates match exactly, and its domain appears directly in the category's top cited sources list. |
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| 3 |
placer.ai
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Placer.ai records 12.5% on both visibility and citation, placing it above the 6.9% category average for visibility and well above the 1.9% average for citations among peers. |
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| 4 |
carto.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
CARTO matches Placer.ai on visibility at 12.5% but records 0.0% citation, mirroring HERE's pattern where AI Mode references the brand without treating its content as a citable source. |
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| 5 |
precisely.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Precisely registers 0.0% on visibility, citation, and composite score, placing it among 15 brands in this 20-brand dataset with no measurable AI Mode presence. |
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| 6 |
unacast.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
near.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
safegraph.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
foursquare.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
mapbox.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
gapmaps.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
geoblink.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
nextbillion.ai
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
loqate.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
orbitalinsight.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
targomo.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
galigeo.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
deweydata.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
spatial.ai
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
buxtonco.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on location intelligence 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 location intelligence 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 location intelligence software AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in location intelligence software?
HERE leads with 87.5% visibility in Google AI Mode, more than three times Esri at 25.0% and roughly 12 times the category average of 6.9%.
Which brands are actually cited by AI in location intelligence software responses?
Only Esri and Placer.ai record non-zero citation rates, at 25.0% and 12.5% respectively. HERE and CARTO are named in responses but carry 0.0% citation rates.
What sources does Google AI Mode cite most for location intelligence software research?
The top cited sources include youtube.com, trustradius.com, smappen.com, and esri.com, suggesting AI Mode anchors on video content, review platforms, and a small number of third-party comparison sites.
How concentrated is AI visibility in this category?
Visibility is highly concentrated: HERE alone holds 87.5% and 15 of the 20 audited brands record 0.0% visibility, against a category average of just 6.9%.
Does high AI visibility in this category reliably predict citation?
No. HERE has the highest visibility at 87.5% but 0.0% citations, while Esri and Placer.ai are the only brands where visibility and citation rates align, indicating named presence and cited sourcing are separate outcomes.
Which engine drives AI visibility for location intelligence software brands?
Google AI Mode is the top engine for every brand in the dataset, with no alternative engine recording a leading position for any of the 20 audited brands.