Does ChatGPT recommend accounting firms? Our test
Often, but they rarely agree on which firm. In our Oct 12, 2026 test, 44 of 54 answers from ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity named at least one specific accounting firm, and the answers that named firms listed a median of 8. Counting each city separately, 190 firms were named across Austin, Columbus and Denver: 20 of them by more than one assistant in the same city, and 3 by all three.
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Step 1 of 2What are the key figures?
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Answers naming at least one specific firm | 44 of 54 (12 of 18 from ChatGPT, 17 of 18 from Gemini, 15 of 18 from Perplexity) |
| "Who should I hire" / "How do I choose" answers naming a firm | 27 of 27 / 17 of 27 |
| Firms named, counted per city (Austin / Columbus / Denver) | 190 (58 / 62 / 70) |
| Named by 2+ assistants in the same city / by all 3 | 20 / 3 |
| Median firms per answer, among answers that named any | 8 |
| Answers saying there is no single "best" | 43 of 54 |
| ChatGPT and Perplexity answers citing any site | 33 of 36 |
| …citing a firm's own website | 32 of 36 |
| …citing a listing or review site | 25 of 36 |
| …citing a professional body or licensing board | 11 of 36 |
| Most-cited single firm website | 17 of 36 |
- Firms' own websites were cited in almost every answer (32 of 36).
- Business-to-business listing sites came next, not consumer review sites.
- Software and technology were a buyer check in 17 of 27 answers, against 0 for law and 5 for dental practices.
Which sites did the answers cite?
| Site | Answers citing it (of 36) |
|---|---|
| ClearlyRated | 20 |
| Clutch | 19 |
| Expertise.com | 17 |
| DesignRush | 15 |
| Thumbtack | 12 |
| BBB | 12 |
| Business Journals | 6 |
| G2 | 5 |
What were buyers told to check?
| Check | Answers mentioning it (of 27) |
|---|---|
| Experience with clients like you | 26 |
| Fees and billing | 24 |
| Licence or credentials | 21 |
| Communication | 18 |
| Software and technology | 17 |
| Services offered | 17 |
| Reviews | 7 |
What can an accounting firm do with this?
- Make your own service and location pages answer what buyers are told to check: the industries you serve, how you bill, and your credentials. Firms' own websites were cited in 32 of 36 answers.
- Check whether a suitable free listing is available on the sites these answers cited most (ClearlyRated, Clutch, Expertise.com). If there is one, keep it complete and accurate. Some of these sites also sell placement; this page is no reason to pay for it. A site being cited often doesn't show that a listing on it causes a recommendation.
- Keep your licence details current with your state board of accountancy. Licensing boards and CPA societies were cited in 11 of 36 answers.
- Check your own firm: the free Quick Scan asks these 6 questions about you.
Where can I read more?
- The other industries in the full study.
- Guide: what to fix first for AI search.
- Post: which websites AI cites when buyers ask.
How did we run this?
On Oct 12, 2026 we asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, through their APIs with web search on, the 6 questions our free Quick Scan asks (3 'who should I hire', 3 'how do I choose'). We asked each question once, for each industry, in Austin, Columbus and Denver: 54 answers per industry. Each assistant was told it was helping a person looking for that kind of business and to recommend specific businesses, websites or resources by name where relevant. So this is a test of prompted recommendations, not of every way people ask. A second AI model listed the businesses each answer named, and we checked a sample of answers by hand. Businesses are counted per city. Cited sites come from ChatGPT and Perplexity only (36 answers per industry). One answer can cite several kinds of site, so the site-type figures overlap. We don't publish the businesses named.
What are the limits of this study?
- One run on one evening. Answers change from run to run, so these are samples, not rankings.
- These are API answers with web search on, and the city came from the question, not the person's location. The consumer apps can answer differently.
- The assistants were prompted to recommend by name where relevant, which likely raises how often they name businesses.
- A second AI model listed the business names and buyer checks, and we hand-checked a sample of 3 answers. Name matching is approximate: a spelling variant can split one firm in two.
- Businesses are counted per city, so a firm named in two cities counts twice.
- Cited sites cover ChatGPT and Perplexity only, and site types overlap.
- A site being cited often does not show that a listing on it causes a recommendation.
- We never publish the businesses that were named.
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