In-app messaging and customer communications
Asked as “in-app messaging platform”, and as “customer communications tool for product messaging”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B software company. 23 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, six models each.
Standing · first-choice share
22%
Contested · Appcues 17%
22Intercom17Appcues13Firebase In-App Messaging48others
22% of first choices, contested.
The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all six models, for a mid-market B2B software company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
Show the one product at 0%, ordered by negative rate
The floor is 12 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one can't be told apart from repeat variation, and both are shown. Each index measures its own floor from its own repeat, over its own categories, so the floor differs from one index to the next. How the floor is measured
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
All fifteen head-to-head pages: the top six products, each against each
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
01
02
03
04
05
06
07Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative40%
Key
01Intercom22%
Intercom22%02Appcues17%
Appcues17%03OneSignal13%
OneSignal13%04Customer.io9%
Customer.io9%05Pendo9%
Pendo9%06Userpilot4%
Userpilot4%07Braze0%
Braze0%What they warned about
One of six models held their first choice under the paraphrase. Claude Opus 5, Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol and Perplexity Sonar Pro changed. A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Braze44%
8 of 18 labels negative · 4 of 6 models · 3 hard negative
“Avoid initially | Braze, Airship, Iterable, CleverTap enterprise — powerful but typically five-figure annual contracts.” Claude Opus 5, budget prompt
Intercom25%
7 of 28 labels negative · 4 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“Intercom gets expensive fast once you add seats and its AI add-ons.” Claude Opus 5, budget prompt
Iterable57%
4 of 7 labels negative · 2 of 6 models · 2 hard negative
“Avoid initially ... five-figure annual contracts” Claude Opus 5, budget prompt
Layer100%
2 of 2 labels negative · 2 of 6 models · 2 hard negative
“have since shut down or been acquired and sunsetted... they are dead ends” Gemini 3.1 Pro, negative prompt
What they cite
Six of the six models returned a source list in this edition: six return the pages they cited.
Sites the answers cite
29 of 36 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 6 of 6 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 507 links across 227 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. None of the 36 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category.
vendor site · Userpilot14 answers · 31 citations · 6 models
vendor site · Product Fruits11 answers · 13 citations · 4 models
vendor site · Intercom10 answers · 12 citations · 3 models
vendor site · Knock10 answers · 12 citations · 3 models
vendor site · Appcues9 answers · 15 citations · 4 models
7 answers · 7 citations · 2 models
7 answers · 7 citations · 3 models
vendor site · OneSignal6 answers · 16 citations · 4 models
vendor site · Customer.io6 answers · 8 citations · 2 models
vendor site · GetStream6 answers · 8 citations · 4 models
vendor site · OneSignal6 answers · 6 citations · 4 models
vendor site · Pushwoosh5 answers · 6 citations · 2 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
11 answers · 4 models
11 answers · 4 models
9 answers · 3 models
7 answers · 3 models
5 answers · 2 models
5 answers · 3 models
5 answers · 1 model
5 answers · 4 models
5 answers · 3 models
4 answers · 3 models
Search against answers
Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best in-app messaging platform”, “in-app messaging platform”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
| Company and products | Share | Own site cited | Name searches, Google | AI search demand, est. | Organic visits | Paid search a month, est. | Google ads, last 30 days | Best Google position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom intercom.com | 22% | 392 | 33,100 | 7,165 | 64,348 | $3,304 | 120 | |
| Appcues appcues.com | 17% | 198 | 1,900 | 26 | 18,506 | 2 | ||
| OneSignal onesignal.com | 13% | 322 | 4,400 | 133 | 29,726 | 38 | 6 | |
| Firebase In-App Messaging firebase.google.com | 13% | 10 | 91,247 | 1 | ||||
| Customer.io customer.io | 9% | 218 | 2,900 | 174 | 15,750 | $6,920 | 112 | |
| Pendo pendo.io | 9% | 409 | 12,100 | 761 | 19,185 | $3,609 | 93 | |
| Userpilot userpilot.com | 4% | 247 | 1,600 | 10 | 62,084 | 6 | 1 | |
| Crisp crisp.chat | 4% | 86 | 60,500 | 36,276 | 29,685 | 2 | ||
| Helply helply.com | 4% | 5 | 210 | 7 | 9,626 | 0 | ||
| tawk.to tawk.to | 4% | 41 | 2,900 | 63 | 13,444 | 7 |
Google's top ten for the two searches hold 15 sites; 3 of them are among the sites the models cited here (onesignal.com, pushwoosh.com, userpilot.com). The first result for “best in-app messaging platform” is userpilot.com.
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.ShowHide
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ShowHideModelDirect“What is the best in-app messaging platform for a mid-market B2B software company?”Paraphrase“Which customer communications tool for product messaging would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B software company?”Comparative“What are the top in-app messaging platforms and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best in-app messaging platform for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating an in-app messaging platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which in-app messaging platforms should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5Appcues, Userpilotagainst: Braze, IterableAppcuesChangedagainst: Braze, Intercomno first choiceagainst: IntercomFirebase In-App Messaging, OneSignalagainst: Airship, Braze, CleverTap, Intercom, Iterable, Pendo, Sendbird, WalkMeno first choiceagainst: Braze, CleverTap, Discord, Firebase In-App Messaging, Getui, Intercom, Iterable, JPush, Layer, Leanplum, Localytics, Microsoft Teams, Pusher Chatkit, Slack, Swrve, Telegram, Twilio Programmable Chat, WeChat
Three alternatives
Customer.io, Intercom, PendoThree alternatives
Customer.io, Pendo, UserpilotNine alternatives
Chatwoot, Crisp, Customer.io, Pushwoosh, Rocket.Chat, Stream Chat, Tidio, UserGuiding, UserflowClaude Opus 4.8Appcues, Intercom, Pendoagainst: BrazeIntercomChangedno first choicetawk.tono first choicenothing named
One alternative
Customer.ioThree alternatives
Appcues, Customer.io, PendoFive alternatives
Appcues, Braze, Intercom, OneSignal, UserpilotThree alternatives
Chatwoot, HubSpot Service Hub, TidioGPT-6 AstraAppcuesCustomer.ioChangedno first choiceagainst: OneSignalCrisp, Firebase In-App Messagingno first choicenothing named
Three alternatives
Customer.io, Intercom, UserpilotTwo alternatives
Appcues, IntercomTwo alternatives
Sendbird, Stream ChatOne alternative
OneSignalGPT-5.6 SolPendoagainst: Braze, WalkMeCustomer.ioChangedagainst: Braze, Loopsno first choiceOneSignalno first choiceagainst: Discord, Intercom, Messenger, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Telegram, WeChat, WhatsApp Business API
Five alternatives
Appcues, Chameleon, Gainsight PX, Intercom, UserpilotTwo alternatives
Intercom, PendoEight alternatives
Airship, Appcues, Braze, Customer.io, Firebase In-App Messaging, Intercom, OneSignal, PendoOne alternative
FirebaseGemini 3.1 ProIntercomIntercomHeldBraze, OneSignalFirebase In-App Messagingagainst: Intercom, Zendesk Messagingno first choiceagainst: Sendbirdagainst: Applozic, Bird, EngageLab, Firebase, Layer, Twilio Programmable Chat
Five alternatives
Appcues, Drift, HubSpot Service Hub, Pendo, UserpilotThree alternatives
Appcues, Customer.io, PendoSeven alternatives
Airship, CleverTap, CometChat, MirrorFly, Plotline, Sendbird, Stream ChatFive alternatives
Chatwoot, Firebase, OneSignal, Rocket.Chat, Stream ChatPerplexity Sonar ProIntercomHelplyChangedno first choiceagainst: AppcuesOneSignalno first choiceagainst: Airship, Braze, CleverTap, Customer.io, Firebase In-App Messaging, Intercom, Iterable, Klaviyo, OneSignal
Four alternatives
Appcues, Customer.io, Gleap, UserpilotThree alternatives
Intercom, Plain, Zendesk MessagingSeven alternatives
Braze, CometChat, Customer.io, Intercom, OneSignal, Pendo, UserpilotFour alternatives
Gleap, Pumble, UserGuiding, Zoho CliqBold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency.
Thirty-six rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:28 | yes | 35 | 68 s |
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:29 | no | 0 | 17 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:31 | yes | 5 | 37 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:32 | yes | 8 | 36 s |
| Direct recommendation | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:22 | yes | 12 | 49 s |
| Direct recommendation | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:29 | yes | 20 | 5 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:34 | yes | 41 | 63 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:35 | no | 0 | 14 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:37 | yes | 6 | 18 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:38 | yes | 5 | 33 s |
| Paraphrase | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:26 | no | 0 | 90 s |
| Paraphrase | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:36 | yes | 20 | 5 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:40 | yes | 40 | 55 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:42 | yes | 31 | 55 s |
| Comparative | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:45 | yes | 9 | 45 s |
| Comparative | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:47 | yes | 9 | 47 s |
| Comparative | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:27 | yes | 7 | 36 s |
| Comparative | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:43 | yes | 20 | 7 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:49 | yes | 24 | 48 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 19:55 | yes | 25 | 325 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:57 | yes | 3 | 17 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:58 | yes | 3 | 19 s |
| Budget constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:29 | yes | 17 | 30 s |
| Budget constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 19:56 | yes | 20 | 4 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 19:59 | no | 0 | 40 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:00 | no | 0 | 19 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:02 | yes | 5 | 38 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:04 | yes | 7 | 52 s |
| Scale constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:30 | no | 0 | 26 s |
| Scale constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:01 | yes | 20 | 8 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 20:07 | yes | 40 | 84 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 20:09 | yes | 40 | 40 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 20:10 | no | 0 | 12 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 20:12 | yes | 8 | 65 s |
| Negative framing | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 18:39 | yes | 8 | 38 s |
| Negative framing | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 20:09 | yes | 19 | 9 s |
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
ShowHide
Category-scoped readings
Stream read as Stream Chat
Stream (GetStream.io) read as Stream Chat
Twilio read as Twilio Conversations
WhatsApp read as WhatsApp Business API
Zendesk read as Zendesk Messaging
Unresolved, counted raw
None awaiting human review.
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.