Asked as “direct mail automation platform”, and as “print and direct mail marketing tool”, 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
35%
Contested · Sendoso 22%
35Postalytics22Sendoso13PFL30others
35% 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
08
PostGrid Print & Mail0%19%26accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 0% now.
PostGrid Print & Mail0%19%26accepted challengernewNew since September 2026: not ranked then, 0% now.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 twenty-one head-to-head pages: the top seven products, each against each
Postalytics vs LobPostalytics vs PostalPostalytics vs Click2MailSendoso vs PFLSendoso vs ReachdeskSendoso vs LobSendoso vs PostalSendoso vs Click2MailPFL vs ReachdeskPFL vs LobPFL vs PostalPFL vs Click2MailReachdesk vs LobReachdesk vs PostalReachdesk vs Click2MailLob vs PostalLob vs Click2MailPostal vs Click2Mail
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
0708Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative50%
Key
01Postalytics35%
Postalytics35%02Sendoso22%
Sendoso22%03PFL13%
PFL13%04Reachdesk13%
Reachdesk13%05Lob4%
Lob4%06Postal4%
Postal4%07Click2Mail4%
Click2Mail4%08PostGrid Print & Mail0%
PostGrid Print & Mail0%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 Gemini 3.1 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.
Sendoso23%
6 of 26 labels negative · 5 of 6 models
“nonrefundable fees, and account balances that expire at the end of the subscription term... My concern here is total cost and unused-budget exposure.” GPT-6 Astra, negative prompt
Lob18%
6 of 33 labels negative · 4 of 6 models
“Developer-led, API-first... If not, avoid the API-first options regardless of how good the pricing looks.” Claude Opus 5, paraphrase prompt
Postal24%
4 of 17 labels negative · 3 of 6 models · 2 hard negative
“Postal: don’t begin a new deployment until Sendoso confirms—in writing—which platform you will ultimately use” GPT-5.6 Sol, negative prompt
PostGrid Print & Mail19%
5 of 26 labels negative · 3 of 6 models
“mixed signal worth investigating... tracking didn't appear on the webhook... support ignored them for two weeks” Claude Opus 5, 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
32 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. 556 links across 140 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 · Postalytics22 answers · 49 citations · 5 models
vendor site · Lob21 answers · 35 citations · 6 models
13 answers · 47 citations · 5 models
vendor site · Guideflow13 answers · 13 citations · 3 models
vendor site · Capterra12 answers · 30 citations · 4 models
vendor site · PostGrid12 answers · 27 citations · 5 models
vendor site · Gartner12 answers · 15 citations · 4 models
vendor site · DirectMail.io11 answers · 13 citations · 3 models
11 answers · 12 citations · 4 models
vendor site · TrustRadius10 answers · 20 citations · 4 models
vendor site · Sendoso10 answers · 16 citations · 4 models
9 answers · 11 citations · 3 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.
13 answers · 3 models
12 answers · 4 models
12 answers · 3 models
11 answers · 4 models
10 answers · 4 models
9 answers · 3 models
9 answers · 3 models
7 answers · 2 models
7 answers · 2 models
6 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 direct mail automation platform”, “direct mail automation 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postalytics postalytics.com | 35% | 160 | 1,000 | 3 | 90,338 | 28 | 2 | |
| Sendoso sendoso.com | 22% | 285 | 8,100 | 108 | 13,840 | 10 | 7 | |
| PFL pfl.com | 13% | 98 | 49,500 | 3,496 | 1,448 | 8 | ||
| Reachdesk reachdesk.com | 13% | 223 | 2,400 | 25 | 1,290 | 9 | ||
| Lob lob.com | 4% | 302 | 27,100 | 6,319 | 55,936 | 10 | 9 | |
| Postal postal.com | 4% | 157 | 27,100 | 64,090 | 55,299 | |||
| Click2Mail click2mail.com | 4% | 106 | 1,900 | 24 | 25,581 | $4 | 16 | |
| Mailjoy mailjoy.com | 4% | 6 | 70 | 0 | ||||
| PostGrid postgrid.com PostGrid Print & Mail 0% | 0% | 199 | 1,600 | 11 | 196,042 | $765 | 120 | 3 |
| PostPilot postpilot.com | 0% | 42 | 1,900 | 10 | 2,926 | $430 | 31 | 4 |
Google's top ten for the two searches hold 13 sites; 8 of them are among the sites the models cited here (directmail.io, g2.com, gartner.com, lob.com, postalytics.com, postgrid.com, sendoso.com, thecmo.com). The first result for “best direct mail automation platform” is thecmo.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 direct mail automation platform for a mid-market B2B software company?”Paraphrase“Which print and direct mail marketing tool would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B software company?”Comparative“What are the top direct mail automation platforms and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best direct mail automation platform for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating a direct mail automation platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which direct mail automation platforms should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5SendosoPostalyticsChangedagainst: Lob, PostGrid Print & MailLobagainst: Postie, SendosoMailjoyagainst: Lob, PostGrid Print & Mail, PostcardManiano first choiceagainst: Lob, PFL, PostGrid Print & Mail, Postalytics, Sendoso, Stadium
Four alternatives
Lob, PFL, Postalytics, ReachdeskThree alternatives
PFL, Postal, SendosoSeven alternatives
Inkit, Poplar, PostGrid Print & Mail, Postal, Postalytics, Reachdesk, StannpThree alternatives
EDDM, PostKnock, Thanks.ioClaude Opus 4.8Postal, ReachdeskPFLChangedLobPostalyticsagainst: Lobno first choicenothing named
Three alternatives
Lob, PostGrid Print & Mail, SendosoFour alternatives
Lob, Postal, Reachdesk, SendosoFour alternatives
PostGrid Print & Mail, PostPilot, Postalytics, SendosoOne alternative
PostGrid Print & MailGPT-6 AstraSendosoPFLChangedLobPostalyticsLob, Postalyticsagainst: Lob, PostGrid Print & Mail, Postal, Postalytics, Sendoso
Two alternatives
Lob, PFLTwo alternatives
Lob, SendosoFive alternatives
PFL, PostGrid Print & Mail, PostPilot, Postalytics, SendosoTwo alternatives
Click2Mail, StannpTwo alternatives
Reachdesk, SendosoGPT-5.6 SolReachdeskagainst: PostalSendosoChangedLob, PostGrid Print & Mail, PostalyticsPostalyticsagainst: Thanks.iono first choiceagainst: Click2Mail, Lob, PostGrid Print & Mail, Postal, Postalytics, Sendoso, Thanks.io
Four alternatives
Lob, PostGrid Print & Mail, Postalytics, SendosoFour alternatives
Lob, PFL, PostGrid Print & Mail, ReachdeskFour alternatives
PFL, PebblePost, PostPilot, SendosoThree alternatives
Click2Mail, Lob, PostGrid Print & MailGemini 3.1 ProReachdesk, SendosoPFLChangedLobClick2MailSendosoagainst: Alyce, Direct Mail for Mac, Postal, Reachdesk, Sendoso
Three alternatives
Lob, PostGrid Print & Mail, PostalyticsThree alternatives
Lob, Postal, SendosoSeven alternatives
Handwrytten, PFL, PostGrid Print & Mail, Postal, Postalytics, Reachdesk, SendosoFour alternatives
Lob, PostKnock, REmail, Thanks.ioThree alternatives
Postal, Reachdesk, SnappyPerplexity Sonar ProPostalyticsPostalyticsHeldLob, PostGrid Print & MailPostalyticsno first choiceagainst: Adobe Marketo Engage, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Mailchimp, SendGrid, Sendoso
Three alternatives
DirectMail.io, Lob, PostGrid Print & MailFive alternatives
Lob, PFL, PostGrid Print & Mail, Reachdesk, SendosoSix alternatives
PFL, PostPilot, Postal, Postalytics, Reachdesk, SendosoFive alternatives
GundirXpress, Lob, Mailjoy, PostKnock, Wise PelicanBold 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 16:38 | yes | 31 | 57 s |
| Direct recommendation | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 16:40 | yes | 20 | 49 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 18:50 | yes | 6 | 29 s |
| Direct recommendation | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 18:51 | yes | 3 | 34 s |
| Direct recommendation | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-09 16:42 | yes | 6 | 33 s |
| Direct recommendation | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 16:40 | yes | 20 | 5 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 16:44 | yes | 36 | 56 s |
| Paraphrase | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 16:45 | no | 0 | 22 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 18:53 | yes | 5 | 22 s |
| Paraphrase | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 18:54 | yes | 5 | 30 s |
| Paraphrase | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 16:59 | no | 0 | 26 s |
| Paraphrase | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 16:45 | yes | 20 | 5 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 16:49 | yes | 36 | 68 s |
| Comparative | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 16:51 | yes | 38 | 54 s |
| Comparative | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 18:56 | yes | 7 | 45 s |
| Comparative | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 18:58 | yes | 9 | 52 s |
| Comparative | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:00 | yes | 5 | 36 s |
| Comparative | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 16:52 | yes | 20 | 9 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 16:54 | yes | 37 | 48 s |
| Budget constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 16:57 | yes | 33 | 59 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 18:59 | yes | 3 | 22 s |
| Budget constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:00 | yes | 5 | 24 s |
| Budget constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:02 | yes | 16 | 35 s |
| Budget constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 16:57 | yes | 20 | 6 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 17:01 | yes | 24 | 79 s |
| Scale constrained | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 17:02 | no | 0 | 26 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:02 | yes | 5 | 30 s |
| Scale constrained | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:04 | yes | 5 | 48 s |
| Scale constrained | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:03 | no | 0 | 24 s |
| Scale constrained | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 17:02 | yes | 20 | 7 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 5 | claude-opus-5 | 2026-09-09 17:07 | yes | 35 | 154 s |
| Negative framing | Claude Opus 4.8 | claude-opus-4-8 | 2026-09-09 17:11 | yes | 38 | 54 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-6 Astra | gpt-6-astra | 2026-09-09 19:06 | yes | 5 | 32 s |
| Negative framing | GPT-5.6 Sol | gpt-5.6-sol | 2026-09-09 19:08 | yes | 7 | 80 s |
| Negative framing | Gemini 3.1 Pro | gemini-3.1-pro-preview | 2026-09-10 17:04 | yes | 16 | 39 s |
| Negative framing | Perplexity Sonar Pro | sonar-pro | 2026-09-09 17:12 | yes | 20 | 7 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
PostGrid read as PostGrid Print & Mail
Unresolved, counted raw
None awaiting human review.
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.