AEO Audit is a free tool that scores B2B SaaS websites for AI search visibility — how likely they are to be cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews when B2B buyers search.

What is AI Engine Optimization (AEO)?

AI Engine Optimization (AEO) is the practice of structuring content, entity signals, and technical infrastructure so that AI engines cite your brand in generated answers. It extends traditional SEO to cover ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews.

Yes. AEO Audit is free. Enter any B2B SaaS brand and receive a full AI visibility score with prioritised recommendations.

How does AEO Audit score websites?

AEO Audit scores across six pillars: AI Visibility (22%), Brand Authority (23%), Content Quality (18%), Platform Optimization (15%), Structured Data (12%), and Technical AEO (10%). Each pillar reflects specific signals that AI engines use when deciding which sources to cite.

Category · AI Citation Index

Who AI is citing in Finance

Finance category shows fragmented AI citation—no brand appears on a single shortlist across 32 prompts, with Adp and Stripe Terminal tying at 78 for top scores.

Brands tracked

Avg AEO score

65/100

Citation coverage

of brands cited at least once

Dominant brands

cited > 50% of queries

Discovery stage

The shortlist

When buyers ask AI for the best Finance software

No discovery-stage prompts have been scored against this category yet — once the shortlist cron runs, this section will surface which brands AI cites most.

Evaluation stage

The battleground

How brands fare on comparison queries · category median 39/100

Stripe Terminal leads evaluation queries with an average score of 57, followed by Paylocity at 55 and Chargebee at 53. The median evaluation score sits at 39—well below the category average of 65—indicating most Finance brands struggle in head-to-head comparisons. WorkflowMAX scores 44 despite appearing in only four comparison queries.

Each brand's evaluation score averages how AI responds to head-to-head comparison queries that mention them. Above-median brands win their comparisons more often than they lose.

Trends

Over the last 12 months

Only two months of audit data exist (March and April 2026), making trend analysis premature. April saw average scores rise from 62 to 66 as sample size doubled from 23 to 48 prompts. Adp gained 15 points month-over-month while Intacct dropped 17, but two data points are insufficient to establish a durable trend.

Biggest gain

Adp

+15 pts

Biggest drop

Intacct

-17 pts

Editorial picks

Brands worth watching

Adp

Adp ties for the highest score in Finance at 78 and posted the largest month-over-month gain at +15 points. Despite being a legacy payroll provider, it holds ground in AI citation even as newer fintech brands compete.

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Stripe Terminal

Stripe Terminal matches Adp at 78 and leads all brands in evaluation queries with a 57 average. Its payment-hardware niche separates it from broader finance platforms, giving it clear positioning in AI recommendations.

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Ramp

Ramp scores 74 despite the category's zero-shortlist fragmentation, signaling strong AI recognition in the spend-management subcategory. It stands as the highest-ranked VC-backed fintech in the Finance cohort.

Read brand profile →

Drill down

Subcategories

Accounting Spend Management Expense Management Billing & Invoicing FP&A Payment Processing

FAQ

Finance questions, answered

What is the best finance software for small businesses?+

AI models show no consensus—zero brands appeared on shortlists across 32 queries. Wave (evaluation score 52) and Freshbooks (72) both target small businesses, but fragmented citation means you'll get different recommendations depending on which AI you ask.

Which payment processing platform does AI recommend most?+

Stripe Terminal scores 78 and leads evaluation queries at 57, making it the most cited payment brand in the dataset. Recurly and Chargebee trail at 48 and 53 respectively, focused on subscription billing rather than general payment processing.

How do spend management tools compare in AI citations?+

Ramp scores 74, the highest among spend platforms. Airbase follows at 50 with a dedicated evaluation presence across four comparison queries. The category median of 39 suggests most spend tools struggle to differentiate in AI recommendations.

Are legacy finance brands or new fintech startups cited more by AI?+

Legacy providers hold their own: Adp (78) and Paylocity (74) rank alongside newer entrants like Ramp (74). Intacct's 17-point drop hints at erosion for older ERP-style platforms, but payroll incumbents maintain strong AI visibility.

What does the 0% shortlist coverage rate mean for finance software buyers?+

It means AI models lack consensus on what constitutes 'best' in Finance—every discovery query returns a different set of brands. Buyers won't get consistent recommendations, making category research harder than in more consolidated verticals.

Which accounting software scores highest in AI evaluations?+

Wave and Freshbooks tie the accounting niche with scores of 52 and 72 respectively, though neither dominates shortlists. Intacct (45) and WorkflowMAX (44) lag in evaluations despite multi-query citation, suggesting mid-market accounting tools face tougher AI scrutiny.

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