TL;DR — Filter Visibility > Prompts to your “best tools” tagged queries to see which AI tool-recommendation lists include your product and at what position. Go to Compare > By Topic to see how your inclusion rate stacks up against competitors across all monitored “best tools” prompts. Check the GEO Matrix filtered by your SaaS category to spot which providers consistently exclude you. Pro tip: build a comparison table from 10 “best tools” responses — every attribute competitors have that you lack is a content gap on your site or a missing third-party listing.
The Question
“Is my SaaS product listed in AI ‘best tools for X’ responses?”“Best tools for X” queries are the most commercially powerful prompt type for SaaS brands. When a growth-stage startup asks ChatGPT “best tools for B2B sales outreach” or a developer asks Perplexity “top project management tools for engineering teams”, AI is doing the shortlisting that used to require a vendor evaluation process. Being on that list means being in the conversation; being off it means your best-fit prospects never learn you exist. You might also be wondering:
- “Which AI providers consistently include my product in tool recommendation lists?”
- “Am I being listed alongside my direct competitors or grouped with the wrong category?”
- “What attributes does AI cite when recommending tools in my category?”
Where to Go in Qwairy
Start here: Visibility > Prompts (best tools, top software queries)
Navigate to Visibility > Prompts and filter to prompts tagged with “best tools”, “top software”, or your relevant category tags.
Review the prompt texts to confirm you are monitoring the right “best tools for X” queries — the specific use case framing matters, as AI responds differently to “best CRM for startups” vs “best CRM for enterprise”.
Check the Brand Mention Visibility percentage for each prompt to identify which tool recommendation queries already include your brand and which exclude it.
Go deeper: Visibility > Responses (read the lists) + Compare
For any “best tools” prompt where your brand visibility is below 50%, click into Visibility > Responses and read the full AI-generated list.
Note your position (are you listed 1st, 5th, or not at all?), the attributes AI mentions alongside your product name, and which competitors appear above you in the list.
Navigate to Compare and use the By Tag or By Topic view filtered to your software category to see a competitive ranking across all tracked “best tools” prompt types simultaneously.
Complete the picture: Overview > GEO Matrix + MCP + Tags
Open Overview > GEO Matrix and filter by your SaaS category topic tags to see tool-recommendation visibility broken down by provider and topic simultaneously.
Use the MCP integration if you have it configured — this allows you to query AI models directly about your product and see real-time response data alongside historical trends.
Review your Workspace > Tags configuration to ensure your “best tools” prompts are correctly tagged so funnel and topic filtering works accurately.
What to Look For
Prompts — “Best Tools” Query Coverage
The quality of your “best tools” monitoring depends on how well your prompt library covers the queries your prospects actually use. Good coverage means having prompts for each major use-case variation: by team size, by industry vertical, by job role, and by specific capability. A single “best CRM software” prompt understates the complexity of how AI constructs tool recommendation lists.| Element | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Brand Mention Visibility per prompt | Whether your product appears in AI’s answer for each specific “best tools” framing |
| Position in list | Whether AI lists you first (highest recommendation) or last (afterthought) in tool lists |
| Consistency across providers | Whether inclusion is consistent (structural authority) or varies by model (content gap specific to one AI) |
| Attributes cited with your product | The specific selling points AI associates with your tool — these should match your core positioning |
Responses — Verbatim Tool List Text
Reading the actual “best tools” response text is irreplaceable. AI models structure tool recommendations consistently: they name the tool, describe its primary use case in one sentence, mention a key differentiator or price signal, and sometimes note a limitation. If AI is listing you but framing you as the “budget option” when you are not, or as “good for individuals” when you target teams, that is a positioning problem you can fix with content.Pro Tip: Create a comparison table from 10 “best tools” responses in your category. Note which attributes appear most frequently for top-listed tools: G2/Capterra ratings, pricing transparency, free tier availability, number of integrations, mobile app availability. Each attribute that appears for competitors but not your product is a content gap on your site or a gap in your third-party listing data.
Filters That Help
| Filter | How to use it for this question |
|---|---|
| Tag: “best tools” / “top software” | Isolate list-format recommendation prompts from other query types |
| Provider | Identify which AI model is most likely to include you in tool lists — and prioritize content for the one that excludes you most often |
| Period | 60-day windows work well for SaaS tool queries — product launches and major feature releases often shift AI recommendation patterns within this timeframe |
How to Interpret the Results
Good result
Your SaaS product appears in more than 60% of monitored “best tools for X” prompts in your primary category, listed in the top 3 positions in the majority of responses where you appear, and with accurate attribute descriptions (correct pricing tier, correct primary use case). The GEO Matrix shows consistent inclusion across at least 3 major AI providers.Needs attention
Inclusion in fewer than 30% of “best tools” prompts in your primary category, or consistent inclusion but always in position 5 or lower in the list (where users rarely read). Also watch for being listed in the wrong category: appearing in “best project management tools” responses when you are a “work OS” or similar — AI is not distinguishing your positioning from cheaper or less capable alternatives.Example
Scenario: Your team collaboration tool has strong product-market fit in design agencies but rarely appears in AI “best tools” lists, even for “best tools for creative teams” queries specifically.
- Open Visibility > Prompts and filter to “best tools” tagged prompts. For “best collaboration software for creative teams”, your Brand Mention Visibility is 11% across all providers. Competitors Figma (74%), Notion (58%), and Monday.com (44%) are consistently included.
- Read the Responses for this prompt on ChatGPT. The 5 tools listed all have Product Hunt Featured badges, 500+ Capterra reviews, and dedicated blog posts on major design publications (Creative Bloq, Smashing Magazine) that appear as citations. Your tool is not listed. Your Capterra profile has 28 reviews and was last updated 14 months ago.
- Develop a three-part plan: update your Capterra listing with current features and screenshots, launch a review campaign targeting your 200 most active customers, and reach out to two design publications for potential product features or tool roundup coverage. Monitor Visibility > Prompts for the affected queries over the next 60 days to track the impact.
Go Further
Best-tools response tracker
Track how AI recommends your SaaS in ‘best tools’ queries using the answer-details data source in Looker Studio
How to read AI recommendations
Read the Analyzing Answers documentation to see exactly how AI describes and ranks your tool vs competitors
Monitor 'best tools' queries via Claude
Connect the Qwairy MCP server to Claude to automate monitoring of ‘best tools’ and category recommendation queries
Related Questions
Does AI recommend my brand in the comparison/consideration phase?
The MOFU funnel view of comparison queries — closely related to “best tools” visibility
How do I improve my brand's positioning in B2B evaluation prompts?
Specific tactics for improving AI positioning in professional evaluation contexts
What is my share of voice vs competitors?
Measure your overall competitive visibility before drilling into “best tools” prompt types