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Lab study · October 2026

Who AI Recommends in Sofia

We asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity the questions people in Sofia really ask, from a good dentist to an emergency plumber, three times each. Between them they named 806 different businesses. Only 26 were named by all three. This is who they were, where the assistants read, what they got wrong, and what a business can do to be the one they name.

For example, we asked „Кой е добър зъболекар в София?“ (Who is a good dentist in Sofia?) and got three different lists of names back.

Download the data
  • 400 answers
  • 10 sectors
  • 806 businesses
  • 26 named by all three

The 40 questions we asked

Four questions for each of ten kinds of business, written the way people in Sofia really ask: three in Bulgarian, as we asked them (with the English in bold), and one in English, the way a foreigner living here would ask. Every question went to ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity three times, and to Google from Sofia once.

806 businesses named. 26 that all three agree on.

806

  • Only ChatGPT 159
  • Only Gemini 418
  • Only Perplexity 122
  • Two of the three 81
  • All three 26

  1. Three assistants, three different lists

    In 360 answers, ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity named 806 different businesses in Sofia. Every dot is one of them, coloured by who named it.

  2. Most came from one assistant only

    699 of the 806, almost nine in ten, turned up in one assistant's answers and nowhere else. Gemini alone named 418 that nobody else did.

  3. Only 26 were named by all three

    About 3 in every 100. For psychologists, car repair, electricians and plumbers, not a single business was named by all three.

The 26 businesses all three named, sector by sector

If ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity all put you forward, you are in a very small club. These are its members, as of 30 October 2026, sector by sector, with the questions each one came up for and a link to its own website.

Sector by sector: how much do they agree?

Each set of circles is one sector. The number in each part is how many businesses only that assistant, or only those two, named. The glowing middle is all three.

Restaurants

932913246

75 named · 6 by all three

Gemini named 55, ChatGPT 30, Perplexity 21.

  • Only ChatGPT: 9
  • Only Gemini: 32
  • Only Perplexity: 9
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 13
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 2
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 4
  • All three: 6

Hotels

51724156

40 named · 6 by all three

Gemini named 32, ChatGPT 16, Perplexity 14.

  • Only ChatGPT: 5
  • Only Gemini: 17
  • Only Perplexity: 2
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 4
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 1
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 5
  • All three: 6

Dermatologists

17371510045

88 named · 5 by all three

Gemini named 56, ChatGPT 32, Perplexity 24.

  • Only ChatGPT: 17
  • Only Gemini: 37
  • Only Perplexity: 15
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 10
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 0
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 4
  • All three: 5

Catering

1229196043

73 named · 3 by all three

Gemini named 42, ChatGPT 21, Perplexity 26.

  • Only ChatGPT: 12
  • Only Gemini: 29
  • Only Perplexity: 19
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 6
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 0
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 4
  • All three: 3

Dentists

2058124005

99 named · 5 by all three

Gemini named 67, ChatGPT 29, Perplexity 17.

  • Only ChatGPT: 20
  • Only Gemini: 58
  • Only Perplexity: 12
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 4
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 0
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 0
  • All three: 5

Psychologists

2534173110

81 named · 0 by all three

Gemini named 38, ChatGPT 29, Perplexity 19.

  • Only ChatGPT: 25
  • Only Gemini: 34
  • Only Perplexity: 17
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 3
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 1
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 1
  • All three: 0

Lawyers

1645155321

87 named · 1 by all three

Gemini named 53, ChatGPT 25, Perplexity 21.

  • Only ChatGPT: 16
  • Only Gemini: 45
  • Only Perplexity: 15
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 5
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 3
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 2
  • All three: 1

Car repair

1592211320

134 named · 0 by all three

Gemini named 95, ChatGPT 19, Perplexity 26.

  • Only ChatGPT: 15
  • Only Gemini: 92
  • Only Perplexity: 21
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 1
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 3
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 2
  • All three: 0

Electricians

193640000

59 named · 0 by all three

Gemini named 36, ChatGPT 19, Perplexity 4.

  • Only ChatGPT: 19
  • Only Gemini: 36
  • Only Perplexity: 4
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 0
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 0
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 0
  • All three: 0

Plumbers

213882100

70 named · 0 by all three

Gemini named 40, ChatGPT 24, Perplexity 9.

  • Only ChatGPT: 21
  • Only Gemini: 38
  • Only Perplexity: 8
  • ChatGPT and Gemini: 2
  • ChatGPT and Perplexity: 1
  • Gemini and Perplexity: 0
  • All three: 0

How we did it

We picked the ten kinds of business people in Bulgaria search for most often with the word Sofia, from restaurants (about 9,900 searches a month) to plumbers (about 880).

For each one we wrote four questions the way people really ask them: a general one, an urgent or specific one and one about price, all in Bulgarian, plus one in English, the way a foreigner living in Sofia would ask.

  • ChatGPT, as people in Bulgaria see it in the app
  • Gemini and Perplexity, with web search switched on
  • Google, searched from Sofia, for the map of businesses it shows

We asked each assistant every question three times, because the same assistant often answers differently a minute later. That makes 360 AI answers and 40 Google searches, all on 30 October 2026. Then we read every answer, wrote down every business named, and joined the different spellings of the same business (one dental clinic came up under seven).

Everything is in one spreadsheet you can download as a CSV file: every question, assistant and run, with every business named as it was written.

Six things the answers taught us

Where the assistants read before they answer

Every website the assistants cited, sized by how often. Reddit came first, cited 122 times, followed by Superdoc (81). Most of the rest are lists, directories and booking sites. A business's own website made the top of the list only when it said clearly what it does and what it costs.

  • reddit.com122 times
  • superdoc.bg81 times
  • tripadvisor.com33 times
  • whatclinic.com29 times
  • justdial.com24 times
  • zlatnafirma.eu22 times
  • dermasofia.com20 times
  • tripadvisor.ru20 times
  • sofiaimplantcentre.com19 times
  • maistorplus.com19 times
  • complicated.life19 times
  • expedia.com18 times
  • hotels.com18 times
  • oink.bg17 times
  • grabo.bg16 times
  • andrey-andreev.com15 times
  • lauracatering.com14 times
  • sfdent.eu13 times
  • rabotilo.bg13 times
  • booking.com13 times
  • therapyroute.com13 times
  • roamandthrive.com13 times
  • lawzana.com12 times
  • bg.usembassy.gov12 times
  • healee.com12 times
  • vagabond.bg11 times
  • derma-act.bg11 times
  • how2sofia.com11 times

Lime: a business's own website. Outlined: a list, directory or booking site. Crossed out: an Indian business directory, cited for Sofia.

What the assistants got wrong

We have left the businesses out of this part. The point is not who was hurt, but how easily it happens.

How to be the business AI names: ten fixes

Everything here comes from what the answers showed us. Tick them off as you go.

0 of 10 checked on your site

  1. Make your Google Business Profile complete and exact

    ChatGPT copies your rating, reviews, hours and address straight from Google Maps. Fill in every field, pick the right categories, keep hours current (holiday and emergency hours too) and answer reviews. How to claim your profile.

  2. Use one name, one phone and one address everywhere

    One clinic appeared under seven spellings. Every new spelling splits you into smaller, weaker businesses in the eyes of an AI. Pick one form, in Bulgarian and in Latin letters, and use exactly that on your site, Google, Facebook and every directory.

  3. Be on the lists the assistants read for your sector

    Superdoc and WhatClinic for clinics, Tripadvisor and Booking for hotels and restaurants, MaistorPlus and Rabotilo for trades, embassy lists for lawyers. Keep each profile identical to your Google profile.

  4. Be part of the Reddit conversation, as yourself

    Reddit was cited more than any other website. Answer real questions in Sofia and Bulgaria groups openly as the business. Never post fake recommendations: people spot them, and so will the assistants.

  5. Get written about

    One "top 50" list moved the hotel answers within two days. Local press, magazines, food and city blogs are read by every assistant. A story worth telling is worth more than an advert here.

  6. Say plainly on your site what you do, where and for how much

    The clinics that published clear prices were the ones quoted when people asked about price. Write it in plain sentences, with prices in euro, not hidden in a PDF or an image.

  7. Give each big question its own page

    Emergency and open now, English spoken, a price for a specific job: each question got a different list of names. A page that answers one question clearly gives the assistants something to cite.

  8. Write in Bulgarian and in English

    The English question brought up a different set of businesses almost every time. If you serve foreigners, say so on an English page.

  9. Make sure AI can read your website

    Some website settings block AI assistants without the owner knowing. Check if AI is blocked from your website.

  10. Check what the assistants say about you, every month

    Answers change from week to week. Ask the questions your customers ask, in both languages, and fix any wrong fact where it comes from, usually your Google profile or a directory. How to see if AI search mentions your business.

Questions

Do ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity recommend the same businesses?

Rarely. In our study of Sofia they named 806 different businesses between them, and only 26 were named by all three. Almost nine in ten were named by one assistant only.

Which AI recommends the most businesses in Sofia?

Gemini, by far: 514 businesses, against 244 for ChatGPT and 181 for Perplexity. It also changed its answers the most between runs.

Where does ChatGPT get its local recommendations from?

Mostly from Google Maps: it shows the rating and review count from Google, and its picks match Google's map for the same search. It also reads review sites and lists such as Tripadvisor, Superdoc and WhatClinic.

How do I get my business recommended by AI?

Start with a complete, exact Google Business Profile, use the same name, phone and address everywhere, get onto the lists the assistants read for your sector, get written about, and say clearly on your own website what you do, where and for how much. The ten fixes above go through each one.

Can I use the data?

Yes. Download the full spreadsheet with every question, assistant, run and business named. If you use it, please mention Wonder Works and link to this page.

Will you run it again?

Yes. We will ask the same 40 questions again and add the new results here, dated, so you can see how the answers move.

Keep reading

What does AI say about your business?

We run the same check for your business: what ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity say about you, where they read it, what they get wrong, and what to fix first.

Ask us to check yoursGoogle & AI search

Български