> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.peec.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Citation rate benchmarks differ sharply by engine

> Peec analysed over 1M citations in Feb 2026 — a good citation rate is engine-specific, from 2.0+ on ChatGPT to 1.1–1.5 on Google AI Mode and 1.5–2.0 on Perplexity.

A "good" citation rate depends on the engine. Peec's Feb 2026 analysis of over 1 million citations ([full study](https://peec.ai/blog/citation-rate-benckmarks-from-over-1-million-citations)) recommends engine-specific benchmarks: **2.0+ for ChatGPT**, **1.1–1.5 for Google AI Mode**, and **1.5–2.0 for Perplexity**. Citation rate is how often a URL is cited per AI answer relative to how often it is retrieved (see [Retrieval vs citation](/research/retrieval-vs-citation)).

* **ChatGPT is generous.** 31% of URLs sit in the 2.0+ bucket, and those URLs account for 59% of all ChatGPT citations. Top-cited pages get disproportionately high visibility.
* **Google AI Mode is conservative and consistent.** Over 90% of URLs have a citation rate below 1.0. The sweet spot is the 1.0–1.5 band, where only 3% of URLs make up 12% of citations. Above 1.5 is exceptional.
* **Perplexity is a tale of two extremes.** 64% of URLs are never cited in answers (they appear only in the sidebar), while the 6% of URLs above 2.0 carry just under half of all Perplexity citations.

The dataset was harmonized — evenly split by query intent, all prompts non-branded — to give a balanced view. If content underperforms on Perplexity, cross-check ChatGPT and Google AI Mode: the same URLs often perform very differently per engine. Related: [Citation rate by prompt intent](/research/citation-rate-by-prompt-intent) and [Content types cited most by engine](/research/content-types-cited-most-by-engine).

**Source:** [What does a good citation rate look like? Benchmarks from over 1 million AI citations](https://peec.ai/blog/citation-rate-benckmarks-from-over-1-million-citations), Peec (Tom Wells), Feb 2026.