ChatGPT vs. Perplexity: AI Picks Different Local Businesses, Study Finds

BAKERSFIELD, CA — "A local researcher tested two popular AI tools across five California cities. They agreed on only about 1 in 4 of the businesses they recommended." Ask Perplexity for the best dentist in Bakersfield and it points you to Salin Dentistry. Ask ChatGPT the same question and its first pick is Healthy Smiles Family Dental, a practice Perplexity didn't list at all.

That split is common, according to the California AI Visibility Index, a study published Sept. 26 by Ravinder Cheema, a Bakersfield-based marketing specialist at Clicks Dynasty.

Cheema typed the same simple question a customer would ask ("best dentist in Fresno, CA," for example) into ChatGPT and Perplexity. He covered four everyday services (dentists, personal injury lawyers, plumbers and landscapers) in five cities: Bakersfield, Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego.

The 40 AI answers named 198 businesses. Only 24 of the 99 businesses Perplexity recommended also made ChatGPT's list for the same city and service.

"[Ravinder: add 1–2 sentences in your own words. For example: why you ran the test, or what surprised you most.]"

Bakersfield agreed the most. San Diego barely agreed at all.

Bakersfield had the most overlap. The two tools agreed on about half of their picks, including Chain Cohn Clark for personal injury law and Forward Bound Plumbing, Precision Plumbing and The Plumbing Doc for plumbing.

San Diego had almost none. Across all four services, ChatGPT and Perplexity named only one business in common.

One national name kept coming up. Roto-Rooter appeared in Perplexity's top five plumbers in all five cities, but ChatGPT listed it only in Fresno.

What the AI tools paid attention to

• Reviews, reviews, reviews. Dentist and plumber answers were ordered almost exactly by star rating and review count. In Los Angeles, Perplexity ranked plumbers in the same order as their Yelp review counts, starting with one that had more than 1,800 reviews.
• Lawyer directories. Most attorney recommendations came from Super Lawyers, Avvo, Justia and Best Law Firms, not from the firms' own websites. In Fresno, Perplexity's first four lawyer picks all came from Super Lawyers.
• Hard facts. The AI tools repeated specific claims word for word: "serving the area since 1964," "case results up to $117 million," "$8,000 minimum project cost."
• Clear websites. When reviews were thin, as with Los Angeles landscapers, the tools favored businesses that plainly listed their specialties and the neighborhoods they serve.
• Neighborhood chatter. Reddit threads, a Yahoo Local "best of" roundup and Thumbtack listings all put businesses into AI answers. One roundup article decided Perplexity's top plumber pick in San Diego.

Your results may vary, even with the same tool

When signed out, Perplexity recommended Carlson Dentistry, Capital Dental Group and Signature Smile for Bakersfield. When signed in, it named three different practices. Vague questions such as "best lawyer in Bakersfield" returned only lists of directories and no firm names at all.

What it means for residents

AI tools can be a useful starting point, but they aren't a neutral ranking. Ask more than one tool, check the reviews yourself, and call to confirm hours and pricing before you book.

What it means for local businesses

The study suggests five low-cost steps:

1. Ask ChatGPT and Perplexity to recommend your type of business in your city, and see if you appear.
2. Keep asking satisfied customers for Google and Yelp reviews.
3. Claim and complete your profiles on industry directories, such as Healthgrades, Avvo or Super Lawyers.
4. List your services, service areas and verifiable facts (year founded, license, specialties) in plain language on your website.
5. Get mentioned locally in roundups, community groups and local news.

About the study

Answers were collected on Sept. 26, 2026, using signed-in ChatGPT (with web search on) and Perplexity accounts, with a new chat for each question. The results are a one-day snapshot of what the AI tools said, not an endorsement of any business. Ratings are reported as the AI quoted them.

The full index, including a searchable list of all 198 businesses, is at clicksdynasty.com/california-ai-visibility-index.html.