Search and social advertising platforms
Asked as “paid search and social ads management platform”, and as “PPC and paid social campaign management tool”, on behalf of a mid-market B2B software company. 60 first choices recorded across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, six models each.
Standing · first-choice share
13%
Contested · Google Ads 13%
13Adzooma13Google Ads12Optmyzr62others
13% of first choices, contested.
Since September 2026↗new leaderNew leader since September 2026: Adzooma (13%) replaces Google Ads (10% then, 12% now), 2 points clear, inside the 12-point floor.Adzooma leads at 13%, replacing Google Ads, which led at 10% and stands at 12% now: 2 points clear, inside the floor, so the swap reads as unsettled.
The standing
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, over all six models, for a mid-market B2B software company. Ordered by share.
ProductFirst-choice shareNegative rateLabelsQuadrantSince September 2026
01
Google Ads Lab in the set13%10%30accepted challenger▲+1Since September 2026: 10% → 12%, +1 point. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.10% → 12%
Google Ads Lab in the set13%10%30accepted challenger▲+1Since September 2026: 10% → 12%, +1 point. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.10% → 12%02
Adzooma13%0%18accepted challenger▲+5Since September 2026: 9% → 13%, +5 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.9% → 13%
Adzooma13%0%18accepted challenger▲+5Since September 2026: 9% → 13%, +5 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.9% → 13%03
Optmyzr12%19%43accepted challenger▲+3Since September 2026: 9% → 12%, +3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.9% → 12%
Optmyzr12%19%43accepted challenger▲+3Since September 2026: 9% → 12%, +3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.9% → 12%04
Skai7%19%31accepted challenger▲+4Since September 2026: 3% → 8%, +4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.3% → 8%
Skai7%19%31accepted challenger▲+4Since September 2026: 3% → 8%, +4 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.3% → 8%05
Meta Ads5%15%20accepted challenger▼−1Since September 2026: 5% → 4%, −1 point. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.5% → 4%
Meta Ads5%15%20accepted challenger▼−1Since September 2026: 5% → 4%, −1 point. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.5% → 4%06
Marin Software3%26%31criticized challenger▼−3Since September 2026: 5% → 2%, −3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.5% → 2%
Marin Software3%26%31criticized challenger▼−3Since September 2026: 5% → 2%, −3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.5% → 2%07
Smartly2%15%20accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 2%
Smartly2%15%20accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 2%08
LinkedIn Campaign Manager2%0%12accepted challenger▼−7Since September 2026: 9% → 2%, −7 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.9% → 2%
LinkedIn Campaign Manager2%0%12accepted challenger▼−7Since September 2026: 9% → 2%, −7 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.9% → 2%09
Madgicx2%12%17accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%
Madgicx2%12%17accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%10
Microsoft Advertising2%13%15accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%
Microsoft Advertising2%13%15accepted challenger▲+2Since September 2026: 0% → 2%, +2 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.0% → 2%11
AdRoll2%9%11accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 2%
AdRoll2%9%11accepted challenger=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 2%12
AdEspresso2%29%17criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 2%
AdEspresso2%29%17criticized challenger=heldSince September 2026: 2% → 2%, ±0 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.2% → 2%Show the two products at 0%, ordered by negative rate
14
WordStream Advisor0%25%16criticized challenger▼−3Since September 2026: 3% → 0%, −3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.3% → 0%
WordStream Advisor0%25%16criticized challenger▼−3Since September 2026: 3% → 0%, −3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.3% → 0%13
HubSpot Ads0%0%10accepted challenger▼−3Since September 2026: 3% → 0%, −3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.3% → 0%
HubSpot Ads0%0%10accepted challenger▼−3Since September 2026: 3% → 0%, −3 points. Inside the 12-point floor: within noise. Read over the models both editions asked.3% → 0%The floor is 12 points of share, measured: how far the models move a leader on their own when the same questions are asked twice with nothing changed. A larger change is movement; a smaller one is noise, and both are shown. How the floor is measured
Bars are the share of first choices, 0 to 100Every product with at least 10 labels here. Every product name links to its product page.
Google Ads is made by Google, whose model Gemini 3.1 Pro is in the set. On the four share prompts that model made it the first choice zero times of 4; the other five models zero times of 20. Lab treatment is defined on the method page; the row is marked, not excluded.
All six head-to-head pages: the top four products, each against each
Recommended versus criticized
Every product with at least 10 labels here, on both axes. The 30% line names a quadrant, not the verdict above: that one needs more than 40%.
Criticized challengerCriticized default
Negative label rate →
0102030405060708091011121314Accepted challengerEndorsed leader
0%First-choice share → · lines at 30% share and 25% negative30%
Key
01Google Ads13%
Google Ads13%02Adzooma13%
Adzooma13%03Optmyzr12%
Optmyzr12%04Skai7%
Skai7%05Meta Ads5%
Meta Ads5%06Marin Software3%
Marin Software3%07Smartly2%
Smartly2%08LinkedIn Campaign Manager2%
LinkedIn Campaign Manager2%09Madgicx2%
Madgicx2%10Microsoft Advertising2%
Microsoft Advertising2%11AdRoll2%
AdRoll2%12AdEspresso2%
AdEspresso2%13HubSpot Ads0%
HubSpot Ads0%14WordStream Advisor0%
WordStream Advisor0%What they warned about
A high negative share on a product with few labels is a warning. A low share on a product with many labels is salience, not sentiment.
Optmyzr19%
8 of 43 labels negative · 8 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“or Optmyzr ($200+/month) until your ad spend justifies the cost” Kimi K2, budget prompt
Marin Software26%
8 of 31 labels negative · 5 of 6 models · 4 hard negative
“"Marin Software officially approved a plan of dissolution and liquidation in April 2025**. Avoid any remaining sales pitches"; Do not enter new engagements.” Muse Glimmer 30B, negative prompt
AdEspresso29%
5 of 17 labels negative · 5 of 6 models · 1 hard negative
“persistent user complaints about bulk-upload features in AdEspresso triggering automated flags or suspensions” Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt
WordStream Advisor25%
4 of 16 labels negative · 4 of 6 models · 4 hard negative
“Avoid unless you're a beginner who specifically understands the pricing trap upfront and won't get locked into upsells.” DeepSeek V4 Flash, negative prompt
What they cite
Citations exist only for the models that return a source list: fourteen of the six in this edition.
Sites the answers cite
79 of 84 answers in this category came back with a source list, from 14 of 6 models: citations where the model returns them, or the search results it consulted. 1144 links across 283 sites, every framing counted. Ranked by the number of answers carrying the site or page. None of the 36 answers across every segment cited this index's own page for the category.
vendor site · HubSpot45 answers · 57 citations · 12 models
41 answers · 85 citations · 13 models
36 answers · 62 citations · 12 models
32 answers · 53 citations · 11 models
21 answers · 21 citations · 9 models
vendor site · Cometly19 answers · 30 citations · 9 models
18 answers · 23 citations · 7 models
vendor site · AdStellar17 answers · 23 citations · 10 models
17 answers · 20 citations · 9 models
vendor site · Optmyzr16 answers · 26 citations · 8 models
vendor site · Madgicx15 answers · 23 citations · 9 models
14 answers · 18 citations · 7 models
Pages the answers cite
The ten pages named in the most answers, by full address. A page here is one the models returned with a recommendation, not one the index endorses.
43 answers · 12 models
21 answers · 10 models
20 answers · 11 models
19 answers · 8 models
14 answers · 7 models
12 answers · 10 models
12 answers · 5 models
10 answers · 5 models
10 answers · 6 models
9 answers · 7 models
Search against answers
Each company's standing in the answers beside its site's footprint in Google search, one row a site: the products the models named on it with their shares, and the share they add up to; monthly searches on Google, and DataForSEO's estimate of AI search demand (modeled from search signals, directional, not a count of queries to any assistant), for the most-searched of the company's and its products' names (the name is in each row's hover text); estimated monthly organic visits to the site; and its best position in Google's top ten for “best paid search and social ads management platform”, “paid search and social ads management platform”. US estimates from DataForSEO and Google's Ads Transparency Center. A small company's site, or a mid-sized company's site for its flagship, is marked company; a product on a large parent's site (Google, Microsoft) has no site figures. A column with no figures for this category is left out, and an empty cell means none were seen, not none exist. Two measurements side by side: neither is read as the cause of the other.
| Company and products | Share | Own site cited | Name searches, Google | AI search demand, est. | Organic visits | Paid search a month, est. | Google ads, last 30 days | Best Google position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google parent site Google Ads 13% | 13% | 167 | 550,000 | 15,818 | ||||
| Adzooma adzooma.com | 13% | 49 | 320 | 3 | 1,259 | 0 | ||
| Optmyzr optmyzr.com | 12% | 86 | 1,000 | 16 | 1,519 | 11 | 3 | |
| Metadata.io metadata.io | 8% | 19 | 170 | 0 | 12,715 | 0 | ||
| Skai skai.io | 7% | 155 | 6,600 | 2,387 | 12,905 | 35 | ||
| Meta meta.com Meta Ads 5% | 5% | 171 | 49,500 | 1,504 | 9,891,853 company | $5,460 | 49 | |
| HubSpot parent site HubSpot Marketing Hub 5% | 5% | 934 | 368,000 | 9,776 | ||||
| Marin Software marinsoftware.com | 3% | 92 | 480 | 72 | 7,694 | 1 | ||
| LinkedIn parent site LinkedIn Ads Manager 3% | 3% | 6 | 11,100,000 | 77,031 | ||||
| AdRoll adroll.com AdRoll 2%, AdRoll ABM 2% | 3% | 214 | 2,900 | 50 | 52,273 | 18 |
Google's top ten for the two searches hold 16 sites; 5 of them are among the sites the models cited here (adstellar.ai, blog.hubspot.com, get-ryze.ai, madgicx.com, optmyzr.com). The first result for “best paid search and social ads management platform” is reddit.com.
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.ShowHide
How they answered
Six framings of the same buying question, each sent to every model in a fresh session with search on. One row per model, so a row shows whether it held its answer under rewording, what it named when cost was the constraint, and what it argued against. Computed from the raw judge labels.
ShowHideModelDirect“What is the best paid search and social ads management platform for a mid-market B2B company?”Paraphrase“Which PPC and paid social campaign management tool would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B company?”Comparative“What are the top paid search and social ads management platforms and how do they differ?”Budget-constrained“What is the best paid search and social ads management platform for a company with a limited budget?”Scale-constrained“We are a 500 person company evaluating a paid search and social ads management platform. What should we look at?”Negative“Which paid search and social ads management platforms should I avoid or be cautious about?”
Claude Opus 5no first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Claude Opus 4.8no first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
GPT-6 Astrano first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
GPT-5.6 Solno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Gemini 3.1 Prono first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Perplexity Sonar Prono first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choiceno first choicenothing named
Bold is the first choiceAlternatives are counted; the count opens them.What the answer argued against
The record
One row per call: the version string exactly as returned, whether the model searched, sources cited, and latency. Full answer text is in the free responses file. Download the record
Zero rows: every prompt, every model, every answer.
| Prompt | Model | Version string | Time (UTC) | Searched | Sources | Latency |
|---|
Normalization in this category
Every judgment call made between the raw labels and the numbers above, listed so it is visible and reversible.
ShowHide
Category-scoped readings
Facebook read as Meta Ads
Hootsuite read as Hootsuite Ads
HubSpot read as HubSpot Ads
HubSpot Ad Management read as HubSpot Ads
HubSpot Ads tools read as HubSpot Ads
HubSpot Marketing Hub Ads read as HubSpot Ads
HubSpot's Ad Management Software read as HubSpot Ads
Instagram read as Meta Ads
LinkedIn read as LinkedIn Campaign Manager
Microsoft Ads read as Microsoft Advertising
SEMrush read as Semrush Advertising Toolkit
Semrush read as Semrush Advertising Toolkit
Semrush (PPC Toolkit) read as Semrush Advertising Toolkit
TikTok read as TikTok Ads
WordStream read as WordStream Advisor
WordStream (LocaliQ) read as WordStream Advisor
Unresolved, counted raw
AdGile
AdMetricso
Ads Manager
Ads Manager (Meta) + Ad Library
Angie's List / Angi
Basis or Madgicx
Directive
Disruptive Advertising
Ezoic
Google Ads Manager, Search Ads 360
Google Marketing Platform with Search Ads 360
HawkSEM
HubSpot Advertising
HubSpot's Ad Management Tools
KlientBoost-style hybrid services
LinkedIn's native Campaign Manager
MEGA AI
Madwire (Marketing 360)
Microsoft Advertising Intelligence
Optmyzr Social
Predis
Shown.io
The AD Leaf Marketing Firm
WordStream, now part of LocaliQ
X (Twitter) Ads Manager
Zeely Inc.
iProspect
Discontinued, still offered
No shut-down product was recommended here.