Search and social advertising platforms · September 2026 Edition
Skai vs WordStream
Zero of twelve models named Skai first on the direct prompt; zero named WordStream. Skai was named by eleven of the twelve models and WordStream by nine and Skai carries 26 labels and WordStream 17, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in two categories this edition.
Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share3%3%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate27%29%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#7#8A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels2617A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Skai reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Google Ads vs Skai · Google Ads vs WordStream · Optmyzr vs Skai
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all twelve models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the search and social advertising platforms page.
By framing
How many of the twelve models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
SkaiFirst choices, of twelve modelsWordStream
Direct003 against Skai
Paraphrase201 against Skai
Comparative40
Budget-constrained021 against Skai · 1 against WordStream
Scale-constrained001 against Skai
Negative001 against Skai · 4 against WordStream
Bars are first choices, 0 to 12 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to twelve.
Every model, every framing
The seventy-two answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Skai and WordStream stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | |||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | |||||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | ||||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | |||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | ||||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | ||||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | |||||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | |||||
| MiniMax M2.5 |
Skai WordStream first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Skai on the left and WordStream on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Skai and WordStream stood in it.
Neither was named
12 of 12 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5AdRoll ABM alternatives: Google Ads, Marcel Digital, Meta Ads, Tinuiti
GPT-5.4 miniMetadata.io alternatives: AdStage, Optmyzr
Gemini 3.5 FlashMetadata.io alternatives: AdRoll ABM, HubSpot Ads, Influ2, Optmyzr
Perplexity SonarDemandbase alternatives: Metadata.io, Optmyzr, Pace
Grok 4.1 FastOptmyzr alternatives: Marin Software
Mistral SmallGoogle Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Manager alternatives: 6sense, AdRoll ABM, Demandbase, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Microsoft Ads, StackAdapt
DeepSeek V4 FlashHubSpot Ads alternatives: AdRoll ABM, Marin Software
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Qwen 3.7 FlashGoogle Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Mgr alternatives: Acquisio, AdRoll ABM, Cometly, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Metadata.io
Kimi K2Optmyzr alternatives: HubSpot Ads Management
GLM 4.7 FlashXGoogle Ads, HubSpot Marketing Hub, LinkedIn Campaign Manager alternatives: 6sense, AdRoll, Influ2
MiniMax M2.5StackAdapt alternatives: AdRoll, Google Search, HubSpot Marketing Hub, LinkedIn Campaign Manager
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
WordStream leads by two points.
WordStream2%#9 of 14Skai0%#14 of 14Mid-marketThe figures above
Level: the same share of first choices.
Skai3%#7 of 13WordStream3%#8 of 13Enterprise
The order flips: Skai leads at enterprise.
Skai42%#1 of 9WordStream0%#– of 9What the models said about Skai
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Avoid: Enterprise platforms like Skai/Kenshoo ($95,000+/year)” Kimi K2 · budget prompt · hard negative
“Avoid Skai unless spend >$4M/year” Grok 4.1 Fast · direct prompt · hard negative
“Mostly solid (4.0-4.7/5), but watch for steep learning curves, API lags, high fees for low-spend accounts” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · soft negative
“Choose MarinOne or Skai if you manage large budgets, multiple accounts, and need strong reporting/governance.” Perplexity Sonar · comparative prompt · first choice
“Choose Skai to manage both retail media networks and search/social portfolios under one unified umbrella.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“I'd generally recommend Skai if your team wants one platform to manage both PPC and paid social” GPT-5.4 mini · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about WordStream
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“WordStream (LocaliQ) — Approach with Extreme Caution ... Deceptive pricing, massive cost escalation, terrible support post-acquisition” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · hard negative
“Avoid percentage-of-spend pricing. Tools like WordStream (now LocaliQ) charge fees that scale with your ad spend” DeepSeek V4 Flash · budget prompt · hard negative
“Not suitable for: Any serious paid search or social media advertising” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“WordStream (now part of LocaliQ) stands out as one of the best options for managing both paid search” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · first choice
“WordStream if you want more guided optimization for both search and social-ad workflows” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · first choice
“it remains popular for local businesses and freelancers... Cons: Not suitable for complex campaigns” Qwen 3.7 Flash · comparative prompt · alternative
Also compared
Google Ads vs SkaiGoogle Ads vs WordStreamOptmyzr vs SkaiOptmyzr vs WordStreamLinkedIn Campaign Manager vs SkaiLinkedIn Campaign Manager vs WordStreamAdzooma vs SkaiAdzooma vs WordStreamMeta Ads vs SkaiMeta Ads vs WordStreamMarin Software vs SkaiMarin Software vs WordStreamAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full paid ads standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.