Thunderdome B2B SaaS AI Visibility Index

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Brand report · September 2026

LinkedIn LinkedIn: AI Visibility Report

linkedin.com ↗

When buyers ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini about freelance & talent marketplaces, LinkedIn ranks #11 of 15, a Visibility Score of 10 in Freelance & Talent Marketplaces (and appears in 2 categories of the index).

These rankings are measured from what the three models know from training, not a live web search. The live-web grounded surface is rolling out across the index. Methodology.

How AI sees LinkedIn

LinkedIn fills freelance lists but never earns a real recommendation.

Where it wins. Its one foothold is Freelance and Talent Marketplaces, where a 23.6% mention rate at least keeps it in the conversation alongside Upwork and Toptal, though a 1.4% first-pick rate confirms AI models treat it as a fallback option rather than a go-to.

Where it loses. In Publishing and Newsletters, LinkedIn drops to an 11% mention rate with zero first picks, and the AI models skip it entirely on six of the seven prompt themes tested, including every theme tied to fit, features, and audience type.

AI-generated analysis of the September 2026 measurements.

Positioning

How LinkedIn positions itself vs how AI ranks it

The pitch

"1 billion members | Manage your professional identity"

What AI actually says
Strongest #12 · Freelance & Talent Marketplaces

Homepage self-messaging · September 2026 ranking · the biggest gaps across the index →

Freelance & Talent Marketplaces · #11 of 15

10 / 100 flat vs last month
24%
mention rate (72 answers)
7
avg. position
1%
first pick
3%
share of voice
8.6Jul 2026Jul 2026: 8.611.4Aug 2026Aug 2026: 11.410.3Sep 2026Sep 2026: 10.3
ChatGPT
8
Claude
20
Gemini
3

How the models portray LinkedIn

Being named is not the same as being recommended. Each mention is graded endorsed (a strong pick), listed (a neutral option), or caveated (named with a reservation).

18% 65% 18%
endorsed · 95% band 6–41% listed caveated graded across 17 mentions in Freelance & Talent Marketplaces answers
Prompt themes LinkedIn would want to own

Share of each theme's answers that mention LinkedIn. Hover a row for the exact prompt. Compare shapes on the head-to-head page.

Use-case fit
6/9
Best overall
4/9
If you could pick one
3/9
Feature-led ask
2/9 · #1×1
Startup & small team
1/9
Budget & alternatives
1/9
Top tools in 2026
0/9
Enterprise pick
0/9

Gaps Top tools in 2026 · Enterprise pick

Most co-mentioned competitors

Share of LinkedIn's mentions where the AI models name this brand in the same answer. That is the real competitive set in the AI channel.

Upwork
94%
Toptal
88%
Contra
65%
Fiverr
59%
Gun.io
53%
99designs
41%

Scores are measured from real AI answers, refreshed monthly. Methodology.

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