Online Backup AI Visibility Ranking Trends - November 2026

Answer capsule

The November 2026 Online Backup benchmark compares 10 companies across 594 AI answers that met its inclusion rules. IDrive leads with 517 recommendations (87.04% of answers). At least one tracked company was recommended in 556 answers; some answers recommended several companies.

The rankings distinguish being mentioned from receiving an affirmative recommendation, then examine placement and the wording used about each company. Earlier monthly results show how counts and rates changed, with each month using its own answer total. These results describe the answers reviewed, not product quality or customer satisfaction. Differences between monthly samples limit comparisons and do not establish why a result changed.

For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio's analysis of How AI Search Is Recommending Online Backup

Industry leaderboard

Questions This Section Answers

• How do Online Backup rank by recorded AI recommendations in November 2026?

The leaderboard orders companies by how many recorded answers affirmatively recommended them. That count answers a volume question, not a quality question: a company can appear often without being endorsed, or be endorsed in fewer answers but placed prominently within them.

Ties require equal recommendation counts, so shared ranks reflect identical totals rather than near-equality. Mentions, recommendations, shortlist placements and first-place placements measure different things, and the narrower categories sit inside the broader ones rather than adding to them.

Key findings

Tracked-company answer coverage

Questions This Section Answers

• How often did the November 2026 Online Backup answer sample recommend any tracked company?

556 distinct answers recommended at least one tracked company. Counting each company recommendation separately gives 1768, because an answer can recommend several companies. Answers with no tracked recommendation may still have recommended companies outside this comparison.

Nearly every qualified answer mentioned at least one tracked company, and most recommended at least one. Because a single answer can endorse several companies, the sum of company recommendations exceeds the number of answers carrying any recommendation.

This overlap means coverage describes how widely tracked names appear across the answer set, not how much of the market any one company holds. Answers recommending only untracked companies fall outside this comparison and are not counted here.

Reach and affirmative recommendation

IDrive ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 569 (95.79%); recommendations: 517 (87.04%). Top 3 placements: 482 (81.14%); first-place placements: 287 (48.32%).

Wording about the company: 527 positive, 42 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 90.9%. The net framing score was 0.93 (defined in Methodology).

52 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 93.23% were Top 3 and 55.51% were first-place.

For IDrive, most mentions also carried an affirmative recommendation, and the remainder were appearances without endorsement. Mention is presence in an answer; recommendation requires affirmative endorsement, so the two counts diverge even for the leading company.

Placement figures are subsets of the recommendation count, not separate wins. The gap between mentions and recommendations shows that being named and being endorsed are distinct outcomes in these answers.

Recommendation order and placement

Placement describes where an endorsed company sat within a recommendation, so shortlist and first-place counts are nested inside the recommendation total rather than additional to it. A company can be recommended often yet rarely placed first.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio compares endorsements with appearances in the recorded answers. It is a wording measure, not a conversion or sales figure, and companies with sparse mention bases produce ratios that warrant cautious reading.

Classified framing in context

Framing classifies the wording surrounding each mention as positive, neutral or negative. It captures tone in the selected answers, not customer sentiment, reputation or product quality, and neutral wording is neither praise nor criticism.

A high positive share does not explain why recommendations occurred, and a neutral-heavy profile does not show that a company was judged poorly. Framing and recommendation are recorded separately because tone and endorsement answer different questions.

Company results in detail

IDrive

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about IDrive mentions, recommendations and placement?

IDrive ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 569 (95.79%); recommendations: 517 (87.04%). Top 3 placements: 482 (81.14%); first-place placements: 287 (48.32%).

Wording about the company: 527 positive, 42 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 90.9%. The net framing score was 0.93 (defined in Methodology).

52 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 93.23% were Top 3 and 55.51% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, IDrive's mention count fell from 620 to 569, while its recommendation count fell from 537 to 517. The recommendation rate was 80.75% and 87.04% respectively.

IDrive ranks first by recommendation count, and most of its mentions also carry an affirmative endorsement. Among those recorded recommendations, a large share sit in the top three positions, with first-place placements forming a substantial subset. Wording around the company is almost entirely positive, with no negative framing recorded.

Across the two latest months, both mention and recommendation counts declined while the recommendation rate rose. These are separate recorded movements in different answer samples; the figures do not establish why any of them changed.

Backblaze

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Backblaze mentions, recommendations and placement?

Backblaze ranks 2 by recommendation count. Mentions: 531 (89.39%); recommendations: 473 (79.63%). Top 3 placements: 451 (75.93%); first-place placements: 152 (25.59%).

Wording about the company: 484 positive, 47 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 89.1%. The net framing score was 0.91 (defined in Methodology).

58 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 95.35% were Top 3 and 32.14% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Backblaze's mention count fell from 556 to 531, while its recommendation count rose from 464 to 473. The recommendation rate was 69.77% and 79.63% respectively.

Backblaze holds second place by recommendation count and endorses in most of its mentions, though first-place placements form a smaller share of its recommendations than the leader's. Framing is strongly positive with no negative wording.

Across the two latest months, mentions fell while recommendations rose, and the recommendation rate increased. Because the monthly answer samples differ, the comparison shows what was recorded without explaining the divergence between the two counts.

Acronis

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Acronis mentions, recommendations and placement?

Acronis ranks 3 by recommendation count. Mentions: 334 (56.23%); recommendations: 307 (51.68%). Top 3 placements: 242 (40.74%); first-place placements: 27 (4.55%).

Wording about the company: 312 positive, 22 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 91.9%. The net framing score was 0.93 (defined in Methodology).

27 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 78.83% were Top 3 and 8.79% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Acronis' mention count rose from 306 to 334, while its recommendation count rose from 263 to 307. The recommendation rate was 39.55% and 51.68% respectively.

Acronis ranks third and turns an unusually high share of its mentions into recommendations, but first-place placements are rare within those endorsements. Positive framing dominates, with little neutral wording and none negative.

Both mentions and recommendations rose between the two latest months, alongside a higher recommendation rate. The changed figures are recorded comparisons across separate samples and do not demonstrate improvement or any underlying cause.

pCloud

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about pCloud mentions, recommendations and placement?

pCloud ranks 4 by recommendation count. Mentions: 280 (47.14%); recommendations: 246 (41.41%). Top 3 placements: 159 (26.77%); first-place placements: 44 (7.41%).

Wording about the company: 256 positive, 24 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 87.9%. The net framing score was 0.91 (defined in Methodology).

34 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 64.63% were Top 3 and 17.89% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, pCloud's mention count rose from 274 to 280, while its recommendation count rose from 237 to 246. The recommendation rate was 35.64% and 41.41% respectively.

pCloud sits fourth by recommendation count, with a solid majority of mentions carrying endorsement and a moderate share of recommendations placed first. Framing is largely positive with a small neutral remainder.

Mentions and recommendations both rose across the two latest months, and the recommendation rate increased. These are recorded movements in distinct monthly samples; they do not show why the counts changed or what drove the placement pattern.

Carbonite

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Carbonite mentions, recommendations and placement?

Carbonite ranks 5 by recommendation count. Mentions: 274 (46.13%); recommendations: 102 (17.17%). Top 3 placements: 49 (8.25%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 103 positive, 171 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 37.2%. The net framing score was 0.38 (defined in Methodology).

172 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 48.04% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Carbonite's mention count rose from 175 to 274, while its recommendation count fell from 119 to 102. The recommendation rate was 17.89% and 17.17% respectively.

Carbonite ranks fifth but stands apart for a low recommendation-to-mention ratio: it appears in many answers yet is endorsed in relatively few. Neutral framing outweighs positive wording, and no first-place placements were recorded.

Mentions rose while recommendations fell between the two latest months, leaving the recommendation rate roughly steady. The widening gap between appearance and endorsement is a recorded pattern, not evidence of a cause or of declining standing.

CrashPlan

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about CrashPlan mentions, recommendations and placement?

CrashPlan ranks 6 by recommendation count. Mentions: 94 (15.82%); recommendations: 85 (14.31%). Top 3 placements: 26 (4.38%); first-place placements: 1 (0.17%).

Wording about the company: 87 positive, 7 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 90.4%. The net framing score was 0.93 (defined in Methodology).

9 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 30.59% were Top 3 and 1.18% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, CrashPlan's mention count rose from 69 to 94, while its recommendation count rose from 52 to 85. The recommendation rate was 7.82% and 14.31% respectively.

CrashPlan ranks sixth by recommendation count, and most of its mentions also carry an affirmative endorsement. Yet within those recommendations, top-three placements are a minority and first-place placements are nearly absent, so endorsement frequency and positional prominence diverge sharply. Wording is predominantly positive with little neutral framing.

Across the two latest months, mentions, recommendations and the recommendation rate all rose. The small answer base means these should be read as recorded comparisons rather than evidence of momentum or of any causal mechanism.

SpiderOak

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about SpiderOak mentions, recommendations and placement?

SpiderOak ranks 7 by recommendation count. Mentions: 36 (6.06%); recommendations: 31 (5.22%). Top 3 placements: 7 (1.18%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 31 positive, 5 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 86.1%. The net framing score was 0.86 (defined in Methodology).

5 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 22.58% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, SpiderOak's mention count rose from 20 to 36, while its recommendation count rose from 18 to 31. The recommendation rate was 2.71% and 5.22% respectively.

SpiderOak endorses in most of its mentions, yet shortlist placements are a small fraction of its recommendations and no first-place placements were recorded. Framing is mostly positive with a little neutral wording.

Mentions and recommendations both rose between the two latest months. With a sparse base, the strong recommendation-to-mention ratio should be read cautiously; the figures describe recorded answers and do not explain the placement pattern.

Livedrive

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Livedrive mentions, recommendations and placement?

Livedrive ranks 8 by recommendation count. Mentions: 219 (36.87%); recommendations: 7 (1.18%). Top 3 placements: 5 (0.84%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 7 positive, 212 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 3.2%. The net framing score was 0.03 (defined in Methodology).

212 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 71.43% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Livedrive's mention count rose from 6 to 219, while its recommendation count rose from 3 to 7. The recommendation rate was 0.45% and 1.18% respectively.

Livedrive presents a striking contrast: it appears in many answers but is endorsed in very few, and its framing is almost entirely neutral. Shortlist placements are rare and no first-place placements were recorded.

Mentions rose sharply while recommendations stayed low across the two latest months. The near-absence of endorsement despite frequent appearance is a recorded pattern; it does not establish why the company was named or why endorsement was withheld.

SugarSync

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about SugarSync mentions, recommendations and placement?

SugarSync ranks 9 by recommendation count. Mentions: 0 (0.00%); recommendations: 0 (0.00%). Top 3 placements: 0 (0.00%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 0 positive, 0 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was Unavailable. The net framing score was Unavailable (defined in Methodology).

0 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, Unavailable were Top 3 and Unavailable were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, SugarSync's mention count stayed at 0, while its recommendation count stayed at 0. The recommendation rate was 0.00% and 0.00% respectively.

SugarSync recorded no mentions and no recommendations in the selected answers, so its placement counts are also zero and ratios requiring a nonzero base are undefined. This is a measured zero, not a missing observation.

The result held steady across the two latest months. A zero count describes these answers only and does not establish absence from the market, customer perception or any reason for non-appearance.

Zoolz

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Zoolz mentions, recommendations and placement?

Zoolz ranks 9 by recommendation count. Mentions: 0 (0.00%); recommendations: 0 (0.00%). Top 3 placements: 0 (0.00%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 0 positive, 0 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was Unavailable. The net framing score was Unavailable (defined in Methodology).

0 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, Unavailable were Top 3 and Unavailable were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Zoolz's mention count fell from 1 to 0, while its recommendation count stayed at 0. The recommendation rate was 0.00% and 0.00% respectively.

Zoolz recorded no mentions and no recommendations in the selected answers, leaving placement counts at zero and ratios undefined for lack of a base. This is a measured zero rather than a gap in the data.

Mentions moved from a single appearance to none across the two latest months while recommendations stayed at zero. Such a small change does not establish a trend, and the zero describes these answers alone.

Earlier ranking snapshot context

Questions This Section Answers

• How do the available Online Backup snapshots from July 2026 to November 2026 differ in recommendation coverage and measurement scope?

Only months with verified results are shown. Monthly sample coverage is listed in Methodology.

Each month is a separate sample of AI answers, and the number of included answers differs between months. Counts, rates and ranks should be read together, since a rate depends on the answer total as well as the company count.

Rank order was largely consistent across the snapshots, but the samples are not equivalent and the comparisons do not establish why counts or rates moved.

What the November Rankings Show

The November results show that reach, endorsement, placement and framing answer different questions. A company can be named widely without being recommended, recommended often without being placed first, or framed positively without that tone explaining the endorsement.

Reading the leaderboard as a single verdict conflates these layers. The counts describe what appeared in the reviewed answers, and the nested placement figures describe position within endorsements rather than additional support.

Methodology

Questions This Section Answers

• How were the November 2026 Online Backup AI visibility measures counted, and what do they not establish?

This benchmark has partial coverage: 3 of 3 planned question categories contributed usable observations; 0 contributed none. This describes question-category coverage, not demonstrated platform outages. Findings apply to the available answer set.

The month in the title is the reporting period. The exact dates when the original AI answers were collected have not been verified.

Each company is counted at most once in each answer that meets the benchmark rules. A recommendation requires both an affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Mention, recommendation, Top 3 and first-place rates use the full benchmark answer total. Top 3 and first-place results are included within recommendations, not added to them.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio divides recommendations by mentions. It describes AI answer wording, not customer conversion. Net framing is positive minus negative mentions, divided by all mentions, on a scale from -1 to +1. It does not measure customer satisfaction or company quality.

Market: US; 10 tracked companies. AI services represented: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity.

Research screening totals (answer observations can include repeated questions):

The source does not provide a reader-facing definition of “reserved”; that screening label is reported without inferring a reason for exclusion. Only the included benchmark answers form the rate denominator.

One answer can mention or recommend several companies. Adding company totals would therefore count some answers more than once. The results describe the AI answers reviewed, not independently verified facts about the companies or their products.

Monthly sample coverage:

The answer samples differ between months. These comparisons show how the recorded results changed; they do not establish why they changed.

These findings apply to the available answer set, which has partial question-category coverage; that coverage describes the questions included, not platform outages. The reporting month is a label, and exact collection dates were not verified.

Each company is counted at most once per qualifying answer, and recommendation requires both affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Rates use the full benchmark answer total, and placement results sit inside recommendations. Net framing measures wording tone, not customer satisfaction or company quality. Monthly samples differ, so comparisons show recorded change without establishing its cause.