Homeowners Protection: AI Visibility Market Discovery Index
Tracking how AI platforms recommend homeowners protection. This public AI Visibility Market Discovery Index is updated monthly since July 2026.
On this page
- 01Benchmark Summary
- 02Current Benchmark at a Glance
- 03Research Scope and Qualification
- 04Current Brand Standings
- 05How to Read the Standings
- 06Recommendation Coverage Movement
- 07Largest Increase: AFC Home Warranty
- 08Largest Increase: Cinch Home Services
- 09Largest Decline: HomeServe
- 10Category Leader: American Home Shield
- 11Recommendation Placement Snapshot
- 12Buyer-Intent Distribution
Benchmark Summary
Questions This Section Answers
- Which brand leads the Homeowners Protection benchmark in October 2026, and by how much?
- Which brands posted the largest coverage gains and decline this month?
American Home Shield leads the Homeowners Protection benchmark in October 2026 with a valid recommendation coverage of 91.8%, ahead of Liberty Home Guard at 79.3%, a gap of 12.5 percentage points. The largest coverage increase across the full series belongs to AFC Home Warranty, which rose to 48.2% in October 2026 from 34.9% in July 2026. The largest coverage decline belongs to HomeServe, which fell to 0.6% in October 2026 from 2.7% in July 2026, and declined in each of the three months since July 2026. The category recorded mixed movement this month, with significant gains for AFC Home Warranty, American Home Shield, and Cinch Home Services, and a notable decline for HomeServe.
The benchmark began with 800 prompt-surface observations in each month and produced 680 qualified observations in October 2026 after qualification.
AI recommendation trend
valid recommendation coverage, Jul 2026 to Oct 2026
- American Home Shield91.8%
- Liberty Home Guard79.3%
- Cinch Home Services64.4%
- AFC Home Warranty48.2%
- Choice Home Warranty44.6%
- First American Home Warranty38.2%
- 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty21.5%
- Old Republic Home Protection19.7%
- American Residential Warranty4.1%
- HomeServe0.6%
Current Benchmark at a Glance
Measure | Jul 2026 | Oct 2026 | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
Qualified benchmark observations | 631 | 680 | Up 49 |
Tracked brands | 10 | 10 | No change |
Qualified surface breadth | 6 | 6 | No change |
Recommendation-shaped answer share | 47.5% | 52.6% | Up 5.1 points |
Valid recommendation shortlist share | 88.1% | 93.5% | Up 5.4 points |
Leader by valid recommendation coverage | American Home Shield (87.2%) | American Home Shield (91.8%) | No change |
Qualified surface breadth refers to the number of canonical AI/search surface families (ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, AI Overviews, and AI Mode) with at least one qualified observation in the month. The intermediate months, August 2026 and September 2026, saw 659 and 717 qualified observations respectively.
For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio's analysis of How AI Search Is Recommending Homeowners Protection
Research Scope and Qualification
Questions This Section Answers
- How many prompt-surface observations qualified for the public benchmark denominator?
- Why is the public benchmark narrower than the raw collection universe?
The public benchmark is narrower than the raw collection universe by design. Brand-level percentages use the qualified observations as the public denominator, not the raw collection.
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Research stage | Jul 2026 | Oct 2026 | What it represents |
|---|---|---|---|
Source prompt-surface observations | 800 | 800 | Raw prompt-surface observations collected |
Unique questions | 389 | 402 | Distinct questions asked |
Brand / competitor mentions | 800 | 800 | Prompts mentioning a brand or competitor |
Relevant observations | 798 | 798 | Observations relevant to the vertical |
Irrelevant observations | 2 | 2 | Observations not relevant to the vertical |
Qualified benchmark observations | 631 | 680 | Public denominator after qualification |
For more detail, see the AI Visibility Market Discovery Methodology.
Current Brand Standings
Questions This Section Answers
- Which home warranty brands rank highest by valid recommendation coverage?
- How do top-three and rank-one rates differ among the leading brands?
Brand | Presence rate | Valid recommendation coverage | Top-three rate | Rank-one rate | Net sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Home Shield | 98.8% | 91.8% | 90.1% | 64.4% | 0.9 |
Liberty Home Guard | 84.7% | 79.3% | 57.1% | 13.8% | 0.9 |
Cinch Home Services | 68.2% | 64.4% | 38.7% | 6.6% | 1.0 |
AFC Home Warranty | 51.8% | 48.2% | 29.7% | 3.4% | 1.0 |
Choice Home Warranty | 54.4% | 44.6% | 23.8% | 0.4% | 0.8 |
First American Home Warranty | 45.3% | 38.2% | 18.1% | 0.7% | 0.9 |
2-10 Home Buyers Warranty | 25.4% | 21.5% | 6.8% | 0.6% | 0.9 |
Old Republic Home Protection | 22.7% | 19.7% | 9.3% | 2.6% | 0.9 |
American Residential Warranty | 4.3% | 4.1% | 1.3% | 0.0% | 1.0 |
HomeServe | 1.8% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6 |
How to Read the Standings
Presence rate is the share of qualified observations in which the brand is mentioned by name at all. Valid recommendation coverage is the share of qualified observations in which the brand appears in a genuine recommendation shortlist. Top-three rate is the share in which the brand lands among the top three recommended options. Rank-one rate is the share in which the brand is the single first-listed recommendation. Net sentiment ranges from 0 (all negative) to 1 (all positive) based on the tone of mentions.
For formulas and denominator rules, see AI Visibility Market Discovery Metric Definitions.
Recommendation Coverage Movement
Questions This Section Answers
- Which brands gained or lost the most recommendation coverage since July 2026?
- What separates AFC Home Warranty's and Cinch Home Services' coverage gains from American Home Shield's continued lead?
Brand | Jul 2026 | Oct 2026 | Movement since baseline |
|---|---|---|---|
2-10 Home Buyers Warranty | 22.5% | 21.5% | Down 1.0 points |
AFC Home Warranty | 34.9% | 48.2% | Up 13.3 points |
American Home Shield | 87.2% | 91.8% | Up 4.6 points |
American Residential Warranty | 4.9% | 4.1% | Down 0.8 points |
Choice Home Warranty | 46.8% | 44.6% | Down 2.2 points |
Cinch Home Services | 52.1% | 64.4% | Up 12.3 points |
First American Home Warranty | 41.7% | 38.2% | Down 3.5 points |
HomeServe | 2.7% | 0.6% | Down 2.1 points |
Liberty Home Guard | 81.0% | 79.3% | Down 1.7 points |
Old Republic Home Protection | 22.4% | 19.7% | Down 2.7 points |
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In the immediate month-over-month comparison, AFC Home Warranty rose 7.2 points from September 2026 to October 2026, American Home Shield rose 4.9 points, and Cinch Home Services rose 6.5 points. 2-10 Home Buyers Warranty rose 4.3 points from September 2026 to October 2026, reversing a two-month decline.
Largest Increase: AFC Home Warranty
AFC Home Warranty rose in each of the three months since July 2026, climbing from 34.9% in July 2026 to 38.2% in August 2026, 41.0% in September 2026, and 48.2% in October 2026, a cumulative gain of 13.3 points. This upward movement was accompanied by a rise in presence rate from 38.5% in July 2026 to 51.8% in October 2026 and a rise in top-three rate from 12.2% in July 2026 to 29.7% in October 2026. Its rank-one rate of 3.4% in October 2026 was slightly below its July 2026 rate of 4.0% — rising coverage is not translating into first-choice preference.
Largest Increase: Cinch Home Services
Cinch Home Services rose from 52.1% in July 2026 to 64.4% in October 2026, up 12.3 points, and registered a gain in each of the two months since September 2026. Its presence rate rose from 57.7% in July 2026 to 68.2% in October 2026, and its top-three rate rose from 28.4% in July 2026 to 38.7% in October 2026. Its rank-one rate of 6.6% in October 2026 was above its July 2026 rate of 5.7%.
Largest Decline: HomeServe
HomeServe declined in each of the three months since July 2026, from 2.7% in July 2026 to 1.7% in August 2026, 1.5% in September 2026, and 0.6% in October 2026, a cumulative drop of 2.1 points. Its presence rate fell from 3.8% in July 2026 to 1.8% in October 2026, and it recorded no top-three or rank-one placements in October 2026.
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Category Leader: American Home Shield
American Home Shield held the lead in every month of the series, with coverage of 87.2% in July 2026, 85.7% in August 2026, 86.9% in September 2026, and 91.8% in October 2026. Its rise from September 2026 to October 2026 (86.9% to 91.8%, up 4.9 points) was its largest single-month move in the series, extending a two-month upward streak that lifted the brand 4.6 points above its July 2026 baseline.
Recommendation Placement Snapshot
Questions This Section Answers
- How do top-three and rank-one rates differ between American Home Shield, Liberty Home Guard, and Cinch Home Services?
- Why can similar recommendation coverage hide different first-position rates?
Coverage alone does not show how prominently a brand is recommended. American Home Shield's top-three and rank-one rates exceed those of the other leading brands, indicating it is both frequently recommended and positioned at the front of the shortlist.
Brand | Oct 2026 top-three rate | Oct 2026 rank-one rate | Jul 2026 top-three rate | Jul 2026 rank-one rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
American Home Shield | 90.1% | 64.4% | 82.9% | 51.5% |
Liberty Home Guard | 57.1% | 13.8% | 61.2% | 14.6% |
Cinch Home Services | 38.7% | 6.6% | 28.4% | 5.7% |
While AFC Home Warranty and Cinch Home Services both posted significant gains in coverage over the series, their rank-one rates of 3.4% and 6.6% in October 2026 respectively show that similar overall coverage can still hide different first-position rates.
Buyer-Intent Distribution
Questions This Section Answers
- Which buyer-intent classes are currently measured in the qualified observations?
- What does the absence of Pricing & Value and Multi-Brand Comparison observations mean for the benchmark?
In October 2026, all 680 qualified observations fell into the Brand Recommendation class, focused on discovering and considering providers.
Buyer-intent class | Jul 2026 | Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
Brand Recommendation | 631 | 680 |
Pricing & Value | 0 | 0 |
Multi-Brand Comparison | 0 | 0 |
Total qualified observations | 631 | 680 |
The current public series measures brand recommendation discovery and does not yet contain qualified observations in the Multi-Brand Comparison or Pricing & Value classes.
Historical Measurement Record
This is an evergreen benchmark URL. New measurements are added to the same report.
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Measurement | Qualified observations | Coverage leader | Leader coverage | Largest coverage movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 2026 | 631 | American Home Shield | 87.2% | AFC Home Warranty, Up 13.3 points (Jul-Oct) |
Aug 2026 | 659 | American Home Shield | 85.7% | AFC Home Warranty, Up 13.3 points (Jul-Oct) |
Sep 2026 | 717 | American Home Shield | 86.9% | AFC Home Warranty, Up 13.3 points (Jul-Oct) |
Oct 2026 | 680 | American Home Shield | 91.8% | AFC Home Warranty, Up 13.3 points (Jul-Oct) |
Evidence and Source Layer
Questions This Section Answers
- What evidence does the benchmark retain for each prompt-level observation?
- Does a source's presence in AI citations prove it caused a recommendation?
The benchmark is built from prompt-level observations that retain the query, AI/search surface, answer, brand outcome, recommendation placement, sentiment, and, where exposed, citations or attributable evidence sources. Source presence is evidence about the information environment. It is not automatically proof that the source caused the recommendation.
Scope Boundaries
This public benchmark does not measure market share, attributable sales, every possible AI response, organic-search ranking, social mention volume, private or sponsored channels, or causality from a metric movement alone.
Top 10 Cited Domains
Questions This Section Answers
- Which domains were cited most often across AI platform responses in October 2026?
- How concentrated were citations among the top domains, and which source types shape AI answers in this vertical?
Across all AI platform responses in October 2026, the benchmark observed 6,080 citations drawn from 391 unique domains.
Rank | Domain | Citations | Share | Platforms citing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | consumeraffairs.com | 589 | 9.7% | ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
2 | forbes.com | 534 | 8.8% | ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
3 | marketwatch.com | 457 | 7.5% | ChatGPT, Copilot, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
4 | thisoldhouse.com | 410 | 6.7% | ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
5 | google.com | 336 | 5.5% | AI Mode, AI Overviews |
6 | nerdwallet.com | 330 | 5.4% | ChatGPT, Copilot, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
7 | cnbc.com | 284 | 4.7% | ChatGPT, Copilot, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
8 | ahs.com | 218 | 3.6% | ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
9 | money.com | 204 | 3.4% | ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
10 | reddit.com | 182 | 3.0% | ChatGPT, Gemini, AI Mode, AI Overviews, Perplexity |
Citation activity is concentrated in a small set of domains: the top 10 accounted for just over half of all citations, with review and consumer-advice sites such as consumeraffairs.com and thisoldhouse.com joined by financial and news publishers such as forbes.com, marketwatch.com, cnbc.com, and money.com. One tracked brand's own domain, ahs.com, appears in the top 10, and it was cited across every measured surface. The mix suggests no single source type dominates; instead, third-party reviews, consumer finance outlets, and home-service publishers all shape the information AI surfaces draw on in this vertical.
About This Benchmark
The LLM Authority Index AI Visibility Market Discovery Index tracks how often and how prominently brands appear in AI-generated recommendations across the leading AI chat and search surfaces. This benchmark provides a neutral, repeatable measure of brand visibility and recommendation share in AI-driven discovery.
- AI Visibility Market Discovery Methodology
- AI Visibility Market Discovery Metric Definitions
- AI Visibility Market Discovery Research Standards
- Modeled AI Visibility Authority Value
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