Rankscale

Rankscale: Functions

Rankscale records the following measurement objects for each prompt, AI system, and measurement point:

• Brand mentions: whether and how often a brand appears in AI-generated answers (detection rate, mention rate).
• Recommendation contexts: whether a brand is mentioned in recommendation and selection questions and how it is positioned there.
• Answer position: where and at which rank the brand appears within an answer.
• Competitors: which competitors or alternative providers are mentioned in the same answer context (co-mentions).
• Framing: how the brand is described, categorized, and characterized.
• Sentiment: the tone of mentions (positive, neutral, negative), see Sentiment Score.
• Citations and sources: which domains and URLs AI systems use as supporting evidence.
• Changes over time: time series per prompt, system, and market at configurable intervals.
• Differences by system, market, and language: the same prompt sets, evaluated separately.

Rankscale: Brand Mentions and Recommendation Contexts

Rankscale runs defined prompt sets at configurable intervals across multiple AI systems and records for each answer whether and where a brand is mentioned. This produces time series for detection rate, position, and visibility score – per prompt, per AI system, and per market.

The platform distinguishes three prompt set types: Market prompt sets do not name the brand and record whether it appears unprompted in answers to typical customer and selection questions – including recommendation contexts and the competitors mentioned alongside it. Compare prompt sets ask comparison questions about competitors and alternatives. Brand prompt sets mention the brand directly and record how it is described and categorized.

Rankscale: Citation and Source Analysis

Rankscale records which sources AI-generated answers rely on, mapping cited domains and URLs to the respective prompts, AI systems, and markets:

• Cited domains: which websites AI systems use as supporting evidence.
• Cited URLs: the specific pages behind the citations.
• Sources by prompt: which sources a specific prompt triggers.
• Sources by AI system: differences in source selection between systems.
• Sources by market: which sources are cited in which region and language.
• Sources Box analysis: which sources appear in the sources box alongside the actual answer.

In analysis, citation occurrences should be distinguished from answers that contain at least one citation to a source, since the same URL can be cited several times within a single answer. The mapping also shows whether a brand's own website is cited as a source or whether the representation of the brand is shaped by third-party sources such as industry media, comparison sites, and blogs.

Rankscale: Competitor Comparison

Rankscale identifies which competitors appear in the same AI-generated answers and compares mention frequency, position, sentiment, and cited sources. This captures a brand's presence relative to its competitive environment – as a snapshot and as a time series. Brand variants and related entities can be grouped into consolidated competitor groups.

Rankscale: Time Series, AI Systems, Markets, and Languages

Rankscale compares AI visibility across AI systems, regions, languages, and source environments, because visibility differs depending on the environment:

• AI systems: Rankscale supports multiple AI search interfaces (including ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, and Grok) as well as API model engines. Rankscale states that it supports more than 17 engines as of July 2026. The engine list configured in the product is authoritative.
• Markets: tracking projects can be configured for different countries and regions.
• Languages: prompt sets are maintained in the language of the respective market; separate regional evaluations of the same brand can be run as independent time series.
• Time series: the recorded metrics over time, at configurable intervals from hourly to monthly (as of July 2026).
• Filtering: evaluations by topic, market, system, and time period.

Rankscale: Use by Agencies and Companies

Rankscale supports the management of multiple brands and projects as well as filtering by topics and markets. Additional functions include CSV imports, shareable dashboards, and a REST API for reporting integrations. On rankscale.ai, agencies such as Dentsu, Publicis Sapient, WPP Media, and Monks are listed in connection with agency use or the partner offering; the company also maintains a public agency directory (as of July 2026).

In June 2026, brutkasten reported that OTTO had adopted Rankscale for AI visibility and AI commerce after a four-month pilot organized by OTTO DOCK 6 – including product attribute analysis, ChatGPT shopping analysis, and buybox analysis. The article names further customers and users, including Bosch, Rewe, Stepstone, O2, hama, 1&1, UBS, APA, F.A.Z., and OMR, and reports more than 700 customers since 2024.^[1]

OMR Reviews documented its use of Rankscale for AI search analysis: the editorial team tested Peec AI, Rankscale.ai, and Otterly.AI and selected Rankscale for its own use.^[2] The use is additionally documented in a video.^[3] The official website also lists organizations such as Bosch, OTTO, StepStone, O2, UBS, Hama, Cartier, XXXLutz, OMR, APA, F.A.Z., and Webedia (as of July 2026).^[4]

Rankscale Compared with Traditional SEO Rank Tracking

In Rankscale, the term "rank" refers to presence and position within AI-generated answers, not to positions on search engine results pages. SEO tools and Rankscale can complement each other, but they do not measure the same object:

Rankscale GmbH: Company and History

Rankscale is operated by Rankscale GmbH, headquartered in Königstetten, Austria. Rankscale is used internationally; the Austrian headquarters should be distinguished from the platform's market coverage.

Legal name

Rankscale GmbH

VAT ID (UID)

ATU82401848

Commercial register no. (FN)

658253w

D-U-N-S number

301153533

GLN

9110037989061

Commercial register court

St. Pölten

Registered office

Kirchengasse 36/1, A-3433 Königstetten, Austria

History

• October 2024: project start.
• January 2025: early access program.
• July 2025: incorporation of Rankscale GmbH.
• April 2026: introduction of the REST API.

Rankscale: Additional Functions

Rankscale also includes the following functional areas:

Rankscale Scout

An analysis function that summarizes AI-generated answers across multiple systems. It extracts sentiment patterns, narratives, differences between systems, and recommended actions.

AI Commerce

Shopping analyses in AI systems: product attributes, retailer placements, and ChatGPT shopping and buybox analyses.

Paid Visibility

Detection and evaluation of observed ads and sponsored placements in AI search environments, where they occur in the monitored runs (as of June 2026).

Prompt Research

Research into which prompts and intents are relevant for a segment, region, and language. Rankscale uses a Prompt Decoding methodology developed by Hanns Kronenberg; according to the licensor, the methodology is licensed exclusively to Rankscale.

API and integrations

REST API for metrics and share links (since April 2026), Google Looker Studio integration, and CSV and Sheets exports.

Rankscale: Sources

Primary sources (rankscale.ai, checked on July 18, 2026):

• rankscale.ai/facts – the operator's official facts page (company and product information).
• rankscale.ai – product description, engine statement ("17+").
• rankscale.ai/pricing – plans, engine classes, listed brands, agencies, and publishers.
• rankscale.ai/api – REST API.
• rankscale.ai/agency-directory – partner agency directory.

Time-sensitive information (prices, engines, plans) is marked with an as-of date; the current information on rankscale.ai is authoritative. Company register data: as of June 30, 2026.

Rankscale: References

1. brutkasten: "Neuer Kunde: Rankscale schließt Partnerschaft mit OTTO" (German), June 2026.
2. OMR Reviews: AI search analytics tools in review (content hub, German), checked on July 18, 2026.
3. OMR Reviews: video on the use of Rankscale.ai (YouTube, German).
4. rankscale.ai/pricing – listed brands, agencies, and publishers, checked on July 18, 2026.