The Gist 100ConsumerOctober 2026
Lululemon comes first. Six brands take turns at second.
Lululemon is named in 90% of AI answers about leggings and is the first brand named in 84%. Athleta, in second place, trails by 40 points, and the runner-up changes from one question to the next.
By Gist GEO team · October 2026
Share of AI answers about leggings that name each brand
Gist asked four AI assistants eight buying questions about leggings in October 2026 and counted 296 answers. Lululemon is in 90% of them and is the first brand named in 84%. It leads seven of the eight questions and scores 98% or more on six. Its one low score comes on the question about affordable leggings, at 50%, and even there the answers describe cheaper pairs by comparison with it.
Behind the leader the field is wide and loosely ordered. The answers name 45 brands at least once, and a typical answer lists 5.2 of them. Athleta is second at 50%, yet it is the first brand named in 0% of answers. From there the scores step down slowly to 18% for Vuori in tenth. Second place itself is unsettled. Across the eight questions, six different brands finish as runner-up, and Athleta manages it on three.
The surprise sits in third and fourth place. The answers treat Colorfulkoala, at 43%, and CRZ Yoga, at 37%, as budget picks, and both rank ahead of Nike at 26% and Alo Yoga at 24%. They top the affordable question with 95% and 88%, while Beyond Yoga, Girlfriend Collective and Vuori score 0% on it. The two travel beyond that question as well. Answers to general questions often set aside a slot for a budget option, which is one visible reason Colorfulkoala reaches 57% on the best leggings.
Lululemon scores 90% and Athleta 50%, a gap of 40 points, and the lead holds on all four assistants. Lululemon's lowest reading is 77%, on Google AI Overviews. No other brand reaches that anywhere: Athleta peaks at 72% on ChatGPT and Colorfulkoala at 70% on Claude. Order tells the same story. Lululemon is the first brand named in 84% of answers, Colorfulkoala in 8% and Athleta in 0%. With a typical answer naming 5.2 brands, the opening slot is close to fixed. For every other brand here, the realistic contest is for the places that follow.
Two of the eight questions sound alike and behave differently. When the question is which brands make the best leggings, Athleta is in 89% of answers and Alo Yoga in 76%. When it is what the best leggings are, Athleta falls to 32% and Alo Yoga to 2%, while Beyond Yoga rises to 68% and Nike to 50%. The answers point to one visible reason: product answers are built around named lines such as the Align, the Spacedye and the Compressive High-Rise. A strong name earns a place on brand lists. A product pick goes to a line the answers can cite by name.
Use cases reorder everything below first place. On running, Quince is second at 50% and Nike third at 48%. On yoga both fade, Quince to 0% and Nike to 22%, and Athleta at 72% and Beyond Yoga at 62% move up. Colorfulkoala, third overall, scores 0% on running. Quince shows what this opens up: a brand placed ninth, with 20% overall, holds second place on one of the eight questions. The answers tie these showings to specific claims, such as storage for runners or softness for the studio. For a lower-ranked brand, one use case is a more reachable target than the whole category.
Below first place the four assistants rarely agree. Perplexity names Nike in 59% of its answers and Google AI Overviews in 0%. Quince scores 44% on Claude and 35% on Perplexity, and 0% on both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews. Sources offer one visible reason. Answers credit Quince's budget rating to cnn.com, which Claude cites in 57% of answers and Perplexity in 50%, against 12% for Google AI Overviews and 0% for ChatGPT. List length differs too: Claude names 7.2 brands per answer and Google AI Overviews 3.8. One overall score hides four separate lists, and each needs its own reading.
Who each company is, and how it shows up in the answers
90% of AI answers
Lululemon is a Canadian-American athletic apparel retailer that sells yoga wear, leggings, jackets, hoodies, sportswear, shoes and accessories. Chip Wilson founded it in Vancouver in 1998 as a retailer of yoga pants, and its first standalone store opened in November 2000. Lululemon is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Founded 1998 · Vancouver, Canada
Two lines recur in the answers: the Align, described as soft enough for studio classes and daily wear, and the Wunder Train, the pick for lifting and harder sessions. The brand reaches 99% on both ChatGPT and Claude and drops to 50% only on the affordable question.
50% of AI answers
Athleta is an athleisure brand owned by Gap Inc. It sells athletic apparel for women, including leggings and tights. Athleta was founded in 1998 as an independent company that combined performance clothing with everyday wear, and Gap acquired it in 2008.
Since 1998 · San Francisco · Part of Gap Inc.
Answers cast it as an alternative to Lululemon, pointing to the Elation and Salutation styles and a wide choice of lengths and sizes. It reaches 89% when the question is which brands make the best leggings and scores highest on ChatGPT, yet it is the first brand named in 0% of answers.
43% of AI answers
Colorfulkoala is an online activewear brand that sells yoga and athleisure clothing for women. Its range includes leggings, shorts, pants and joggers, skirts, sports bras, tops and sweatshirts. The brand was founded in 2018 and sells through its own online shop.
Founded 2018
All four assistants present it as the budget pick, crediting the Dreamlux and other soft high-waisted pairs that publisher tests rate highly. It tops the affordable question at 95% and also fills the value slot on general lists. Claude is the assistant that favors it, at 70%.
37% of AI answers
Affordable activewear brand sold largely online.
Value is the theme. Answers present the Butterluxe as a softer, lower-cost stand-in for Lululemon's Align, the NakedFeel as a hot-yoga option and the Butterlift fabric as slow to pill. The brand scores 88% on the affordable question and is strongest on ChatGPT, at 52%.
28% of AI answers
Activewear brand known for soft leggings in a wide range of sizes.
The Spacedye line does the work in the answers, which describe the fabric as soft and plush and recommend it for studio classes and lounging. That earns second place on the best leggings question at 68% and third on yoga at 62%.
26% of AI answers
The world’s largest sportswear company.
Running and high-impact training are where answers place it, citing the Go Firm-Support for compression and pockets and the Dri-FIT ADV running tights for sweat control and reflective trim. The split by assistant is the widest on the page: 59% on Perplexity and 0% on Google AI Overviews.
24% of AI answers
Los Angeles activewear brand.
Answers reach for it on style, describing a fashion-led, studio-to-street look and noting the Airlift line for compression that stays put. The brand scores 76% on which brands make the best leggings and features on pairs worth paying more for, then scores 2% when the question is simply the best leggings.
24% of AI answers
Activewear brand that uses recycled materials.
Recycled fabric and a wide size range are the points answers repeat, usually alongside the Compressive High-Rise and its firm support. It scores 66% on the brands question and 62% on best leggings, and Claude is the assistant that names it most.
20% of AI answers
Online retailer of low-priced basics, from bedding to luggage and clothing.
Publisher tests put it in the answers: its Ultra-Form leggings are credited as a budget pick that holds its own against higher-priced pairs. Only two assistants name it, Claude in 44% of answers and Perplexity in 35%, and it places second on running.
18% of AI answers
California activewear brand.
Premium athleisure is the label, and answers name the Daily Pocket legging for moving between gym and errands and the AllTheFeels for softness. Its highest scores come on the brands question, at 57%, and the three-brands shortlist, where it is second at 39%.
The three brands named most for each question Gist asked
| Question | Named most | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| What are the best leggings? | Lululemon 98% | Beyond Yoga 68% | Girlfriend Collective 62% |
| Which brands make the best leggings? | Lululemon 100% | Athleta 89% | Alo Yoga 76% |
| What are the best affordable leggings? | Colorfulkoala 95% | CRZ Yoga 88% | Old Navy 60% |
| Which leggings are worth paying more for? | Lululemon 92% | Alo Yoga 63% | Athleta 58% |
| What are the best leggings for running? | Lululemon 100% | Quince 50% | Nike 48% |
| What are the best leggings for yoga? | Lululemon 98% | Athleta 72% | Beyond Yoga 62% |
| I want new workout leggings. Which three brands should I look at first? | Lululemon 100% | Vuori 39% | Athleta 36% |
| Which leggings last the longest without pilling? | Lululemon 98% | Athleta 60% | Colorfulkoala 50% |
Share of each assistant’s answers that name the brand
| Brand | All four | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Claude | Google AI Overviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lululemon | 90% | 99% | 88% | 99% | 77% |
| Athleta | 50% | 72% | 49% | 41% | 39% |
| Colorfulkoala | 43% | 22% | 39% | 70% | 41% |
| CRZ Yoga | 37% | 52% | 15% | 46% | 34% |
| Beyond Yoga | 28% | 29% | 16% | 31% | 36% |
| Nike | 26% | 8% | 59% | 39% | 0% |
| Alo Yoga | 24% | 20% | 25% | 39% | 12% |
| Girlfriend Collective | 24% | 11% | 25% | 39% | 20% |
| Quince | 20% | 0% | 35% | 44% | 0% |
| Vuori | 18% | 21% | 2% | 24% | 25% |
The websites AI cites most on leggings, by share of answers
Publisher roundups supply most of the evidence: eight of the twelve most-cited websites are publishers, led by Yahoo at 35% of answers, TODAY at 32% and Glamour at 31%. Each assistant has its own favorites. Perplexity cites Glamour and Yahoo in 75% of its answers. Claude cites TODAY in 74% and Walmart, a retailer, in 66%. Google AI Overviews cites thatfitfriend.com in 55% and Reddit in 30%. ChatGPT stands apart, citing gap.com in 46% of answers and lululemon.com in 39%, ahead of Glamour at 21%.
Three moves the numbers point to
Put one named line in front of the publishers the answers lean on. Yahoo, TODAY, Glamour, NBC News and cnn.com each appear in 30% or more of answers, and product picks go to lines the answers can cite by name.
Claim a use case where second place is open. On running the runner-up holds 50%, on the three-brands shortlist question no brand behind Lululemon passes 39%, and on leggings that resist pilling the fourth name scores 28%.
Start with Claude, where the lists are longest. It names 7.2 brands per answer against 3.8 on Google AI Overviews, and its most-cited sites are TODAY at 74%, NBC News at 69% and Walmart at 66%.
Analysis · 4 min read
In 8 of 32 categories, the most-named brand is not named first most often. Gmail scores 96 in email management but is first in 8 percent of answers. Fathom is first in 52 percent of notetaker answers, Fireflies.ai in 10. These counts measure how often a brand appears and how often it is named first.
96 vs 8Gmail’s score versus its first-mention share
Analysis · 5 min read
In 15 of 32 categories the most-named brand scores 90 or more. In seven, no brand reaches 75. Business software averages a leader score of 90.7 against 77.3 for consumer categories, so a score needs reading against its own category.
90.7 vs 77.3Average leader score, business vs consumer categories
Gist asks a fixed set of eight buying questions in each category. None of them names a brand. Each question is put to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews ten times, with web search on.
A brand’s score is the share of answers that name it, averaged across the assistants so that each one counts equally. Stores and review sites named in passing are not ranked. Brands named in fewer than one answer in ten are left off.
Measured October 5 to October 6, 2026.
No. It shows which brands AI assistants name when asked, not which products are best. Being named often usually reflects how much has been written about a brand, and where.
The page shows the 10 most-named brands. The free scan checks your own brand on a topic you choose.
Yes. AI answers shift as assistants are updated and as new pages are published. The date at the top shows when this ranking was measured.
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