# Google AI Mode API > aivisibilityskill's Google AI Mode API returns the answer Google's AI Mode gives a query, as JSON: its text, the brands it names in order and whether it recommends them, every source it cites, and the raw response as proof, in 240 countries and territories. Run it on a schedule to track AI Mode over time. It costs $0.011 to $0.025 an answer. Canonical page: https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/google-ai-mode. Updated November 5, 2026 by Ahmed Gagan, founder of aivisibilityskill. - Asks: Google Search: the AI Mode tab - Returns: The answer, brands in order, every citation, facts and the raw response - Countries: 240 countries and territories, 100+ languages - Price per answer: $0.011 (batch) to $0.025 (live); half for a reused answer - Speed: Live answers usually in under a minute - Try it: Free sandbox keys and 500 free credits, no card Get a free sandbox key: https://app.aivisibilityskill.com/login?next=%2Fkeys. API reference: https://api.aivisibilityskill.com/docs. OpenAPI 3.1: https://api.aivisibilityskill.com/openapi.json. ## Request and response ```bash curl https://api.aivisibilityskill.com/v1/checks \ -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIV_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "questions": ["best CRM for early-stage startups"], "engines": ["ai_mode"], "locale": "en-US", "mode": "live", "wait": 60 }' ``` Response, shortened (real values from October 29, 2026): ```json { "status": "succeeded", "credits": { "quoted": 25, "charged": 25 }, "answers": [ { "engine": "ai_mode", "surface": "serp", "question": "best CRM for early-stage startups", "locale": "en-US", "has_ai_answer": true, "brands": [ { "name": "Attio", "rank": 1, "recommended": true, "sentiment": "positive", "quote": "Best overall for modern tech startups." }, { "name": "HubSpot", "rank": 2, "recommended": true, "sentiment": "positive", "quote": "Best for an all-in-one free starting point." } ], "citations": [ { "position": 1, "domain": "attio.com", "source_type": "brand_owned" }, { "position": 3, "domain": "hubspot.com", "source_type": "brand_owned" } ], "receipt": { "sha256": "…", "url": "…/receipt" } } ] } ``` ## What the AI Mode API returns AI Mode answers at length, often from only a few pages. Each answer comes back with its text, every brand it names in order, its sources and the raw response. What each answer includes: | Field | What it holds | | --- | --- | | `has_ai_answer` | false when the engine showed no AI answer (for example, no AI Overview for that query). | | `text` | The full answer, as markdown. | | `brands[].name, rank` | Every brand the answer names, in order of first mention (rank 1 = named first). | | `brands[].recommended, sentiment, quote` | Whether it recommends the brand, the tone (positive, neutral, negative) and the exact words. | | `citations[].position, url, domain, title` | Every source the answer cites, in the order it cites them. | | `citations[].source_type` | What kind of site each source is: brand_owned, review_site, media, reddit, youtube, wikipedia, forum, social, blog_platform, marketplace, gov_edu or other. | | `facts[]` | Claims about each brand (price, plan, free tier, platform, feature) with the quote they came from; prices parsed into amount, currency and period. | | `model, locale, collected_at` | The model the engine reported, the country and language asked from, and when. | | `receipt.sha256, receipt.url` | The engine's raw response, stored as returned, and its SHA-256 hash. | ## Google AI Mode vs AI Overviews vs Gemini All three are Google, and Google says AI Mode runs on a custom version of Gemini. They're still three different places a buyer gets an answer, and for the same question they name different brands and cite different sites. Three Google AI surfaces, compared: | | Google AI Mode | Google AI Overviews | Gemini | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Where buyers see it | The AI Mode tab in Google Search | Above the results, for some searches | The Gemini app and gemini.google.com | | When it appears | When someone chooses AI Mode | When Google decides to show one | When someone asks Gemini | | The answer | A long, conversational answer | A short summary with links | A chat answer | | Sources per answer in our study | 7.9 | 8.3 | 14.7 | | Citations for “best CRM for early-stage startups” | 3 | 6 | 15, from 8 sites | | In this API | [Google AI Mode API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/google-ai-mode) | [Google AI Overview API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/google-ai-overviews) | [Gemini API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/gemini) | Because the three disagree, measuring one tells you little about the others. One request can ask all three, plus ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Grok and DeepSeek. ## One question, four different answers We asked “best CRM for early-stage startups” on each engine from the US on the same morning. Each card is what the API returned: how the answer opens, the brands it named in order, and the first sites it cited. Real answers to "best CRM for early-stage startups" (en-US), collected October 29, 2026, as the API read them: - ChatGPT: opens "My recommendation: start with Attio if you're building a tech startup, or HubSpot if you want a free, all-purpose sales and marketing platform." Names, in order: Attio, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Close. Cites 10 sources, starting with hackceleration.com, softwarecompare.net, stackbytrade.com. - Google AI Overview: opens "The best CRM for early-stage startups depends on your growth model, budget, and sales process." Names, in order: HubSpot, Pipedrive, Attio, Ringy, Zoho CRM, Salesforce (as one to avoid). Cites 6 sources, starting with ringy.com, bestpage.ai, digitalocean.com. - Google AI Mode: opens "Choosing a CRM for an early-stage startup depends heavily on your workflow … and how fast you plan to scale." Names, in order: Attio, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Close, Streak, Folk. Cites 3 sources, starting with attio.com, eway-crm.com, hubspot.com. - Gemini: opens "For early-stage startups, the “best” CRM isn't an enterprise beast like full Salesforce … it's a tool that requires zero manual data entry." Names, in order: Salesforce (as one to avoid), Attio, Lightfield, Ahoy, HubSpot CRM, Pipedrive, Streak. Cites 15 links from 8 sites, starting with lightfield.app, ahoy.ai, attio.com. Where each answer ranks each brand (1 = named first; – = not named): | Brand | ChatGPT | Google AI Overview | Google AI Mode | Gemini | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Attio | **1** | 3 | **1** | 2 | | HubSpot | 2 | **1** | 2 | 5 | | Pipedrive | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | | Zoho CRM | 4 | 5 | – | – | | Close | 5 | – | 4 | – | | Ringy | – | 4 | – | – | | Salesforce | – | 6 (to avoid) | – | 1 (to avoid) | | Streak | – | – | 5 | 7 | | Folk | – | – | 6 | – | | Lightfield | – | – | – | 3 | | Ahoy | – | – | – | 4 | All four name Attio, HubSpot and Pipedrive, but not in the same order, and after those three the lists split. They barely share sources either: ChatGPT and the AI Overview cite no site in common, and AI Mode shares only attio.com and hubspot.com with ChatGPT. Gemini, which Google says AI Mode is built on, opens by naming Salesforce as the kind of CRM not to buy, and recommends two AI-native CRMs, Lightfield and Ahoy, that no other answer names. Watching one surface tells you little about the others. ## AI Mode tracking Search Console counts AI Mode inside your overall search numbers, so it can't tell you what AI Mode says about a brand or who it names instead. Tracking it means asking it: put the queries in a project with a daily or weekly schedule, then read how often AI Mode names the brand (with error bars), each competitor's share, the sources it cites and the history. A webhook tells your server when each run is done. ## AI Mode sources AI Mode often cites only a few pages, and they're often the brands' own sites: for the CRM question, all three of its sources were CRM companies' own sites. Across our study it averaged 7.9 sources per answer, cited YouTube in 50% of answers and Reddit in 45%. Each citation comes back with its position, URL, title and a source type, so you can see whether AI Mode leans on a brand's own pages, review sites or the press for your queries. For how this compares across engines, read [what AI engines cite](https://aivisibilityskill.com/guides/what-ai-engines-cite). ## Call the Google AI Mode API from TypeScript or Python ```ts import { Aiv } from "@aivisibilityskill/sdk"; const aiv = new Aiv({ apiKey: process.env.AIV_KEY! }); const job = await aiv.checks.create({ questions: ["best CRM for early-stage startups"], engines: ["ai_mode"], locale: "en-US", }); const done = await aiv.jobs.wait(job.id); for (const answer of done.answers ?? []) { console.log(answer.brands?.map((b) => `${b.rank}. ${b.name}`)); console.log(answer.citations?.map((c) => c.domain)); } ``` ```python import os from aivisibilityskill import Aiv aiv = Aiv(api_key=os.environ["AIV_KEY"]) job = aiv.checks.create( ["best CRM for early-stage startups"], engines=["ai_mode"], locale="en-US", ) done = aiv.jobs.wait(job["id"]) for answer in done["answers"]: print([(b["rank"], b["name"]) for b in answer["brands"]]) print([c["domain"] for c in answer["citations"]]) ``` ## Google AI Mode API pricing You pay per answer, in credits. Pick the speed per request. A dollar buys 1,000 credits on a pack; monthly and volume plans include more. An answer reused from a recent identical one (`max_age_hours`) costs half, and an answer that fails costs nothing. Google AI Mode answer prices: | Speed | Ready | Credits | Pay as you go | Business and Enterprise plans | Reused answer | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Batch | Within a few hours | 11 | $0.011 | $0.0069 | 6 credits | | Standard | Within minutes | 15 | $0.015 | $0.0094 | 8 credits | | Live | Usually under a minute | 25 | $0.025 | $0.0156 | 13 credits | Every account gets the same API and every engine, starting with 500 free credits and no card. Volume plans start at $500 a month for 750,000 credits, with invoicing and a [99.5% uptime commitment](https://aivisibilityskill.com/sla): [see volume plans](https://aivisibilityskill.com/volume). ## Countries and languages Ask Google AI Mode from 240 countries and territories, in the buyer's language, with a locale like `en-US`, `de-DE`, `pt-BR` or `ja-JP`. ChatGPT covers 192. `GET /v1/locales` lists every supported pair for free, and a pair that isn't supported is refused before anything is charged. ## Questions ### What is Google AI Mode? A conversational search mode in Google where Google's AI answers a question at length, with sources, instead of listing links. Google says it runs on a custom version of Gemini. ### Is there a Google AI Mode API? Google doesn't offer one. aivisibilityskill returns AI Mode answers as JSON for any query in 240 countries and territories: the text, the brands named in order and every source cited. ### What's the difference between Google AI Mode and AI Overviews? An AI Overview is a short summary Google shows above the results for some searches. AI Mode is a separate, conversational search that answers at length. For the same question they often name different brands and cite different sites. ### What's the difference between Google AI Mode and Gemini? AI Mode lives inside Google Search and is built for search questions; Gemini is Google's assistant app. Google says AI Mode uses a custom version of Gemini, but for the same question the two often name different brands and cite different sources. ### Does it return AI Mode's sources? Yes. Every source comes back in order, with its URL, domain, title and a source type such as brand_owned, review_site, media or reddit. ### Can I track rankings in AI Mode? Yes. Put your queries in a project with a daily or weekly schedule. You get each brand's position in every answer, how often it's named with error bars, competitor share, cited sources and history. ### How much does the AI Mode API cost? 11 credits for a batch answer, 15 for standard and 25 for live: $0.011 to $0.025 at pay-as-you-go rates, about $0.007 to $0.017 on volume plans, and half for a reused recent answer. ## Related - [ChatGPT API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/chatgpt): The ChatGPT app's answer as JSON: brands in order, every citation and the raw response. - [Google AI Overview API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/google-ai-overviews): AI Overviews as JSON for any query, with every cited link, and a ready-made AI Overview tracker. - [Gemini API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/gemini): The Gemini app's answer as JSON, and how Gemini differs from ChatGPT and AI Mode. - [Perplexity API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/perplexity): Perplexity's Sonar answers and citations as JSON, read into brands and source types. - [Claude API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/claude): Claude's web search answers as JSON: which brands Claude recommends, and why. - [Grok API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/grok): Grok's answers as JSON, with search across the web and X, read into brands. - [DeepSeek API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api/deepseek): DeepSeek's answers as JSON, grounded in DeepSeek's web search, read into brands. - [AI visibility API](https://aivisibilityskill.com/api): All 8 engines in one call, with builder features and every endpoint. - [What AI engines cite](https://aivisibilityskill.com/guides/what-ai-engines-cite): 24,258 citations from ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI, analyzed.