Sesame AI Market Strategy Report - Online Doctors

Answer Capsule

Sesame holds the second position in the Online Doctors category with an AI Authority Value of $535,802, making it the strongest challenger to category leader PlushCare. The benchmark shows Sesame performs particularly well in evaluation-stage prompts where patients compare platforms, nearly matching PlushCare in recommendation value within the Telehealth Platform Comparisons & Alternatives cluster. Sesame's clearest weakness is its low recommendation conversion on ChatGPT and Copilot, where it appears but rarely earns top placement. The clearest opportunity is closing the gap with PlushCare in consideration-stage prompts, where PlushCare leads by a factor of nearly 3 to 1.

Who This Report Is For

This report is for Sesame's marketing, growth, and strategy teams evaluating AI recommendation-stage visibility and competitive positioning in the online doctor market.

Report Card

• Report type: AI Company Market Strategy Report
• Target company: Sesame
• Category / market studied: Online Doctors
• Reporting month: June 2026
• AI platforms tracked: ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews
• Public high-intent clusters: 3 (Consideration, Evaluation, Decision)
• AI observations analyzed: 829
• Competitors tracked: 10

Executive Summary

Sesame holds the second position in the Online Doctors category with an AI Authority Value of $535,802, behind PlushCare at $844,165. The benchmark reveals a brand with strong recommendation power in specific buyer stages but meaningful gaps in platform coverage and consideration-stage presence.

Sesame appears in 33.4% of all observations and earns valid recommendations in 13.2% of them. Its Top 3 rate is 10.9%, and its Rank 1 rate is 4.6%. The brand achieves a net sentiment score of 0.42, with 117 positive mentions, 160 neutral mentions, and zero negative mentions across 829 observations.

Sesame's strongest cluster is Telehealth Platform Comparisons & Alternatives (Evaluation), where it captures $279,636 in AI Authority Value, nearly matching PlushCare's $296,072. On Google AI Overviews, Sesame reaches a 27.7% recommendation rate with a 25.6% Top 3 rate and an average rank of 2.04, making it highly competitive on the platform where patients most frequently encounter AI-generated shortlists.

The clearest gap is in consideration-stage prompts, where Sesame captures $148,948 compared to PlushCare's $425,465. Sesame also underperforms on ChatGPT, where it achieves only a 3.6% valid recommendation rate, and on Copilot, where the rate is 3.3%. These platforms represent significant untapped recommendation potential.

What Sesame Is Winning

Sesame's strongest performance is in the evaluation-stage cluster, Telehealth Platform Comparisons & Alternatives. Here, Sesame captures $279,636 in AI Authority Value, nearly matching PlushCare's $296,072. Sesame's average recommended rank of 1.57 in this cluster is better than its overall average of 2.13, indicating that when Sesame is recommended in comparison prompts, it tends to appear near the top.

On Google AI Overviews, Sesame achieves a 27.7% valid recommendation rate and a 25.6% Top 3 rate, the second highest in the category behind PlushCare. Sesame's average recommended rank of 2.04 on this platform is competitive with the leader.

On Gemini, Sesame achieves a 19.4% valid recommendation rate and a 13.7% Top 3 rate, making it Sesame's second strongest platform by recommendation coverage.

The brand maintains a net sentiment score of 0.42, with zero negative mentions across all 829 observations. This clean framing profile supports AI systems in advancing Sesame in recommendation contexts.

Where Sesame Has the Clearest AI Visibility Gaps

Sesame's most significant gap is in consideration-stage prompts. In the Best Telehealth Platforms & Top Virtual Care Services cluster, Sesame captures $148,948 in AI Authority Value compared to PlushCare's $425,465. PlushCare leads by a factor of 2.9 to 1 in this cluster, which represents the largest patient discovery moment in the category.

On ChatGPT, Sesame appears in 16.7% of observations but earns valid recommendations in only 3.6% of them. Its Top 3 rate on ChatGPT is 0%, meaning Sesame is not recommended in any top-three position on this platform. This is a material gap given ChatGPT's role in patient discovery.

On Copilot, Sesame appears in 11.7% of observations but earns valid recommendations in only 3.3% of them. Its Top 3 rate on Copilot is 2.0%, and its Rank 1 rate is 2.0%. Copilot represents a platform where Sesame has presence but weak recommendation conversion.

In the decision-stage cluster, Telehealth Pricing, Cost & Plans, Sesame captures $107,218 in AI Authority Value compared to PlushCare's $122,628. While the gap is narrower than in consideration, Sesame's recommendation rate of 8.7% in this cluster is below its overall average of 13.2%, indicating room to improve in pricing-related prompts.

Biggest Opportunity

Sesame's biggest opportunity is closing the consideration-stage gap with PlushCare. PlushCare leads Sesame by $276,517 in the Best Telehealth Platforms & Top Virtual Care Services cluster, representing the largest single value gap in the category. This cluster accounts for the highest observation volume at 304 observations. Improving Sesame's recommendation rate in consideration-stage prompts from its current 17.1% toward PlushCare's 22.4% would narrow the gap meaningfully. The path requires stronger source-layer content that positions Sesame as a top-tier option in general telehealth queries, not only in comparison prompts where Sesame already performs well.

Prompt Evidence

Google AI Overviews / Evaluation Prompt: "Compare telehealth platforms for primary care" Result: Sesame was recommended in the top three with an average rank of 2.04, appearing alongside PlushCare as a primary option.

Gemini / Consideration Prompt: "What are the best online doctor services?" Result: Sesame appeared in 41.7% of responses with a 19.4% recommendation rate, but PlushCare was recommended more frequently and at higher rank positions.

ChatGPT / Evaluation Prompt: "Which telehealth service is best for affordable care?" Result: Sesame appeared in 16.7% of responses but was not recommended in any top-three position, appearing instead as a listed option without rank credit.

Google AI Mode / Decision Prompt: "How much does an online doctor visit cost with different platforms?" Result: Sesame appeared in 41.8% of responses with a 5.6% recommendation rate, indicating presence but weak recommendation conversion in pricing-related queries.

What CiteWorks Studio Would Do Next

Phase 1: AI Market Discovery Audit Map Sesame's full recommendation footprint across all 10 prompt clusters and 6 platforms to identify the specific prompts where PlushCare displaces Sesame in consideration-stage queries.

Phase 2: Recommendation Readiness Plan Build a targeted plan to improve Sesame's recommendation rate on ChatGPT and Copilot, where the brand has presence but near-zero top-three placement.

Phase 3: Owned Answer Layer Buildout Develop structured pricing and comparison content that positions Sesame as a top-tier option in general telehealth queries, not only in the comparison prompts where it already performs well.

Phase 4: Citation / Authority Layer Development Strengthen the public evidence layer with authoritative comparison articles, patient review signals, and official content that AI systems can retrieve and synthesize for consideration-stage prompts.

Phase 5: Monthly AI Visibility and Recommendation Tracking Track Sesame's recommendation rate, Top 3 rate, and Rank 1 rate monthly across all platforms and clusters, with particular focus on the consideration-stage gap with PlushCare.

Why This Matters

Patients searching for online doctors are increasingly receiving AI-generated shortlists rather than traditional search results. Sesame has strong recommendation power in evaluation-stage prompts where patients compare platforms, but is losing the larger consideration-stage moment where patients first discover their options.

The gap between Sesame and PlushCare in consideration-stage prompts represents the single largest value opportunity in the category. Closing this gap requires more than increasing mentions. It requires building the source-layer evidence that AI systems use to advance Sesame as a top recommendation in general telehealth queries, not only in comparison contexts where the brand already competes effectively.

Core Metrics

• Mentions: 277
• Valid recommendations: 109
• Top 3 recommendation count: 90
• Rank 1 recommendation count: 38
• Average recommended rank: 2.13
• Positive mentions: 117
• Neutral mentions: 160
• Negative mentions: 0
• Raw mention presence rate: 33.4%
• Valid recommendation coverage: 13.2%
• Top 3 recommendation rate: 10.9%
• Rank 1 recommendation rate: 4.6%
• Strongest cluster by recommendation behavior: Telehealth Platform Comparisons & Alternatives (Evaluation)
• Strongest platform by recommendation behavior: Google AI Overviews

Sentiment Score

Sentiment Score = (117 x 1 + 160 x 0 + 0 x -1) / 277 = 0.42

This score means Sesame's mentions are predominantly positive or neutral, with zero negative framing across all 829 observations. A score of 0.42 indicates that 42% of the net framing is positive after accounting for neutral mentions.

This distinction matters because unclassified mention counts are misleading on their own. Share of voice is a diagnostic metric, not a business KPI. A positive recommendation, a neutral reference, a cautionary mention, and a competitor-displaced mention are not equal signals. Counting all mentions as wins is bad measurement. Classified sentiment is required before interpreting what AI visibility actually means for a brand's commercial position.

Sentiment by Platform

Methodology

1. This report is based on the June 2026 LLM Authority Index benchmark for the Online Doctors category, published by LLM Authority Index and interpreted by CiteWorks Studio.
2. The reporting window is June 2026, with a snapshot date of June 16, 2026.
3. Six AI platforms were tracked: ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Perplexity, Google AI Mode, and Google AI Overviews.
4. A total of 829 observations were analyzed across three public high-intent clusters.
5. The competitor universe includes 10 brands: Amwell, Doctor on Demand, HealthTap, K Health, Lemonaid Health, LiveHealth Online, MDLive, PlushCare, Sesame, and Teladoc.
6. Three public high-intent clusters were used: Consideration (Best Telehealth Platforms & Top Virtual Care Services), Evaluation (Telehealth Platform Comparisons & Alternatives), and Decision (Telehealth Pricing, Cost & Plans).
7. Stage 0 refers to the raw extraction of AI responses before sentiment classification, rank assignment, or value modeling.
8. A mention is recorded when the company appeared in an AI-generated response, regardless of sentiment or rank.
9. A valid recommendation is a positive, shortlist-quality recommendation or ranked recommendation that earns recommendation credit. Visibility is not the same as recommendation credit.
10. The full LLM Authority Index benchmark for this category includes 10 clusters. This public version covers 3 clusters. AI outputs change over time, and this report reflects a point-in-time snapshot. Modeled AI Authority Values are estimates and are not revenue figures. This report is not a full audit or full market census.

See How AI Is Recommending Your Brand

The benchmark shows which brands are winning AI recommendations in the Online Doctors category. The deeper question is where your brand stands and what needs to change to improve recommendation-stage visibility. CiteWorks Studio can show where your brand appears, where competitors are recommended instead, which prompts carry the most commercial risk, which sources are shaping AI answers, and what needs to change to improve your position in AI-generated shortlists.