G2’s 2026 Best Software Awards: The Most Trusted Solutions for the Age of AI

Every day, buyers across the globe look to G2 for an answer to the same question: What software can I actually trust?

In the age of AI, that question is harder than ever. Discovery is faster, software choices are noisier, and proof matters more than pitch decks. That's exactly why G2's Best Software Awards exist: they're grounded in verified reviews from real users and market presence signals that highlight the most trusted solutions.

Today, I'm excited to share G2's 2026 Best Software Award winners, including the biggest moves and what the lists signal about the future of software buying.

This year's winners: Who's the best of the best in software?

Less than 1% of the 175,000+ vendors (.6% to be exact!) listed on G2 earned a placement across this year's awards. Clearly, making a spot on these lists is a meaningful indicator of customer trust.

Across our 46 Best Software lists this year, there are always a few that buyers and vendors alike pay closest attention to. Below are some of the most sought-after lists, notable movements, and what stood out to our team this year.

G2's 2026 Best Global Software Companies

These are the software brands that came out on top this year:

1. Salesforce
2. Google
3. HubSpot
4. Rippling
5. Gusto

Not only did Salesforce rank #1 overall among global software companies, they also led the way with six #1 rankings across this year's lists. Canva, Microsoft, and Hootsuitefollowed closely with three #1 spots each, while SAPearned two #1 spots.

Chances are, you use products from many of the global software companies on this list! But the overall leaderboard isn't standing still. We saw 34 newcomers in the Top 100 companies this year, representing a 34% shakeup.

A few companies showed especially strong upward movement:

• Constant Contact (+71)
• PandaDoc (+64)
• UiPath (+56)
• ADP (+54)

G2's 2026 Best Software Products

When it comes to the top products overall on G2, the following took the cake:

1. HootSuite
2. RUN Powered by ADP
3. Slack
4. Microsoft Power BI
5. Microsoft Teams

Our top five winners experienced impressive year-over-year movement on this list: Hootsuite(+13), RUN Powered by ADP(+29), Slack(+82), Microsoft Teams(+76 spots), and Microsoft Power BI(+72 spots).

Beyond the top five, several other products made major moves year-over-year:

• Semrushfor (+52 spots)
• SAP Concur(+42 spots)
• Workvivo(+40 spots)

This list saw some newcomers this year, too - including Achievers, Dropbox, Salesforce Agentforce, Attentive, Culture Cloud by O.C. Tanner, and Canva.

One other thing worth calling out is that nearly half (47%) of the 2026 Top 100 Best Software Products did not appear on last year's list, underscoring the point that buyers are actively re-evaluating their tech stacks and using G2 to validate their decisions.

Fastest-Growing Products

G2's Fastest-Growing Product list represents a snapshot of what buyers are adopting fastest, based on momentum scores.

Congrats to this year's winners, including our top 5:

1. TradeInt
2. n8n
3. Retell AI
4. Synthflow
5. Handoff

This list saw a significant year-over-year change: 86 of the Top 100 Fastest-Growing Products are new for 2026, highlighting just how quickly buyer attention is shifting.

Among returning products, several posted notable year-over-year gains, including KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training, ThreatLocker Platform, Rippling, and RemoFirst.

Highest Satisfaction Products

This list is based solely on satisfaction scores, which provide a view into what customers are happiest with - regardless of category or hype cycle.

Here are our top 5 performers:

1. Gusto
2. Notion
3. Wincher
4. CRMOne
5. Rippling

One of the most interesting parts of this list is its variety. The top-ranked products include payroll software, knowledge-base software, and SEO tools - a reminder that standout customer experiences can come from any category.

It's also worth noting that Gusto not only achieved the top spot on this list but also had the most momentum, improving by 90 spots from 2025. Notion also experienced impressive movement (+56 spots year-over-year), and Wincher is a newcomer for 2026.

Rookies of the Year

These are products that earned their first review in 2025 and are newly listed on G2 - a strong signal of early traction and customer enthusiasm.

1. Leo
2. ClickRank
3. SurveyMars
4. Cuebo
5. Atria AI

A big congratulations and a warm welcome to all of the rookies who made our list this year. We look forward to your continued growth and success!

Celebrating vendors with the most wins

Winning even one Best Software Award is something to be proud of, but some vendors went above and beyond, landing multiple wins across our 46 lists.

This year, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Google led the way as the only vendors with more than 30 award placements.

• Microsoft: 65 mentions
• Salesforce: 55 mentions
• Google: 43 mentions

On the product side, several standouts appeared repeatedly across lists:

• Slack: 10 mentions
• Asanaand Canva: 9 mentions each
• ClickUp, Salesforce Sales Cloud, and monday Work Management: 8 mentions each

Explore the awards: Complete winner lists and methodology

Explore the full list of our 2026 winners, where we recognize the top-performing companies and products across segments, regions, and functions.

As the software landscape evolves, so do our awards lists - expanding to cover additional priority areas for B2B software buyers. So be sure to check out the two new Best Software Awards lists this year: Best Agentic AI Products and Best ERP Software Products.

What are the eligibility requirements for the G2 Best Software Awards?

To be eligible for one of G2's Best Software Awards lists, a software product or company must have received at least 10 reviews in the prior calendar year. For functional product lists, individual products need at least 10 reviews in the eligibility period in at least one category in the correlated persona area (e.g., Best Sales Software) to be eligible for that list.

For a deeper dive into how we rank the best of the best, you can read more about our methodology.

From recognition to momentum: Build the customer-led growth that wins in 2027

If you're navigating the complex world of B2B tech, we hope these lists can help you save time when making your purchasing decisions in 2026. By pairing these rankings with G2.ai's intelligence and the collective feedback from millions of verified reviews, you can pinpoint the right software for your needs with total confidence.

To our 2026 winners - congratulations! Your commitment to customer success is clearly making waves. And if your name is on the list, don't be shy about sharing the news.

Whether you're celebrating a 2026 win or aiming for the podium next year, your path to the top starts now. Launch a G2 review generation campaigntoday to start earning the trust of your future customers and be eligible for G2's 2027 Best Software Awards. Keep listening to your customers, earning trust, and building products people genuinely recommend.

And now that Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp are part of G2, we're excited about how we can further support software buyers and vendors to make more informed decisions in the age of AI.