# Win rate and head-to-heads

> How GetIntel asks AI to choose between you and a named rival every day, how win rate is calculated, and what it means for a topic's status.

Source: https://getintel.ai/docs/academy/metrics/win-rate/

**Win rate** is how often AI picks you when a buyer asks it to choose between you and a [named rival](/features/competitors/). It comes from **head-to-head** questions GetIntel asks every day, separately from your buyer questions.

## Head-to-heads

For each topic, GetIntel asks each engine questions that name you and a rival and require a choice, for example "YourBrand or Acme for tracking AI visibility?". Each answer is judged as a win for you, a win for the rival, or undecided.

## How win rate is calculated

Win rate = your wins ÷ decisive answers. **Undecided answers count for neither side**: they are left out, not counted as losses.

**Worked example.** 10 head-to-head answers on a topic: you win 6, the rival wins 2, and 2 refuse to pick. Win rate = 6 ÷ 8 = **75%**.

<Aside>
A win rate only shapes a topic's status once it rests on at least 5 decisive answers. Fewer than that, and one answer could flip it.
</Aside>

## Win rate versus Found

The two measure different moments in a buyer's search:

- **[Found](/docs/academy/metrics/topic-score/)**: does AI bring you up *unprompted* when a buyer asks an open question?
- **Win rate**: when a buyer is already comparing you with a rival, does AI pick *you*?

Together they give each topic its status:

| | Win rate 50% or more | Win rate below 50% |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Found** | **Strong** | **Found, but losing to rivals** |
| **Not found** | **Hidden strength** | **Not found, and losing** |

- **Hidden strength**: you win comparisons but AI rarely brings you up on its own. The fix is getting discovered.
- **Found, but losing to rivals**: AI knows you but prefers a rival when buyers compare. Sharpen your positioning against them.

## Where to find it

- **Topics**: the **Win rate** and **Status** columns.
- **A topic's Brand tab**: **Head to head**, with each question, the outcome and what AI said.
- **MCP**: `get_topic`.

## What moves it

Win rate responds to comparison content: pages that set out plainly where you are stronger than a named rival, and third-party comparisons that do the same. Your Off-Page comparison tasks target these.