Canonical segment URLs exist only for observed category/shape pairs.
Machine Relations Index
Observed shapes6 Published6 Collecting0 ReleaseNovember 2, 2026
Family Software · Machine Relations Index category
Which sources AI engines cite for Family Software questions
Editorial publications earn 69.4% of classified citations in Family Software answers (1,316 of 1,896), as of November 2, 2026.
In the November 2026 release of the Machine Relations Index, these are the sources AI answer engines cited most often for each of the 6 Family Software question shapes, each ranked on that shape's own observed runs. This category has 6 observed question-shape segments in the current public release. Each segment keeps its own observed-run denominator and dates; this page does not average rates across shapes. Observed runs are answer runs, not questions: every segment repeats a small set of distinct questions across engines and dates, so a run count is not a count of independent questions.
Top sources by question shape
The sources engines cite most, shape by shape
A rate is the share of the shape's observed answer runs that cited the source; rank is the source's place on that shape's full leaderboard.Best tools
Example pattern: best family software tools. 236 observed runs across 12 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 222 | TechRadar | Editorial publication | 36.44% | 86 of 236 |
| #2 of 222 | Tom's Guide | Editorial publication | 29.66% | 70 of 236 |
| #3 of 222 | Allaboutcookies.org | Other observed source | 25.42% | 60 of 236 |
| #4 of 222 | Safetydetectives.com | Other observed source | 20.34% | 48 of 236 |
| #5 of 222 | Impulsec.com | Other observed source | 19.92% | 47 of 236 |
How buyers choose
Example pattern: how to choose family software tools. 226 observed runs across 12 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 284 | Apple News (Syndication from Grit Daily) | Other observed source | 16.37% | 37 of 226 |
| #2 of 284 | Allaboutcookies.org | Other observed source | 15.49% | 35 of 226 |
| #3 of 284 | Canopy.us | Other observed source | 14.16% | 32 of 226 |
| #4 of 284 | TechRadar | Editorial publication | 11.50% | 26 of 226 |
| #5 of 284 | The New York Times | Editorial publication | 10.62% | 24 of 226 |
Is it worth it
Example pattern: is family software software worth it. 230 observed runs across 12 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 212 | Impulsec.com | Other observed source | 20.43% | 47 of 230 |
| #2 of 212 | The New York Times | Editorial publication | 14.78% | 34 of 230 |
| #3 of 212 | TechRadar | Editorial publication | 13.91% | 32 of 230 |
| #4 of 212 | Useboomerang.com | Other observed source | 13.91% | 32 of 230 |
| #5 of 212 | Forbes | Editorial publication | 13.04% | 30 of 230 |
Problem-first research
Example pattern: how to solve family software problems. 243 observed runs across 12 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 364 | Healthychildren.org | Other observed source | 17.28% | 42 of 243 |
| #2 of 364 | Childmind.org | Other observed source | 10.70% | 26 of 243 |
| #3 of 364 | Community and social platform | 9.47% | 23 of 243 | |
| #4 of 364 | Mayoclinic.org | Other observed source | 7.82% | 19 of 243 |
| #5 of 364 | YouTube | Search or media platform | 7.82% | 19 of 243 |
Top lists
Example pattern: top family software platforms. 239 observed runs across 12 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 309 | Apple News (Syndication from Grit Daily) | Other observed source | 29.29% | 70 of 239 |
| #2 of 309 | Modakmakers.com | Other observed source | 17.57% | 42 of 239 |
| #3 of 309 | Spellingjoy.com | Other observed source | 17.15% | 41 of 239 |
| #4 of 309 | Kidkarma.app | Other observed source | 14.23% | 34 of 239 |
| #5 of 309 | Finder.com | Editorial publication | 13.39% | 32 of 239 |
Comparisons
Example pattern: family software platform A vs B. 240 observed runs across 12 dates.
| Rank | Source | Source role | Citation rate | Cited runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 of 158 | Useboomerang.com | Other observed source | 26.25% | 63 of 240 |
| #2 of 158 | Bark.us | Other observed source | 21.25% | 51 of 240 |
| #3 of 158 | Impulsec.com | Other observed source | 17.92% | 43 of 240 |
| #4 of 158 | Safewise.com | Other observed source | 17.08% | 41 of 240 |
| #5 of 158 | TechRadar | Editorial publication | 16.25% | 39 of 240 |
Published segments met the release evidence floor.
Collecting segments expose sample progress, not mature leaderboards.
Methodology v2.1.
Question shapes
Separate denominators by segment
| Question shape | State | Observed runs | Distinct questions | Run dates | Distinct cited domains | Canonical segment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best tools | Published | 236 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 12 | 222 | Open leaderboard |
| How buyers choose | Published | 226 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 12 | 284 | Open leaderboard |
| Is it worth it | Published | 230 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 12 | 212 | Open leaderboard |
| Problem-first research | Published | 243 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 12 | 364 | Open leaderboard |
| Top lists | Published | 239 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 12 | 309 | Open leaderboard |
| Comparisons | Published | 240 | 7 (5 paraphrase groups) | 12 | 158 | Open leaderboard |
By answer engine
Whole-window rates on each engine
Each link ranks sources with a published Family Software segment by that source's citation rate on one engine across the whole window. It is not a rate inside Family Software alone. A collecting engine has no published ranking for this category.Cite this
Citation
Machine Relations Index (MRI), Machine Relations Research — machinerelations.ai. Family Software, observed Machine Relations Index category, 2026-05-10 to 2026-11-02. Release mri_score_v2.1+2026-11-02+f9aaeca0db15. https://machinerelations.ai/index/categories/family-software. CC BY 4.0.APA
Parrott, J. (2026). Family Software in the Machine Relations Index (Version mri_score_v2.1+2026-11-02+f9aaeca0db15) [Data set]. Machine Relations Research. https://machinerelations.ai/index/categories/family-software https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23652423BibTeX
@misc{parrott2026mrifamilysoftware,
author = {Parrott, Jaxon},
title = {Family Software in the Machine Relations Index},
year = {2026},
version = {mri\_score\_v2.1+2026-11-02+f9aaeca0db15},
publisher = {Machine Relations Research},
url = {https://machinerelations.ai/index/categories/family-software},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23652423},
license = {CC-BY-4.0},
note = {Machine Relations Index (MRI), Machine Relations Research — machinerelations.ai}
}Release and boundary
No pooled category score
Published November 2, 2026. The observation window runs May 10, 2026 to November 2, 2026. Methodology v2.1.
Use the data
curl -fsSL "https://machinerelations.ai/data/machine-relations-index.json" -o machine-relations-index.json
curl -fsSL "https://machinerelations.ai/data/mri-release-manifest.json" -o mri-release-manifest.json
curl -fsSL "https://huggingface.co/datasets/machine-relations/machine-relations-index/resolve/main/domains.csv" -o domains.csv
curl -fsSL -L "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23652423" -o mri-zenodo.htmlimport json
from urllib.request import urlopen
index_url = "https://machinerelations.ai/data/machine-relations-index.json"
with urlopen(index_url) as response:
index = json.load(response)
print(index["generated"], index["total_domains"])This page is a directory of observed segments. A domain's overall citation rate is not a category rate, and MRI does not publish an averaged category score in this slice.
Family Software buyers on AuthorityTech’s publication intelligence is a downstream practitioner projection of these segments. It is not source evidence, citation provenance, or an identity link for the neutral dataset.