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The most visible B2B antivirus apps on Google AI Overviews, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked in English, worldwide · Google AI Overviews · 21 answers read

Most cited source

youtube.com

18citations

From Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

One engine

This page reads Google AI Overviews only. Set Engine to All to compare them.

Brands

Rank Brand Heralded Score Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1#1 overall Microsoft Defender US 57 , range 40–77 54% 35% First reading
2#2 overall Bitdefender RO 47 , range 34–71 46% 23% First reading
= 3#3 overall Malwarebytes US 41 , range 28–63 31% 23% First reading
= 3#3 overall Norton US 41 , range 32–60 50% 4% First reading
5#5 overall Kaspersky RU 32 , range 9–47 31% 0% First reading
= 6#6 overall Avast CZ 7 , range 1–39 12% 0% First reading
= 6#6 overall Panda Security ES 7 , range 1–39 12% 0% First reading
– AVG CZ Too few answers 4% 0% First reading
– Avira DE Too few answers 0% 0% First reading
– ESET SK Too few answers 0% 0% First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 youtube.com Social 42.9% 1 of 4 12 Not read
2Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
3 kaspersky.com Brand site 28.6% 1 of 4 6 1
4Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
5 google.com Vendor site 19.0% 1 of 4 5 1
6 microsoft.com Brand site 19.0% 1 of 4 5 2
7 quora.com Community 19.0% 1 of 4 5 12
8Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
9 reddit.com Community 19.0% 1 of 4 4 10
10Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.

The questions, and who wins each

QuestionLanguageWins it
what antivirus app should i use to protect my windows laptop from malware English No brand recommended
which antivirus app can protect a family’s phones and computers English Bitdefender, Microsoft Defender and Norton, tied
what should i use to keep my mac safe from viruses and ransomware English Bitdefender and Malwarebytes, tied
which antivirus app helps protect my android phone from malicious apps English Bitdefender
how do i stop malware from infecting my laptop English Malwarebytes and Microsoft Defender, tied
how can i protect my family from phishing links and unsafe downloads English No brand recommended
how do i remove a virus and keep it from coming back English Malwarebytes and Microsoft Defender, tied
how can i tell if spyware is tracking my phone English No brand recommended
is built-in device security enough or should i install an antivirus app English Microsoft Defender
should i use one security app across my phone and computer or separate apps English Bitdefender

Each engine's top three

Method

Each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured