The most visible antivirus apps in Europe, October 2026

October 2026 · 105 questions asked from 7 countries · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 420 answers read

Most cited source

pcmag.com

21citations

From Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

Malwarebytes

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on Google AI Mode, not on Gemini, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Brands

Search is not measured for this board yet, so it ranks on AI answers.

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Microsoft Defender US New entry 48 , range 45–53 48#1
48
  • : score 48 · #1
43% 30% First reading
2 Bitdefender RO New entry 48 , range 45–53 48#2
48
  • : score 48 · #2
44% 29% First reading
3 Norton US New entry 37 , range 34–40 37#3
37
  • : score 37 · #3
30% 13% First reading
4 Malwarebytes US New entry 33 , range 31–36 33#4
33
  • : score 33 · #4
20% 13% First reading
5 Kaspersky RU New entry 21 , range 12–31 21#5
21
  • : score 21 · #5
19% 2% First reading
6 Avast CZ New entry 21 , range 10–31 21#6
21
  • : score 21 · #6
15% 5% First reading
7 ESET SK New entry 16 , range 9–30 16#7
16
  • : score 16 · #7
11% 7% First reading
8 McAfee US New entry 9 , range 7–20 9#8
9
  • : score 9 · #8
11% 3% First reading
9 AVG CZ New entry 6 , range 4–9 6#9
6
  • : score 6 · #9
7% 2% First reading
10 Intego FR New entry 4 , range 2–6 4#10
4
  • : score 4 · #10
3% 2% First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI gives each brand’s score and rank from the engines’ answers; Search is not measured for this board yet. 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 pcmag.com Media 5.0% 3 of 4 11 Not read
2 techradar.com Media 4.0% 4 of 4 9 15
3 security.org Media 3.3% 4 of 4 3 3
4 safetydetectives.com Media 3.1% 3 of 4 11 12
5 tomsguide.com Media 3.1% 2 of 4 6 Not read
6 cnet.com Media 2.4% 3 of 4 7 8
7 macworld.com Media 1.7% 2 of 4 4 11
8 clubic.com Media 1.7% 4 of 4 3 11
9 cybernews.com Media 1.2% 2 of 4 2 Not read
10 lesnumeriques.com Media 1.2% 3 of 4 3 7

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
Do I need antivirus protection if I only download apps from official stores? English Microsoft Defender
What can I use instead of relying on built-in security to protect my laptop? English Kaspersky and Malwarebytes, tied
How can I replace separate security apps with one app for all my devices? English Bitdefender
I work remotely and need to protect my laptop when using public Wi-Fi. English No brand recommended
My children use shared devices, and I need to block unsafe downloads. English No brand recommended
Welke antivirus-app kan ik het beste gebruiken om mijn Windows-laptop tegen malware te beschermen? Dutch Microsoft Defender
Welke antivirus-app beschermt de telefoons en computers van mijn gezin? Dutch Norton
Wat kan ik het beste gebruiken om mijn Mac te beschermen tegen virussen en ransomware? Dutch Bitdefender
Welke antivirus-app beschermt mijn Android-telefoon tegen schadelijke apps? Dutch Bitdefender
Hoe voorkom ik dat malware mijn laptop infecteert? Dutch Microsoft Defender

Each engine's top three

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, 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