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

av-test.org

62citations

From Google AI Mode, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

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% None 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 av-test.org Review site 9.8% 4 of 4 27 10
2 av-comparatives.org Review site 3.8% 3 of 4 13 8
3 consumentenbond.nl Review site 1.2% 3 of 4 8 Not read
4 test.de Review site 0.7% 2 of 4 3 9
5 experte.com Review site 0.5% 1 of 4 2 Not read
6 softonic.com Review site 0.5% 2 of 4 2 Not read
7 which.co.uk Review site 0.5% 2 of 4 1 Not read
8 echosdunet.net Review site 0.2% 1 of 4 1 Not read
9 lafabriquedunet.fr Review site 0.2% 1 of 4 1 Not read
10 moneysupermarket.com Review site 0.2% 1 of 4 1 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
Welches Antivirenprogramm schützt meinen Windows-Laptop am besten vor Malware? German Microsoft Defender
Welches Antivirenprogramm schützt die Smartphones und Computer meiner Familie? German Bitdefender and Microsoft Defender, tied
Was schützt meinen Mac vor Viren und Ransomware? German Bitdefender and Malwarebytes, tied
Welches Antivirenprogramm schützt mein Android-Smartphone vor schädlichen Apps? German AVG, Avira, Bitdefender and Sophos, tied
Wie verhindere ich, dass mein Laptop mit Malware infiziert wird? German Microsoft Defender
Wie kann ich meine Familie vor Phishing-Links und unsicheren Downloads schützen? German Avira and ESET, tied
Wie entferne ich einen Virus und verhindere, dass er wiederkommt? German Microsoft Defender
Woran erkenne ich, ob Spyware mein Smartphone überwacht? German No brand recommended
Reicht der integrierte Geräteschutz aus, oder sollte ich ein Antivirenprogramm installieren? German Microsoft Defender
Sollte ich eine Sicherheits-App für Smartphone und Computer nutzen oder lieber verschiedene Apps? German 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