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The most visible antivirus apps in Germany, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from Germany in German and English · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

AI: how the engines answer the board's questions; Search: Google's top 10 for the questions' demand keywords; All: both combined. How the Heralded Score works.

Most cited source

bfw.ac.at

1citations

From Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

Avast

1/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Microsoft Defender US New entry 55 , range 31–75
55
  • : score 55 · #1
 40% 27% None First reading
2 Bitdefender RO New entry 55 , range 29–66
55
  • : score 55 · #2
 31% 20% None First reading
3 Norton US New entry 46 , range 11–54
46
  • : score 46 · #3
 20% 6% None First reading
4 Trend Micro JP New entry 40 , range 1–75
40
  • : score 40 · #4
 2% 2% None First reading
5 Avast CZ New entry 36 , range 6–53
36
  • : score 36 · #5
 17% 9% None First reading
6 Kaspersky RU New entry 35 , range 9–50
35
  • : score 35 · #6
 15% 3% None First reading
7 AVG CZ New entry 30 , range 1–49
30
  • : score 30 · #7
 9% 6% None First reading
8 Malwarebytes US New entry 30 , range 5–52
30
  • : score 30 · #8
 10% 9% None First reading
9 Avira DE New entry 29 , range 1–49
29
  • : score 29 · #9
 9% 5% None First reading
10 ESET SK New entry 28 , range 7–53
28
  • : score 28 · #10
 12% 10% None 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.

This month's moves

First reading. No comparable previous month yet.

Biggest risers

No clear rise.

Biggest fallers

No clear fall.

Drop-outs

No drop-outs.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 bfw.ac.at Reference 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read

The questions, and who wins each

QuestionLanguageWins it
do i need antivirus protection if i only download apps from official stores English Microsoft Defender
what can replace relying on built-in security to protect my laptop English Malwarebytes
how can i replace separate security apps with one for my devices English Bitdefender, ESET and Microsoft Defender, tied
i work remotely and need to protect my laptop on public wi-fi English No brand recommended
i have children using shared devices and need to block unsafe downloads English Microsoft Defender

Each engine's top three

Method

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