The most visible antivirus apps in Italy, October 2026

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

Most cited source

av-test.org

7citations

From Google AI Mode 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

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Microsoft Defender US New entry 46 , range 26–70 51#1 36#2
46
  • : score 46 · #1
32% 21% None First reading
2 Bitdefender RO New entry 34 , range 25–68 49#2 9#7
34
  • : score 34 · #2
28% 19% None First reading
3 Kaspersky RU New entry 33 , range 6–52 30#6 39#1
33
  • : score 33 · #3
19% 1% None First reading
4 Norton US New entry 28 , range 20–58 39#3 11#5
28
  • : score 28 · #4
21% 11% None First reading
5 Malwarebytes US New entry 28 , range 6–53 31#4 23#3
28
  • : score 28 · #5
12% 7% None First reading
6 Avast CZ New entry 22 , range 5–52 30#5 8#8
22
  • : score 22 · #6
13% 5% None First reading
7 AVG CZ New entry 18 , range 4–50 17#8 18#4
18
  • : score 18 · #7
10% 4% None First reading
8 ESET SK New entry 11 , range 3–50 17#7 0= #24
11
  • : score 11 · #8
8% 4% None First reading
9 McAfee US New entry 8 , range 2–48 9#9 7#9
8
  • : score 8 · #9
7% 2% None First reading
10 Avira DE New entry 7 , range 2–48 8#10 5= #13
7
  • : score 7 · #10
6% 3% 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. AI and Search give each brand’s score and rank on that side alone. 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 10.0% 2 of 4 5 Not read
2 av-comparatives.org Review site 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
3 safescannow.com Review site 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read
4 softonic.com Review site 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read

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

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