Heralded
Start free trial
Heralded

The most visible antivirus apps in Romania, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from Romania in Romanian 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

google.com

21citations

From Gemini and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

Malwarebytes

3/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Bitdefender RO New entry 58 , range 45–72
58
  • : score 58 · #1
 51% 39% First reading
2 Microsoft Defender US New entry 54 , range 43–70
54
  • : score 54 · #2
 47% 36% None First reading
3 Malwarebytes US New entry 36 , range 28–46
36
  • : score 36 · #3
 24% 18% First reading
4 Norton US New entry 35 , range 24–45
35
  • : score 35 · #4
 26% 13% First reading
5 Kaspersky RU New entry 25 , range 8–37
25
  • : score 25 · #5
 19% 3% First reading
6 Avast CZ New entry 15 , range 5–35
15
  • : score 15 · #6
 15% 3% None First reading
7 ESET SK New entry 10 , range 4–34
10
  • : score 10 · #7
 11% 5% First reading
8 McAfee US New entry 10 , range 4–34
10
  • : score 10 · #8
 11% 4% First reading
– Acronis SG Unranked Too few answers
–
  • : Unranked
 1% 0% None First reading
– Adaware SE Unranked Too few answers
–
  • : Unranked
 0% 0% 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 google.com Vendor site 11.7% 2 of 4 19 0
2 apple.com Vendor site 10.0% 1 of 4 13 Not read
3Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
4 bitdefender.ro Vendor site 3.3% 2 of 4 2 Not read
5 core-software.ro Vendor site 3.3% 2 of 4 1 5
6Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
7 veepn.com Vendor site 3.3% 2 of 4 1 2
8Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
9Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
10Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.

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 Microsoft Defender
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 No brand recommended

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