Leader
51Heralded Score, range 20–60
The most visible antivirus apps in United Kingdom, October 2026
Most cited source
30citations
From Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews
Where engines disagree most
1/4engines put it in their top three
Top three on ChatGPT, not on Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews
Brands
| Rank | Brand | Rank change | Heralded Score All | AI | Search | Score trend | Mentioned | Recommended | By engine | Mentioned by | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | New entry | 51 , range 20–60 | 39#2 | 71#1 | 51
| 28% | 12% | | First reading | |
| 2 | | New entry | 51 , range 24–67 | 47#1 | 58#3 | 51
| 30% | 19% | | First reading | |
| 3 | | New entry | 41 , range 4–52 | 23#6 | 70#2 | 41
| 16% | 5% | | First reading | |
| 4 | | New entry | 38 , range 21–55 | 37#3 | 40#6 | 38
| 20% | 11% | | First reading | |
| 5 | | New entry | 36 , range 13–56 | 35#4 | 39#7 | 36
| 19% | 9% | | First reading | |
| 6 | | New entry | 34 , range 5–52 | 26#5 | 47#4 | 34
| 13% | 7% | | First reading | |
| 7 | | New entry | 19 , range 1–47 | 5#9 | 43#5 | 19
| 7% | 3% | | First reading | |
| 8 | | New entry | 17 , range 2–48 | 8#7 | 32#8 | 17
| 10% | 1% | | First reading | |
| 9 | | New entry | 7 , range 1–45 | 5#8 | 9#17 | 7
| 6% | 1% | | First reading | |
| – | | Unranked | Too few answers | Not measured | 1#20 | –
| 1% | 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | | Community | 8.3% | 3 of 4 | 5 | Not read |
| 12 | | Media | 8.3% | 2 of 4 | 5 | Not read |
| 13 | | Social | 5.0% | 2 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 14 | | Media | 6.7% | 2 of 4 | 4 | Not read |
| 15 | | Media | 6.7% | 3 of 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 16 | | Media | 3.3% | 2 of 4 | 3 | Not read |
| 17 | | Vendor site | 5.0% | 1 of 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 18 | | Vendor site | 5.0% | 2 of 4 | 2 | 3 |
| 19 | | Vendor site | 3.3% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
| 20 | | Review site | 1.7% | 1 of 4 | 2 | Not read |
Questions asked
| Question | Language | Most recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Do I need antivirus protection if I only download apps from official app stores? | English | |
| What can I use instead of relying on my laptop’s built-in security? | English | |
| How can I replace separate security apps with a single one for my devices? | English | |
| I work remotely and need to protect my laptop when using public Wi-Fi. | English | |
| My children share devices, and I need to block unsafe downloads. | English | No brand recommended |
Each engine's top three
Google AI Mode
- 1
Bitdefender
- 2
Malwarebytes
- 3
Norton
Gemini
- = 1
- = 1
- 3
Google AI Overviews
- 1
- 2
- 3
ChatGPT
Related leaderboards
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.