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The most visible antivirus apps in United Kingdom, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked from United Kingdom in 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.

Leader

Norton

28%of answers name it

Where engines disagree most

Microsoft Defender

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 Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
1 Norton US New entry 51 , range 20–60
51
  • : score 51 · #1
 28% 12% First reading
2 Bitdefender RO New entry 51 , range 24–67
51
  • : score 51 · #2
 30% 19% First reading
3 McAfee US New entry 41 , range 4–52
41
  • : score 41 · #3
 16% 5% None First reading
4 Microsoft Defender US New entry 38 , range 21–55
38
  • : score 38 · #4
 20% 11% None First reading
5 Malwarebytes US New entry 36 , range 13–56
36
  • : score 36 · #5
 19% 9% None First reading
6 Avast CZ New entry 34 , range 5–52
34
  • : score 34 · #6
 13% 7% None First reading
7 Trend Micro JP New entry 31 , range 0–74
31
  • : score 31 · #7
 2% 1% None First reading
8 ESET SK New entry 28 , range 0–74
28
  • : score 28 · #8
 4% 3% None First reading
9 Intego FR New entry 22 , range 0–74
22
  • : score 22 · #9
 4% 2% None First reading
10 Avira DE New entry 20 , range 0–74
20
  • : score 20 · #10
 3% 1% 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 allaboutcookies.org Reference 8.3% 2 of 4 4 4
2Withheld. Run a full Snapshot to see it.
3Withheld. 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 app stores? English Microsoft Defender
What can I use instead of relying on my laptop’s built-in security? English Bitdefender
How can I replace separate security apps with a single one for my devices? English Norton
I work remotely and need to protect my laptop when using public Wi-Fi. English Microsoft Defender
My children share devices, and I 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