The most visible business cybersecurity tools 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

Most cited source

ncsc.gov.uk

50citations

From Google AI Mode, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

CrowdStrike

1/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
11 Avast Business Antivirus Pro Plus CZ New entry 4 , range 1–43 4#14 4= #33
4
  • : score 4 · #11
5% 0% None First reading
= 12 Avast Business Hub CZ New entry 4 , range 1–46 6= #10 0= #39
4
  • : score 4 · #12
4% 1% First reading
= 12 Avast Essential Business Security CZ New entry 4 , range 1–46 6= #10 0= #39
4
  • : score 4 · #12
4% 1% None First reading
= 12 Avast Small Business Solutions CZ New entry 4 , range 1–46 6= #10 0= #39
4
  • : score 4 · #12
4% 1% None First reading
– Acronis SG Unranked Too few answers Not measured 1= #36
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% First reading
– AVG CZ Unranked Too few answers Not measured 17#18
–
  • : Unranked
3% 1% None First reading
– Bitdefender GravityZone RO Unranked Too few answers Not measured 12#19
–
  • : Unranked
4% 1% First reading
– Blackpoint Cyber US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #39
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Broadcom Carbon Black US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 1= #36
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% First reading
– BullWall DK Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #39
–
  • : 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. 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 expresscomputer.in Media 3.3% 1 of 4 1 1
12 gartner.com Industry authority 3.3% 1 of 4 1 20
13 itechguides.com Directory 3.3% 1 of 4 1 17
14 nhimg.org Industry authority 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read
15 nist.gov Regulator 1.7% 1 of 4 2 Not read
16 office1.com Consultancy 3.3% 1 of 4 2 Not read
17 smallbusiness.co.uk Media 3.3% 1 of 4 1 9
18 syn-star.co.uk Consultancy 3.3% 1 of 4 1 Not read
19 totaldefense.com Vendor site 3.3% 1 of 4 1 Not read
20 4datanet.com Consultancy 1.7% 1 of 4 1 Not read

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
What are the best endpoint security solutions for small businesses? English Bitdefender, Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Microsoft Defender, tied
How can mid-sized companies protect work laptops for their IT teams? English Microsoft Defender
How can a small business protect employees’ computers from viruses? English Microsoft Defender
How can I stop ransomware on work laptops? English Microsoft Defender
Traditional antivirus vs. behavioural detection for small businesses English Bitdefender, ESET and Microsoft Defender, tied
On-premises protection vs. managed endpoint security for small businesses English No brand recommended
Alternatives to installing antivirus on every computer for small businesses English Microsoft Defender
Alternatives to manually reviewing security alerts for small IT teams English Microsoft Defender
I’m the IT admin at a company with 20 employees. What protection should I use for our laptops? English Bitdefender, Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Microsoft Defender, tied
I lead an IT team with no security staff. How can I protect the company’s computers? English CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender, tied

Each engine's top three

Google AI Mode

No brand named in at least three answers.

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