The most visible VPNs 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

Leader

NordVPN

32Heralded Score, range 22–62

Most cited source

youtube.com

27citations

From Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews

Where engines disagree most

Surfshark

1/4engines put it in their top three

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

Brands

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Search Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
– Avast SecureLine VPN CZ Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Avira DE Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Betternet Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Bitdefender VPN RO Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Brave VPN US Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– CopVPN Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– Cryptostorm Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– CyberGhost RO Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% First reading
– F-Secure VPN FI Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading
– FastestVPN Unranked Too few answers Not measured 0= #11
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% 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 garanteprivacy.it Regulator 5.0% 2 of 4 3 Not read
12 instagram.com Social 3.3% 1 of 4 4 Not read
13 microsoft.com Vendor site 5.0% 1 of 4 4 Not read
14 tomshw.it Media 6.7% 3 of 4 2 11
15 altroconsumo.it Media 5.0% 2 of 4 1 Not read
16 aranzulla.it Media 5.0% 3 of 4 3 Not read
17 eolo.it Vendor site 5.0% 2 of 4 2 Not read
18 holafly.com Vendor site 5.0% 2 of 4 2 6
19 myvegantravels.com Media 3.3% 2 of 4 2 4
20 vpn.com Media 5.0% 2 of 4 1 5

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
best vpn service for remote workers English ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Proton VPN and Surfshark, tied
secure browsing for people working from home English No brand recommended
best vpn for streaming fans who travel English Surfshark
how can i keep my browsing private on public wi-fi English No brand recommended
how to protect my internet traffic while traveling 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