SMB Cybersecurity Tools Comparison in AI answers

Data as of Oct 21, 2026Based on 243 AI responsesReviewed by Dimitry Apollonsky

AI summary

Google Workspace has a clear lead in recommendations for small-company security tools. Microsoft is the usual answer for baseline security needs and antivirus-versus-EDR comparisons.

Most-mentioned brands

Rank and Mentioned in · since Jul 6

#	Brand	Recommended for	Mentioned in
1	Google WorkspaceAlphabet product line 25% Cloud-based security services and email protection for small companies.	Cloud-based security services and email protection for small companies.	25%
2	Microsoft 365 AppsMicrosoft product line 18% Existing Microsoft 365 investments considered in security decisions.	Existing Microsoft 365 investments considered in security decisions.	18%
2	Microsoft Defender for BusinessMicrosoft product line 15% Endpoint protection included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium.	Endpoint protection included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium.	15%
2	SentinelOne 14% EDR options for businesses comparing endpoint protection investments.	EDR options for businesses comparing endpoint protection investments.	14%
2	CrowdStrike 14% EDR options for businesses comparing endpoint protection investments.	EDR options for businesses comparing endpoint protection investments.	14%
6	Microsoft 13% Baseline security products and antivirus-versus-EDR investment comparisons.	Baseline security products and antivirus-versus-EDR investment comparisons.	13%
7	Microsoft 365Microsoft product line 8% Existing Microsoft 365 investments considered when evaluating XDR.	Existing Microsoft 365 investments considered when evaluating XDR.	8%
7	Microsoft 365 Business PremiumMicrosoft product line 7% A bundled option compared with Google Workspace for small businesses.	A bundled option compared with Google Workspace for small businesses.	7%
7	Sophos 7%		7%
7	Palo Alto Networks 7%		7%
7	Microsoft DefenderMicrosoft product line 6% Built-in spam and phishing filtering for Microsoft users.	Built-in spam and phishing filtering for Microsoft users.	6%
7	Okta 5%		5%
7	Check Point Harmony Email SecurityCheck Point product line 5% Email security options for small-company baseline protection.	Email security options for small-company baseline protection.	5%
14	Fortinet 5%		5%
14	AWSAmazon product line 5%		5%
14	Microsoft Entra Connect SyncMicrosoft product line 5%		5%
14	Abnormal Security 5%		5%
14	Huntress 4%		4%
14	Ubiquiti 4%		4%
14	Bitdefender GravityZoneBitdefender product line 3%		3%
14	Salesforce Sales CloudSalesforce product line 3%		3%
14	Cloudflare 3%		3%
14	Proofpoint 3%		3%
14	Salesforce CRMSalesforce product line 3%		3%
14	Salesforce 3%		3%
14	SonicWall 3%		3%
27	CrowdStrike Falcon GoCrowdStrike product line 2%		2%
27	Cisco 2%		2%
27	Sophos Endpoint SecuritySophos product line 2%		2%
27	ESET 2%		2%
27	Mimecast 2%		2%
27	Bitwarden 2%		2%
27	Cisco UmbrellaCisco product line 2%		2%
27	National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)Owned by U.S. Department of Commerce 2%		2%
27	Microsoft AzureMicrosoft product line 2%		2%
27	Firewalla 2%		2%
27	Google DriveAlphabet product line 2%		2%
27	WatchGuard 2%		2%
27	Duo 2%		2%
27	1Password 2%		2%
27	Ubiquiti UniFi WiFiUbiquiti product line 2%		2%
27	Microsoft Defender for EndpointMicrosoft product line 2%		2%
27	Fortinet FortiGateFortinet product line 2%		2%
27	Netskope 1%		1%
27	Red Canary 1%		1%
27	Bitdefender 1%		1%
27	Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)Owned by Federal Government of the United States 1%		1%
27	Zscaler 1%		1%
27	XDR 1%		1%
27	FortiGateFortinet product line 1%		1%
27	Arctic Wolf 1%		1%
27	Microsoft Defender for Office 365Microsoft product line 1%		1%
27	SlackSalesforce product line 1%		1%
27	Microsoft OneDriveMicrosoft product line 1%		1%
27	Meraki Go 1%		1%
27	Cisco MerakiCisco product line 1%		1%
27	Microsoft IntuneMicrosoft product line 1%		1%
27	Cloudflare GatewayCloudflare product line 1%		1%
27	EPP 1%		1%
27	Cynet 1%		1%
27	Check Point MDR/MPRCheck Point product line 1%		1%
27	Windows Defender Firewall 1%		1%
27	Microsoft AuthenticatorMicrosoft product line 1%		1%
27	Cloudflare Email SecurityCloudflare product line 1%		1%
27	Meraki 1%		1%
27	Yubico 1%		1%
27	KnowBe4 1%		1%
27	DNSFilter 1%		1%
27	Microsoft SharePointMicrosoft product line 1%		1%
27	Keeper Security 1%		1%
71	Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic KeyboardMicrosoft product line <1%		<1%
71	Allied Telesis <1%		<1%
71	Barracuda BackupBarracuda product line <1%		<1%
71	Barracuda <1%		<1%
71	Google StoreOwned by Alphabet <1%		<1%
71	SSE <1%		<1%
71	Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft product line <1%		<1%
71	National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE)U.S. Department of Commerce product line <1%		<1%
71	Microsoft SentinelMicrosoft product line <1%		<1%
71	Sophos Intercept XSophos product line <1%		<1%
71	MITRE ATT&CKMITRE Corporation product line <1%		<1%
71	Guardz <1%		<1%
71	Google Workspace IdentityAlphabet product line <1%		<1%
71	OpenVPN <1%		<1%
71	Barracuda Email ProtectionBarracuda product line <1%		<1%
71	Colorado Association of School Boards <1%		<1%
71	Kaseya <1%		<1%
71	eSentire <1%		<1%
71	Exabeam <1%		<1%
71	Dropbox <1%		<1%
71	Google CloudAlphabet product line <1%		<1%
71	Genetec <1%		<1%
71	Check Point <1%		<1%
71	SpamTitan <1%		<1%
71	IRONSCALES <1%		<1%
71	Google Authenticator <1%		<1%
71	pfSense <1%		<1%
71	BitLockerMicrosoft product line <1%		<1%
71	OpenDNS <1%		<1%
71	CDW <1%		<1%

Who leads each AI engine

ChatGPT SearchChatGPT Search: Google Workspace
Google AI ModeGoogle AI Mode: =1SentinelOne CrowdStrike+3

Mentioned in on each engineChatGPT SearchGoogle AI Mode

Widest split: SentinelOne, 3% on ChatGPT Search and 26% on Google AI Mode.

Mentioned in on each AI engine, by brand
Brand	ChatGPT Search	Google AI Mode
Google Workspace	26%	23%
SentinelOne	3%	26%
Microsoft 365 Apps	15%	22%
CrowdStrike	3%	25%
Microsoft Defender for Business	6%	25%
Microsoft	13%	13%
Microsoft 365	8%	8%
Microsoft 365 Business Premium	7%	8%
Sophos	7%	7%
Palo Alto Networks	3%	10%

Latest insights

Weeks of Aug 24 – Sep 6, 2026 · Since Jul 5

Google Workspace Slipping: Google WorkspaceMicrosoft 365 Apps now leads SMB Cybersecurity Tools Comparison, with Google Workspace at #2
Microsoft 365 Apps Gap between platforms: Google AI Mode now mentions Microsoft 365 Apps 10.5 points more often than ChatGPT Search in SMB Cybersecurity Tools Comparison, a narrowed gap
CrowdStrike Gap between platforms: Google AI Mode names CrowdStrike 29 points more often than ChatGPT Search in SMB Cybersecurity Tools Comparison
SentinelOne Gap between platforms: SentinelOne's platform gap in SMB Cybersecurity Tools Comparison narrowed: Google AI Mode 35.7%, ChatGPT Search 7.1%
Microsoft 365 Apps Gaining: Microsoft 365 Apps ranked #2 in SMB Cybersecurity Tools Comparison last week and #1 this week

and 5 more insightssee the ranking

Questions and answers

For a small company just starting, which baseline security products (AV, firewall, email security) are must-have vs optional?
How should an SMB compare traditional antivirus suites vs modern EDR platforms when deciding where to invest limited security funds?
How should a business compare next-gen firewalls vs cloud-based security services when most employees work remotely?
How should an SMB compare MDR (managed detection and response) providers promising similar coverage but at different price points?

Sources AI cites100

34% of citations point at the ranked brands’ own sites. reddit.com, ftc.gov, youtube.com are the most-cited sites outside the ranked brands’ own domains.