Anti-phishing software: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank anti-phishing software by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured monthly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Anti-phishing software used to detect credential theft, block malicious emails and sites, protect users, and improve resilience against business email compromise. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
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When buyers inquire about Anti-phishing software, AI engines frequently highlight IRONSCALES as the leading brand. It holds a significant visibility percentage of 37.5. Other notable mentions include Proofpoint and Mimecast. These brands emerge as top recommendations due to their prominence among AI-generated responses.
The current rankings are largely shaped by data from top-cited sources such as trustmi.ai and netcraft.com. These include aggregator and review sites, which suggests a strong focus on synthesized user feedback and expert evaluations on Anti-phishing solutions. Such domains offer comprehensive insights that AI engines rely upon.
For buyers evaluating options on this page, a key consideration should be the emphasis AI engines place on recent reviews and third-party validation. Look for brands that receive consistent and authoritative mentions across multiple sources, as this indicates expertise and reliability in the specific subcategory of Anti-phishing software.
At a glance
What we observed in this category
IRONSCALES holds the top rank with a composite score of 37.5, the only brand where visibility and citation are perfectly aligned at 37.5% each. Proofpoint matches its visibility at 37.5% but records zero citation, giving it a composite score of only 26.2. That gap between the two leaders is significant: IRONSCALES is both named and trusted as a source by Google AI Mode, while Proofpoint is named but not cited. The category average visibility sits at just 6.2%, meaning both leaders are running at six times the typical brand presence.
The divergence between visibility and citation is the defining pattern of this category. Proofpoint and Mimecast together show 37.5% and 25.0% visibility respectively, yet both record 0.0% citation. In contrast, Check Point Harmony Email records zero visibility but 12.5% citation, meaning Google AI Mode cites it as a source without naming it in responses. This suggests that brand mention and source trust operate as separate signals in this category, and a brand can earn one without the other.
All ten ranked brands list Google AI Mode as their top engine, confirming the audit data is anchored entirely on that single engine. The top cited sources in the category are third-party domains including trustmi.ai, netcraft.com, reddit.com, and controld.com, none of which are the brands being ranked. This indicates Google AI Mode is drawing factual grounding from independent review and research sites rather than vendor-owned domains, which helps explain why high-visibility brands like Proofpoint can still record zero citation.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
IRONSCALES 0% → 38% · rank #2 → #1+38pp
-
Proofpoint 0% → 38% · rank #6 → #2+38pp
-
Mimecast 0% → 25% · rank #1 → #3+25pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
ironscales.com
|
38% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
IRONSCALES is the only top-5 brand with perfectly matched visibility and citation at 37.5% each, giving it a composite score six times the 6.2% category average. |
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| 2 |
proofpoint.com
|
38% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Proofpoint matches IRONSCALES on visibility at 37.5% but records 0.0% citation, producing a composite score of 26.2 versus IRONSCALES's 37.5, a gap driven entirely by citation absence. |
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| 3 |
mimecast.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Mimecast reaches 25.0% visibility, four times the category average, but holds zero citation, suggesting AI Mode names it without relying on its domain as a source. |
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| 4 |
microsoft.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 sits at 12.5% on both visibility and citation, the same composite score as Avanan, placing both well below the top three despite parity with each other. |
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| 5 |
checkpoint.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Avanan shares an identical 12.5% visibility and citation profile with rank-4 Microsoft Defender, though its domain resolves to checkpoint.com, the same parent as rank-6 Check Point Harmony Email. |
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| 6 |
checkpoint.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
cofense.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
abnormalsecurity.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
material.security
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
darktrace.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
menlosecurity.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
slashnext.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
barracuda.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
zscaler.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
sophos.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
google.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
cloudflare.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
tessian.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
trendmicro.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
knowbe4.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on anti-phishing software, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer. More on visibility →
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence, different from being named. More on citation rate →
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps. How AI engines pick sources →
Rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 30 days and refresh this page automatically. How AI search ranking works →
Get your own anti-phishing software brand audited
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about anti-phishing software AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in anti-phishing software?
IRONSCALES leads with a composite score of 37.5, the highest in the category, driven by equal visibility and citation rates of 37.5% each. Proofpoint ties on visibility but scores lower overall due to zero citation.
What is the typical AI visibility level for brands in anti-phishing software?
The category average visibility is 6.2% and average citation is 3.8%, meaning most of the 20 brands audited have near-zero presence in Google AI Mode responses.
Which brands appear in AI responses but are not cited as sources?
Proofpoint at 37.5% visibility and Mimecast at 25.0% visibility both record 0.0% citation, meaning Google AI Mode names them in answers but does not use their domains as grounding sources.
Can a brand be cited without appearing in AI responses in this category?
Yes. Check Point Harmony Email records 0.0% visibility but 12.5% citation, indicating Google AI Mode references its domain as a source while not explicitly naming the brand in generated answers.
What sources does Google AI Mode cite most for anti-phishing software research?
The top cited sources are third-party domains including trustmi.ai, netcraft.com, reddit.com, controld.com, and cloudsek.com, none of which are the primary vendors being evaluated.
Which brands showed the largest visibility gains in the most recent period?
IRONSCALES and Proofpoint both rose from 0.0% to 37.5% visibility, while Mimecast rose from 0.0% to 25.0%, making all three the biggest risers despite Mimecast dropping two rank positions overall.