DNS filtering software: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank dns filtering 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. DNS filtering software used to block malicious domains, enforce web policies, reduce phishing risk, and secure users on and off corporate networks. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 11, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
DNSFilter dominates the DNS filtering category with a visibility score of 50.0%, more than double the next closest brand, Cisco Umbrella at 25.0%, and far above the category average of 6.2%. This gap is significant because it means AI Mode surfaces DNSFilter in half of all relevant queries, while most competitors appear in fewer than one in eight. Control D sits second by composite score at 31.2, but its visibility of 12.5% is closer to the category average than to the leader.
The sharpest divergence between visibility and citation appears with TitanHQ, which records 0.0% visibility but a 62.5% citation rate, identical to DNSFilter's citation figure. This means AI Mode references TitanHQ as a trusted source without naming it as a recommended product in responses. Control D shows the inverse pattern in citation strength, with a 75.0% citation rate against only 12.5% visibility, suggesting its domain earns link credit while the brand itself rarely leads AI-generated answers.
Google AI Mode is the sole engine recorded across all 20 brands in this audit, meaning every score reflects a single engine's behaviour. The top cited sources list includes controld.com, dnsfilter.com, and titanhq.com as brand-owned domains, alongside community platforms such as reddit.com, community.spiceworks.com, and review aggregators g2.com and youtube.com. This pattern indicates AI Mode is anchoring DNS filtering responses on a mix of vendor content and peer-generated community sources rather than independent editorial outlets.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
DNSFilter 25% → 50% · rank #1 → #1+25pp
-
CleanBrowsing 0% → 12% · rank #9 → #5+12pp
-
Cloudflare Gateway 0% → 12% · rank #7 → #6+12pp
Biggest visibility fallers
-
WebTitan 12% → 0% · rank #6 → #10-12pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
dnsfilter.com
|
50% | 62% | Google AI Mode |
DNSFilter leads with 50.0% visibility, more than eight times the 6.2% category average, and holds a 62.5% citation rate despite a 12.5-point citation drop from the prior period. |
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| 2 |
controld.com
|
12% | 75% | Google AI Mode |
Control D has the highest citation rate in the top five at 75.0%, yet its 12.5% visibility score matches the category average, indicating strong source trust but limited named presence in answers. |
||||
| 3 |
cisco.com
|
25% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
Cisco Umbrella sits at 25.0% visibility and 25.0% citation, placing it as the only brand in the top five where both metrics are equal and above the category averages for both measures. |
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| 4 |
titanhq.com
|
0% | 62% | Google AI Mode |
TitanHQ records 0.0% visibility while achieving a 62.5% citation rate, the most extreme named-versus-trusted divergence in the dataset, showing AI cites its content without featuring it in answers. |
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| 5 |
cleanbrowsing.org
|
12% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
CleanBrowsing rose four rank positions and gained 12.5 visibility points from a previous score of 0.0%, though its 25.0% citation rate remains below both Control D and TitanHQ among nearby peers. |
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| 6 |
cloudflare.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
opendns.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
adguard-dns.io
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
safedns.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
webtitan.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
infoblox.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
bluecatnetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
quad9.net
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
paloaltonetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
fortinet.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
nextdns.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
akamai.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
heimdalsecurity.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
cira.ca
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
scoutdns.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on dns filtering 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.
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.
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.
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.
Get your own dns filtering 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 dns filtering software AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in DNS filtering software?
DNSFilter leads with a visibility score of 50.0%, more than double the second-ranked brand Cisco Umbrella at 25.0%, and far above the category average of 6.2%.
Which brand has the highest citation rate in DNS filtering despite low visibility?
TitanHQ holds a 62.5% citation rate while recording 0.0% visibility, meaning Google AI Mode references its content frequently but does not surface the brand as a named recommendation.
What sources does AI cite most for DNS filtering software research?
The top cited sources include brand-owned domains controld.com, dnsfilter.com, and titanhq.com, alongside community platforms reddit.com, community.spiceworks.com, review site g2.com, and youtube.com.
Which DNS filtering brands are rising in AI visibility?
DNSFilter gained 25.0 visibility points from the prior period, while CleanBrowsing and Cloudflare Gateway each gained 12.5 points, both rising from 0.0% visibility to 12.5%.
Which brand saw the largest drop in AI visibility for DNS filtering?
WebTitan fell four rank positions and dropped 12.5 visibility points to reach 0.0%, making it the only recorded faller in the current audit period.
Does citation rate reliably predict AI visibility in this category?
No. Control D has the highest citation rate at 75.0% but only 12.5% visibility, and TitanHQ has a 62.5% citation rate with 0.0% visibility, showing citation and named visibility can diverge sharply.