AEO for DNS security software: AI search visibility ranking
How AI search engines rank DNS security software by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured quarterly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Security platforms used to filter malicious domains, protect DNS traffic, enforce policy, and reduce phishing and malware exposure. 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 AI engines are asked about DNS security software, DNSFilter is frequently cited as the top brand, accounting for 75% of visibility references. Cisco Umbrella and Control D are also commonly mentioned, showcasing their strong presence in the market. DNSFilter's significant visibility percentage highlights its prominence and recognition in this domain.
The rankings are shaped by sources AI engines pull from most often, including sites like controld.com, g2.com, and dnsfilter.com. These are predominantly review or aggregator platforms, suggesting that brands frequently featured there are benefiting from aggregated user experiences and expert evaluations, which boost their mentions by AI engines.
For buyers evaluating this list, it's essential to focus on what AI engines prioritize: fresh reviews, robust third-party validation, and authority in the DNS security sector. Recent and consistent positive feedback, as reflected on leading aggregator and review sites, can guide you toward a well-informed decision in choosing your DNS security software.
At a glance
What we observed in this category
DNSFilter leads the DNS security software category with a composite score of 75.0, matching both its visibility and citation percentages exactly. Cisco Umbrella shares the same 75.0 visibility score but has a citation rate of only 12.5 percent, producing a composite of 56.2. That 18.8-point composite gap between the top two brands is significant because it shows DNSFilter is not only seen but also trusted as a source, while Cisco Umbrella is named frequently without being cited as reference material.
Control D presents the clearest divergence between visibility and citation in this category. Its visibility sits at 25.0 percent, below the top two, yet its citation rate matches DNSFilter at 75.0 percent, giving it a rank-3 composite of 40.0. Cloudflare Gateway shows the opposite pattern, gaining 37.5 visibility points in the latest period while holding a 0.0 citation rate. This split suggests AI Mode names brands for descriptive purposes while drawing its factual sourcing from a separate, narrower pool.
The top cited sources listed in the audit include controld.com, g2.com, dnsfilter.com, youtube.com, peerspot.com, thectoclub.com, reddit.com, and twingate.com. Review aggregators and community platforms appear alongside brand-owned domains, indicating Google AI Mode anchors DNS security answers on a mix of peer review sites and direct brand content rather than purely on vendor or analyst documentation. All ten ranked brands share Google AI Mode as their top engine, confirming there is no meaningful multi-engine diversification in this category at present.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Cloudflare Gateway 0% → 38% · rank #10 → #4+38pp
-
DNSFilter 50% → 75% · rank #1 → #1+25pp
-
Cisco Umbrella 50% → 75% · rank #3 → #2+25pp
Biggest visibility fallers
-
Quad9 12% → 0% · rank #6 → #12-12pp
The AEO ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
dnsfilter.com
|
75% | 75% | Google AI Mode |
DNSFilter is the only brand where visibility and citation both reach 75.0 percent, placing its composite score 18.8 points above Cisco Umbrella in second place. |
||||
| 2 |
umbrella.cisco.com
|
75% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Cisco Umbrella matches DNSFilter on 75.0 percent visibility but its 12.5 percent citation rate is 62.5 points lower, showing a large gap between being named and being sourced. |
||||
| 3 |
controld.com
|
25% | 75% | Google AI Mode |
Control D achieves a 75.0 percent citation rate despite only 25.0 percent visibility, making it the most cited brand relative to its naming frequency across the category. |
||||
| 4 |
cloudflare.com
|
38% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Cloudflare Gateway rose six ranks and gained 37.5 visibility points this period, yet its citation rate remains at 0.0 percent, suggesting increased AI mentions without source trust. |
||||
| 5 |
nextdns.io
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
NextDNS sits at 25.0 percent visibility and 0.0 percent citation, producing a composite of 17.5 that is 6.5 points below the category average citation rate of 14.4 percent. |
||||
| 6 |
titanhq.com
|
0% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
safedns.com
|
0% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
cleanbrowsing.org
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
akamai.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
bluecatnetworks.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
scoutdns.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
quad9.net
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
infoblox.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
paloaltonetworks.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
proofpoint.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
watchguard.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
webroot.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
comodo.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
fortinet.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
zscaler.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on DNS security 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 AEO 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 →
AEO 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 90 days and refresh this page automatically. How AI search ranking works →
Run an AEO audit on your own DNS security software brand
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same answer engine optimisation 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 AEO for DNS security software
Who leads AI visibility in DNS security software?
DNSFilter leads with a composite score of 75.0, driven by matching 75.0 percent scores in both visibility and citation. Cisco Umbrella shares the same visibility score but trails significantly on citation at 12.5 percent.
Which DNS security brand is cited most often by Google AI Mode?
DNSFilter and Control D are both cited at 75.0 percent, the highest rate in the category. Control D achieves this despite a visibility score of only 25.0 percent, making it the most citation-efficient brand in the dataset.
What sources does Google AI Mode anchor on for DNS security research?
The audit identifies controld.com, g2.com, dnsfilter.com, youtube.com, peerspot.com, thectoclub.com, reddit.com, and twingate.com as top cited sources. This mix includes peer review aggregators and community platforms alongside brand-owned domains.
Which DNS security brands have high visibility but low citation rates?
Cisco Umbrella and Cloudflare Gateway both show this pattern. Cisco Umbrella has 75.0 percent visibility but only 12.5 percent citation, and Cloudflare Gateway has 37.5 percent visibility with 0.0 percent citation.
Which brand has made the biggest AI visibility gain recently in this category?
Cloudflare Gateway recorded the largest rank change, moving from position 10 to position 4 with a visibility delta of plus 37.5 percentage points, though its citation rate did not move from 0.0 percent.
How does the category average compare to the top-ranked brand in DNS security?
The category average visibility is 11.9 percent and average citation is 14.4 percent. DNSFilter's scores of 75.0 percent on both measures are more than six times the category visibility average.