Runtime application self-protection: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank runtime application self-protection 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. RASP tools used to detect and block attacks from inside running applications without relying only on perimeter defenses. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
Refreshed Jun 18, 2026Download this ranking as a PDF
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
Contrast Security holds a commanding position in this category, with 25.0% visibility and a 50.0% citation rate, producing a composite score of 32.5. The next closest brands, Imperva and Datadog, sit at 12.5% visibility each but carry 0.0% citation rates, giving them composite scores of just 8.8. That gap between first place and the rest is substantial, and the citation disparity makes it wider still. Fifteen of the twenty tracked brands register zero visibility and zero citations, confirming how concentrated AI coverage is.
Imperva and Datadog illustrate a clear divergence between being named and being trusted as a source. Both appear in 12.5% of AI responses but receive no citations whatsoever, meaning Google AI Mode mentions them without linking back to their domains. Contrast Security, by contrast, achieves a 50.0% citation rate alongside its visibility, making it the only brand that converts AI mentions into actual source references. This named-versus-cited split is a defining structural feature of this category's AI visibility landscape.
Google AI Mode is the sole engine recorded across all twenty brands in this audit. The top cited sources include accuknox.com, reddit.com, contrastsecurity.com, g2.com, and rapid7.com, indicating the AI anchors on a mix of specialist security vendors, community platforms, and review sites rather than relying exclusively on brand-owned content. Notably, contrastsecurity.com appears directly in that cited sources list, reinforcing its dual role as both a visible and a cited presence in AI-generated responses.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
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Datadog 0% → 12% · rank #9 → #3+12pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
contrastsecurity.com
|
25% | 50% | Google AI Mode |
Contrast Security leads all 20 brands with 25.0% visibility and a 50.0% citation rate, the only brand whose domain appears directly in the top cited sources list. |
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| 2 |
imperva.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Imperva matches Datadog at 12.5% visibility but holds a 0.0% citation rate, placing it ten times above the 2.5% category average in visibility yet at parity on citations. |
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| 3 |
datadoghq.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Datadog is the biggest visibility riser in the audit, jumping six places from rank 9 to rank 3 with a 12.5 percentage point visibility gain, while its citation rate remains at 0.0%. |
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| 4 |
opentext.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
OpenText Fortify registers 0.0% visibility and 0.0% citation rate, a composite score of 0.0, placing it among the 15 brands with no measurable AI presence in this category. |
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| 5 |
pradeo.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Pradeo holds rank 5 with a composite score of 0.0, identical to ten other brands below it, meaning rank here reflects non-visibility data rather than any AI performance differential. |
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| 6 |
synopsys.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
appdome.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
fastly.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
opentext.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
checkmarx.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
hdivsecurity.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
waratek.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
veracode.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
sqreen.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
promon.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
jscrambler.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
interpres.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
nowsecure.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
riscure.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
akamai.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on runtime application self-protection, 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 runtime application self-protection 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 runtime application self-protection AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in the Runtime Application Self-Protection category?
Contrast Security leads with 25.0% visibility and a composite score of 32.5, far ahead of Imperva and Datadog, which each score 8.8. No other brand records any visibility at all.
Which RASP brands are cited as sources by Google AI Mode, not just mentioned?
Only Contrast Security achieves meaningful citations, with a 50.0% citation rate. Imperva and Datadog are named in responses but carry 0.0% citation rates, meaning their domains are not linked as sources.
What sources does Google AI Mode anchor on for RASP category research?
The top cited sources include accuknox.com, reddit.com, contrastsecurity.com, g2.com, and rapid7.com, reflecting a mix of specialist vendors, a community platform, and a software review site.
How concentrated is AI visibility across the 20 tracked RASP brands?
Extremely concentrated. Three brands account for all measured visibility, and 15 of the 20 brands record 0.0% visibility and 0.0% citations against a category average of 2.5% for each metric.
Which RASP brand has shown the most movement in recent AI visibility rankings?
Datadog is the only brand listed as a visibility riser, moving from rank 9 to rank 3 with a 12.5 percentage point increase in visibility, though its citation rate remains at 0.0%.
Does brand size or category incumbency guarantee AI citation in the RASP space?
Not according to this data. Imperva, a large incumbent, has 12.5% visibility but 0.0% citations, while Contrast Security, a more focused specialist, achieves both visibility and a 50.0% citation rate.