Software supply chain security tools: AI search visibility ranking (2026)
How AI search engines rank software supply chain security tools 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. Software supply chain security tools used to secure dependencies, provenance, build pipelines, and artifacts across modern development workflows. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
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At a glance
What we observed in this categoryauto-generated
Endor Labs holds the top composite rank (22.5) despite recording 0% visibility, driven entirely by a 75% citation rate, the highest in the category. Mend ranks second at 17.5 composite with 25% visibility but zero citations, meaning these two leaders represent opposite profiles. The gap between first and third place (Anchore at 12.5) is substantial, and the gap between fifth place (Aqua Security at 8.8) and the remaining 15 brands, most of whom score 0.0, reveals an extremely concentrated landscape where a handful of brands absorb nearly all AI attention.
Visibility and citation diverge sharply across this category, exposing a named-versus-trusted split. Mend, Snyk, and Aqua Security each appear in AI-generated answers (visibility above 0%) but receive zero citations, meaning the AI names them without directing readers to their content. Conversely, Endor Labs and Chainguard hold zero visibility yet attract 75% and 25% citation rates respectively, indicating the AI treats their domains as reference sources even when not surfacing them as named recommendations. This inversion is the defining structural pattern of the category.
Google AI Mode is the top engine for every brand in the dataset, confirming it is the sole meaningful AI surface in this category right now. The cited sources list anchors heavily on vendor domains (endorlabs.com, chainguard.dev, anchore.com) alongside youtube.com, gartner.com, and reddit.com, suggesting the AI blends first-party vendor content with analyst and community sources. Cycode and Minimus appear in the cited sources list despite neither ranking in the top 10 by composite score, indicating citation reach does not map cleanly onto overall rank.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Mend 12% → 25% · rank #6 → #2+12pp
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Anchore 0% → 12% · rank #8 → #3+12pp
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Aqua Security 0% → 12% · rank #12 → #5+12pp
Biggest visibility fallers
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Endor Labs 38% → 0% · rank #1 → #1-38pp
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Snyk 50% → 12% · rank #2 → #4-38pp
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Sonatype 25% → 0% · rank #4 → #7-25pp
The ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
endorlabs.com
|
0% | 75% | Google AI Mode |
Endor Labs leads with a 22.5 composite score and a 75% citation rate, yet records 0% visibility, the starkest citation-without-presence profile in the dataset. |
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| 2 |
mend.io
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Mend jumped from rank 6 to rank 2, doubling visibility to 25%, but its 0% citation rate means AI surfaces the brand without linking to its content. |
||||
| 3 |
anchore.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Anchore is the only top-5 brand with matching visibility and citation rates (both 12.5%), and its domain appears directly in the top cited sources list. |
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| 4 |
snyk.io
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Snyk fell from rank 2 to rank 4 after losing 37.5 visibility points and 12.5 citation points, the joint-largest visibility drop recorded in this audit period. |
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| 5 |
aquasec.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Aqua Security entered the visible set this period from 0% visibility, rising 7 rank positions, but still earns zero citations despite its 12.5% visibility score. |
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| 6 |
chainguard.dev
|
0% | 25% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
sonatype.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
jfrog.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
checkmarx.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
socket.dev
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
gitlab.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
github.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
fossa.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
blackduck.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
phylum.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
harness.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
sigstore.dev
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
semgrep.dev
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
datadoghq.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
tenable.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on software supply chain security tools, 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 software supply chain security tools 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 software supply chain security tools AI visibility
Who leads AI visibility in software supply chain security tools?
Endor Labs holds the top composite rank at 22.5, driven by a 75% citation rate. Mend ranks second at 17.5 composite, leading on visibility at 25%.
Which brands are cited most by Google AI Mode in this category?
Endor Labs (75% citation rate) and Chainguard (25%) are the most cited brands. Both appear in the top cited sources list alongside anchore.com, gartner.com, youtube.com, and reddit.com.
What is the difference between visibility and citation in this category's AI audit data?
Visibility measures whether a brand is named in an AI answer, while citation measures whether its domain is linked as a source. Endor Labs and Chainguard have high citation but zero visibility, while Mend, Snyk, and Aqua Security have visibility but zero citations.
Which brands have seen the biggest AI visibility gains recently?
Aqua Security gained 12.5 visibility points and rose 7 rank positions, Mend gained 12.5 points and rose 4 positions, and Anchore gained 12.5 points and rose 5 positions.
Which brands have lost the most AI visibility in this category?
Endor Labs and Snyk each lost 37.5 visibility points in this period. Sonatype lost 25 visibility points and dropped from rank 4 to rank 7, now scoring 0.0 composite.
What sources does Google AI Mode anchor on when answering software supply chain security queries?
The top cited sources are vendor domains (endorlabs.com, chainguard.dev, anchore.com, cycode.com, minimus.io) combined with youtube.com, gartner.com, and reddit.com, indicating a mix of first-party vendor content, analyst authority, and community discussion.