--- title: "Malwarebytes vs Microsoft Defender: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Endpoint security software set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/malwarebytes-vs-microsoft-defender" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Malwarebytes vs Microsoft Defender: Which is searched more? Is Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Endpoint security software set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Malwarebytes and Microsoft Defender - **Competitive set**: Endpoint security software - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Malwarebytes Share of Search**: 37.1% - **Microsoft Defender Share of Search**: 6.5% ## Is Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender more popular in search? - In September 2026, Malwarebytes had more branded searches than Microsoft Defender among endpoint security software worldwide. Malwarebytes had about 1 million branded searches, while Microsoft Defender had 181,000. Malwarebytes made up 37.1% of all endpoint security software searches we track, and Microsoft Defender accounted for 6.5%. - Malwarebytes was ahead of Microsoft Defender in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Malwarebytes’ share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide moved from 29.8% to 37.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 853K to 1M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft Defender’s share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide moved from 8.6% to 6.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 245K to 181K. ## Top endpoint security software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Microsoft Defender appeared in all five answers. Malwarebytes did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | CrowdStrike | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Microsoft Defender | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | SentinelOne | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Sophos | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Bitdefender | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | ESET | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Malwarebytes | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Trellix | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about endpoint security software - Asked ChatGPT "Which endpoint security software should I use?": 1. Microsoft Defender, 2. CrowdStrike, 3. SentinelOne, 4. Bitdefender - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best endpoint security software options?": 1. CrowdStrike, 2. Microsoft Defender, 3. SentinelOne, 4. Sophos, 5. Bitdefender, 6. ESET - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best endpoint security software for business devices?": 1. Microsoft Defender, 2. CrowdStrike, 3. SentinelOne, 4. Sophos, 5. ESET - Searched Google, AI Overview "endpoint security software": 1. CrowdStrike, 2. SentinelOne, 3. Sophos, 4. Microsoft Defender - Searched Google, AI Overview "endpoint protection software": 1. CrowdStrike, 2. SentinelOne, 3. Sophos, 4. Microsoft Defender Not named in any answer: Malwarebytes and Trellix. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for endpoint security software worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Malwarebytes gained share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide, from 35.9% to 37.1%. - In September 2026, Microsoft Defender lost share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide, from 7.5% to 6.5%. ## Month by month | Month | Malwarebytes estimated searches | Malwarebytes Share of Search | Malwarebytes rank | Microsoft Defender estimated searches | Microsoft Defender Share of Search | Microsoft Defender rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 853K | 29.8% | 1 | 245K | 8.6% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 1M | 36.1% | 1 | 201K | 7% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 857K | 33.6% | 1 | 201K | 7.9% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 1.1M | 36.5% | 1 | 220K | 7.6% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 871K | 34.6% | 1 | 201K | 8% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 1.1M | 36.4% | 1 | 201K | 6.9% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 1.1M | 39.1% | 1 | 201K | 7.3% | 5 | | May 2026 | 891K | 35.8% | 1 | 201K | 8% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 891K | 36.7% | 1 | 165K | 6.8% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 891K | 35.8% | 1 | 165K | 6.6% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 871K | 35.9% | 1 | 181K | 7.5% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 1M | 37.1% | 1 | 181K | 6.5% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Malwarebytes’ and Microsoft Defender’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Malwarebytes**: Measured on the search terms “antivirus malwarebytes”, “endpoint security malwarebytes”, “malwarebytes”, “malwarebytes app”, “malwarebytes com”, “malwarebytes endpoint security” and “malwarebytes software”, summed into one figure. - **Microsoft Defender**: Measured on the search terms “microsoft defender” and “windows defender”, summed into one figure. - [Malwarebytes profile](/demand/global-en/brands/malwarebytes) - [Microsoft Defender profile](/demand/global-en/brands/microsoft-defender) - [All endpoint security software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/endpoint-security-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Malwarebytes or Microsoft Defender more popular in search? In September 2026, Malwarebytes had more branded searches than Microsoft Defender among endpoint security software worldwide. Malwarebytes had about 1 million branded searches, while Microsoft Defender had 181,000. Malwarebytes made up 37.1% of all endpoint security software searches we track, and Microsoft Defender accounted for 6.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Malwarebytes vs Microsoft Defender: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/malwarebytes-vs-microsoft-defender This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/malwarebytes-vs-microsoft-defender. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.