--- title: "Microsoft Defender vs Norton: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Microsoft Defender or Norton more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Antivirus 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/microsoft-defender-vs-norton" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Microsoft Defender vs Norton: Which is searched more? Is Microsoft Defender or Norton more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Antivirus 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**: Microsoft Defender and Norton - **Competitive set**: Antivirus software - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Microsoft Defender Share of Search**: 7.5% - **Norton Share of Search**: 39.2% ## Is Microsoft Defender or Norton more popular in search? - In September 2026, Norton had more branded searches than Microsoft Defender among antivirus software worldwide. Norton had about 943,000 branded searches, while Microsoft Defender had 181,000. Norton made up 39.2% of all antivirus software searches we track, and Microsoft Defender accounted for 7.5%. - Norton was ahead of Microsoft Defender in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Microsoft Defender’s share of searches among antivirus software worldwide moved from 8.4% to 7.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 245K to 181K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Norton’s share of searches among antivirus software worldwide moved from 37.2% to 39.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.1M to 943K. ## Top antivirus software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, both Microsoft Defender and Norton showed up in all four answers. Microsoft Defender and Norton were each listed first in two of the four 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Bitdefender | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Norton | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Microsoft Defender | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Malwarebytes | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | McAfee | 5th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | ESET | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Kaspersky | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about antivirus software - Asked ChatGPT "Which antivirus software should I use?": 1. Bitdefender, 2. Microsoft Defender, 3. Norton, 4. Malwarebytes - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best antivirus software options?": 1. Bitdefender, 2. Norton, 3. Microsoft Defender, 4. ESET - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best antivirus software for a home computer?": 1. Bitdefender, 2. Microsoft Defender, 3. Norton, 4. ESET - Searched Google, AI Overview "antivirus software": 1. Bitdefender, 2. Norton, 3. McAfee, 4. Malwarebytes, 5. Microsoft Defender Not named in any answer: Kaspersky. 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 antivirus software worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Norton gained share of searches among antivirus software worldwide, from 36.1% to 39.2%. - In September 2026, Microsoft Defender lost share of searches among antivirus software worldwide, from 8.1% to 7.5%. ## Month by month | Month | Microsoft Defender estimated searches | Microsoft Defender Share of Search | Microsoft Defender rank | Norton estimated searches | Norton Share of Search | Norton rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 245K | 8.4% | 4 | 1.1M | 37.2% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 201K | 7.4% | 4 | 957K | 35.5% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 201K | 7.5% | 4 | 949K | 35.3% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 220K | 7.4% | 4 | 1M | 35% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 201K | 8% | 4 | 913K | 36.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 201K | 7.9% | 4 | 913K | 35.9% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 201K | 8.8% | 4 | 777K | 34.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | 201K | 9.1% | 4 | 747K | 33.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 165K | 8% | 4 | 747K | 36.5% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 165K | 7.8% | 4 | 747K | 35.6% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 181K | 8.1% | 4 | 807K | 36.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 181K | 7.5% | 4 | 943K | 39.2% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Microsoft Defender’s and Norton’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. - **Microsoft Defender**: Measured on the search terms “microsoft defender” and “windows defender”, summed into one figure. - **Norton**: Measured on the search terms “norton”, “norton 360”, “norton 360 deluxe” and “norton antivirus”, summed into one figure. - [Microsoft Defender profile](/demand/global-en/brands/microsoft-defender) - [Norton profile](/demand/global-en/brands/norton) - [All antivirus software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/antivirus-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 Microsoft Defender or Norton more popular in search? In September 2026, Norton had more branded searches than Microsoft Defender among antivirus software worldwide. Norton had about 943,000 branded searches, while Microsoft Defender had 181,000. Norton made up 39.2% of all antivirus software searches we track, and Microsoft Defender accounted for 7.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Microsoft Defender vs Norton: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/microsoft-defender-vs-norton This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/microsoft-defender-vs-norton. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.