--- title: "Microsoft Defender vs Sophos: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Microsoft Defender or Sophos 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/microsoft-defender-vs-sophos" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Microsoft Defender vs Sophos: Which is searched more? Is Microsoft Defender or Sophos 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**: Microsoft Defender and Sophos - **Competitive set**: Endpoint security software - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Microsoft Defender Share of Search**: 6.5% - **Sophos Share of Search**: 7.1% ## Is Microsoft Defender or Sophos more popular in search? - In September 2026, Sophos had more branded searches than Microsoft Defender among endpoint security software worldwide. Sophos had about 199,000 branded searches, while Microsoft Defender had 181,000. Sophos made up 7.1% of all endpoint security software searches we track, and Microsoft Defender accounted for 6.5%. - The lead changed hands 5 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Sophos took it in November 2025, Microsoft Defender took it in December 2025, Sophos took it in February 2026, Microsoft Defender took it in April 2026, Sophos took it in June 2026. - 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. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sophos’ share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide moved from 8.5% to 7.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 244K to 199K. ## 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. Sophos was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Microsoft Defender was listed before Sophos in three out of 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, Microsoft Defender lost share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide, from 7.5% to 6.5%. - In September 2026, Sophos lost share of searches among endpoint security software worldwide, from 7.8% to 7.1%. ## Month by month | Month | Microsoft Defender estimated searches | Microsoft Defender Share of Search | Microsoft Defender rank | Sophos estimated searches | Sophos Share of Search | Sophos rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 245K | 8.6% | 5 | 244K | 8.5% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 201K | 7% | 6 | 203K | 7.1% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 201K | 7.9% | 5 | 190K | 7.5% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 220K | 7.6% | 5 | 203K | 7% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 201K | 8% | 6 | 203K | 8% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 201K | 6.9% | 6 | 203K | 7% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 201K | 7.3% | 5 | 199K | 7.3% | 6 | | May 2026 | 201K | 8% | 5 | 194K | 7.8% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 165K | 6.8% | 6 | 199K | 8.2% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 165K | 6.6% | 6 | 199K | 8% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 181K | 7.5% | 6 | 190K | 7.8% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 181K | 6.5% | 6 | 199K | 7.1% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Microsoft Defender’s and Sophos’ 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. - **Sophos**: Measured on the search terms “sophos”, “sophos central” and “sophos firewall”, summed into one figure. - [Microsoft Defender profile](/demand/global-en/brands/microsoft-defender) - [Sophos profile](/demand/global-en/brands/sophos) - [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 Microsoft Defender or Sophos more popular in search? In September 2026, Sophos had more branded searches than Microsoft Defender among endpoint security software worldwide. Sophos had about 199,000 branded searches, while Microsoft Defender had 181,000. Sophos made up 7.1% of all endpoint security software searches we track, and Microsoft Defender accounted for 6.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Microsoft Defender vs Sophos: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/microsoft-defender-vs-sophos This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/microsoft-defender-vs-sophos. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.