The Week 28 IT & Security Software Report
A category-by-category reading of all ten Week 28 IT & Security software markets, with assistant ranks and verified evidence.
Week 28 Is the Baseline
This report covers Cooper's first official IT & Security software hub snapshot: ten category-relative Overall AIQ rankings measured across ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity during July 6–12, 2026, under scoring version aiq-v2. Each section is its own market record, so scores and ranks stay inside their category rather than forming a combined IT & Security leaderboard.
Week 28 is Cooper's first official tracked edition, so week-over-week movement is not yet available. Return for the next edition to see the first recorded movers.
The baseline has one unanimous assistant leader in Business VPN. Password Managers, Identity & Access (SSO/IAM), Endpoint Management (MDM), and five other markets split first-place assistant columns across displayed products.
The SaaS Management Overall leader wins no assistant column, while six markets include a displayed product without a category rank. These are category-specific placement shapes, not raw-AIQ comparisons between markets.
How to Read This Report
Overall AIQ is category-relative and combines Cooper's Best, Most affordable, and Easiest to set up questions. The assistant columns show each product's published category rank inside that Overall scope. An em dash means there was no category rank in this scope; it does not describe assistant intent.
Each compact table shows the category's first three products. Sources counts distinct verified source domains for a product, while Mentions counts distinct cited pages verified as naming that product. The category totals in the prose cover the full category snapshot. Neither evidence measure is presented as the cause of a rank.
Rising AIQ is a separate measurement dimension and is not included in this Overall analysis. Readers looking for emerging-product results can open the separate Week 28 Rising AIQ report.
Password Managers
Open the complete Password Managers ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 16 | |
| 2 | 48 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 18 | |
| 3 | 44 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 14 |
1Password leads Password Managers at Overall AIQ 53, ranking second on ChatGPT and Perplexity, first on Gemini, and third on Claude.
Bitwarden is second at 48, ranking first on ChatGPT, second on Gemini, seventh on Claude, and third on Perplexity.
NordPass is third at 44, ranking third on ChatGPT, fourth on Gemini and Perplexity, and second on Claude.
The complete snapshot contains 23 ranked products, 66 cited pages, and 168 verified mentions. 1Password records 16 sources and 16 mentions,
Bitwarden records 17 sources and 18 mentions, and
NordPass records 14 sources and 14 mentions. The second row carries the largest displayed evidence counts without those counts being treated as the reason for placement.
Identity & Access (SSO/IAM)
Open the complete Identity & Access (SSO/IAM) ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | |
| 2 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 17 | |
| 3 | 22 | 2 | 15 | — | — | 3 | 3 |
Okta Workforce Identity leads at Overall AIQ 41, ranking first on ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity and fourth on Gemini.
Microsoft Entra ID is second at 31, ranking fourth on ChatGPT and Perplexity, first on Gemini, and fifth on Claude.
ZITADEL is third at 22, ranking second on ChatGPT and fifteenth on Gemini, with no category rank here from Claude or Perplexity.
The full Identity & Access (SSO/IAM) snapshot includes 45 ranked products, 77 cited pages, and 158 verified mentions. Okta Workforce Identity records 7 sources and 9 mentions,
Microsoft Entra ID records 15 sources and 17 mentions, and
ZITADEL records 3 sources and 3 mentions. Evidence ordering differs from Overall ordering without explaining the absent ranks.
Endpoint Management (MDM)
Open the complete Endpoint Management (MDM) ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Miradore | 39 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 22 |
| 2 | 38 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 6 | |
| 3 | 33 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 17 | 21 |
Miradore leads at Overall AIQ 39, ranking third on ChatGPT, first on Gemini, ninth on Claude, and second on Perplexity. Hexnode UEM is second at 38, ranking first on ChatGPT, fourth on Gemini, sixth on Claude, and eleventh on Perplexity.
Microsoft Intune is third at 33, ranking fourth on ChatGPT, third on Gemini, and first on Claude, with no category rank here from Perplexity.
The complete Endpoint Management (MDM) snapshot contains 37 ranked products, 103 cited pages, and 169 verified mentions. Miradore records 15 sources and 22 mentions, Hexnode UEM records 2 sources and 6 mentions, and
Microsoft Intune records 17 sources and 21 mentions. The evidence counts and assistant split remain separate observations.
IT Service Management
Open the complete IT Service Management ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 51 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 29 | 38 | |
| 2 |  Freshservice | 43 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 38 |
| 3 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Jira Service Management leads at Overall AIQ 51, ranking second on ChatGPT, first on Gemini, third on Claude, and fourth on Perplexity.
Freshservice is second at 43, ranking first on ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity and fourth on Gemini. ServiceNow IT Service Management is third at 33, ranking third on ChatGPT and Perplexity, second on Gemini, and fourth on Claude.
The full IT Service Management snapshot includes 29 ranked products, 105 cited pages, and 227 verified mentions. Jira Service Management records 29 sources and 38 mentions,
Freshservice records 26 sources and 38 mentions, and ServiceNow IT Service Management records 0 sources and 0 mentions. The zero-evidence displayed row is reported without assigning a reason for rank.
Remote Support
Open the complete Remote Support ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | |
| 3 | 28 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 22 |
TeamViewer Remote leads at Overall AIQ 55, ranking first on ChatGPT and second on Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
HelpWire is second at 45, ranking second on ChatGPT, first on Gemini, and third on Claude, with no category rank here from Perplexity.
Zoho Assist is third at 28, ranking seventh on ChatGPT, fourth on Gemini, and first on Claude and Perplexity.
The complete Remote Support snapshot contains 30 ranked products, 76 cited pages, and 148 verified mentions. TeamViewer Remote records 3 sources and 3 mentions,
HelpWire records 2 sources and 3 mentions, and
Zoho Assist records 18 sources and 22 mentions. The third row has the largest displayed evidence counts without supporting a causal conclusion.
Backup & Recovery
Open the complete Backup & Recovery ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Backblaze Computer Backup | 46 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 | 34 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 7 | 8 | |
| 3 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 16 |
Backblaze Computer Backup leads at Overall AIQ 46, ranking first on ChatGPT, fourth on Gemini and Claude, and tenth on Perplexity. Veeam Data Platform is second at 34, ranking second on ChatGPT and Gemini, third on Claude, and nineteenth on Perplexity.
IDrive is third at 26, ranking third on ChatGPT, fifth on Gemini, second on Claude, and eleventh on Perplexity.
The full Backup & Recovery snapshot includes 41 ranked products, 90 cited pages, and 134 verified mentions. Backblaze Computer Backup records 2 sources and 3 mentions, Veeam Data Platform records 7 sources and 8 mentions, and
IDrive records 13 sources and 16 mentions. Evidence counts rise across the displayed rows while remaining separate from Overall order.
Business VPN
Open the complete Business VPN ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 59 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 25 | |
| 2 |  Twingate | 30 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | 7 | 8 |
| 3 | 29 | 2 | 13 | 5 | — | 4 | 5 |
NordLayer leads at Overall AIQ 59, ranking first on ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
Twingate is second at 30, ranking fourth on ChatGPT and Gemini and third on Claude, with no category rank here from Perplexity. GoodAccess is third at 29, ranking second on ChatGPT, thirteenth on Gemini, and fifth on Claude, with no category rank here from Perplexity.
The complete Business VPN snapshot contains 34 ranked products, 100 cited pages, and 192 verified mentions. NordLayer records 18 sources and 25 mentions,
Twingate records 7 sources and 8 mentions, and GoodAccess records 4 sources and 5 mentions. The unanimous leader and two absent displayed ranks are independent observations.
Endpoint Security (EDR)
Open the complete Endpoint Security (EDR) ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 48 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 16 | 17 | |
| 3 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 9 |
CrowdStrike Falcon Endpoint Security leads at Overall AIQ 48, ranking first on ChatGPT and second on Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is second at 39, ranking fourth on ChatGPT and first on Gemini and Claude, with no category rank here from Perplexity.
Sophos Endpoint is third at 34, ranking third on ChatGPT, fourth on Gemini and Perplexity, and sixth on Claude.
The full Endpoint Security (EDR) snapshot includes 32 ranked products, 97 cited pages, and 122 verified mentions. CrowdStrike Falcon Endpoint Security records 1 source and 2 mentions,
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint records 16 sources and 17 mentions, and
Sophos Endpoint records 8 sources and 9 mentions. Evidence ordering differs from Overall ordering without being presented as the cause.
Security Awareness Training
Open the complete Security Awareness Training ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training | 44 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | 39 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 3 | 29 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 2 | 4 |
KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training leads at Overall AIQ 44, ranking third on ChatGPT, first on Gemini and Perplexity, and second on Claude. Wizer is second at 39, ranking second on ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity and fifth on Claude.
Huntress Managed SAT is third at 29, ranking first on ChatGPT, twelfth on Gemini, and thirteenth on Claude and Perplexity.
The complete Security Awareness Training snapshot contains 42 ranked products, 66 cited pages, and 125 verified mentions. KnowBe4 Security Awareness Training and Wizer each record 3 sources and 4 mentions, while
Huntress Managed SAT records 2 sources and 4 mentions. The assistant split is visible independently of the compact evidence counts.
SaaS Management
Open the complete SaaS Management ranking| Rank | Product | AIQ | ChatGPT | Gemini | Claude | Perplexity | Sources | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 19 | 23 | |
| 2 |  Cledara | 29 | 1 | — | 9 | 15 | 8 | 9 |
| 3 |  BetterCloud | 29 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 20 |
Torii leads at Overall AIQ 33, ranking third on ChatGPT, ninth on Gemini, and fourth on Claude and Perplexity.
Cledara is second at 29, ranking first on ChatGPT, ninth on Claude, and fifteenth on Perplexity, with no category rank here from Gemini. BetterCloud is third at 29, ranking fourth on ChatGPT, fifth on Gemini, twelfth on Claude, and first on Perplexity.
The full SaaS Management snapshot includes 39 ranked products, 63 cited pages, and 194 verified mentions. Torii records 19 sources and 23 mentions,
Cledara records 8 sources and 9 mentions, and BetterCloud records 17 sources and 20 mentions. The second and third rows share AIQ 29 but have distinct Overall positions; no tie-break reason is inferred.
What Week 28 Establishes
Business VPN establishes the only unanimous assistant leader in the displayed set. Eight markets split first-place assistant columns across displayed products, while six include a displayed absent rank.
SaaS Management establishes a different shape: its Overall leader is not first in any assistant column, and its second and third rows share AIQ 29. Later editions can be compared with these category-specific records, but Week 28 itself supports no movement conclusion and no cross-category raw-AIQ hierarchy.
Related News
The Week 28 Rising AIQ Report
Eight category-relative Rising AIQ highlights, reported separately from Overall AIQ and with assistant breadth intact.
Which Sources Shape Software Recommendations in AI Search
A Week 29 analysis of how the public evidence footprint changed across one representative software market in each of Cooper’s eight hubs.
The Week 28 Engineering Software Report
A category-by-category reading of all ten Week 28 Engineering software markets, with assistant ranks and verified evidence.