Multi-factor authentication · RankedGoogle Authenticator
Google Authenticator is an authenticator app that generates app-based time-based one-time codes (TOTP) for multi-factor authentication · google.dev ↗
Read the same way at every company size.
The standing depends on who is buying. Every model is asked the same questions for each company size.
Cisco Duo is first at 37%.
Cisco Duo is first at 43%. 0 of 14 models made it the first choice when asked directly.
Microsoft Entra ID is first at 54%.
Why models recommend it
“For the absolute tightest budget, Google Authenticator (free) combined with strong password policies is the best starting point”MiniMax M2.5 · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“If you are on a budget the free ones are Microsoft Authenticator and Google's Authenticator.”Muse Glimmer 30B · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“Start with authenticator apps combined with your platform's built-in MFA features”Claude Haiku 4.5 · Budget-constrained question · first choice
“is Duo Free or Google Authenticator for under 10 users”Llama 4 Maverick · Budget-constrained question · first choice
What gives them pause
“Avoid for mid-size: Pure consumer tools like Google Authenticator (too basic, no central management)”Grok 4.20 · Paraphrase question · warning
“Google Authenticator is too basic”Grok 4.20 · Direct question · warning
“TOTP authenticator apps – e.g., Google Authenticator, Authy. They are stronger than SMS/email, but the 6-digit codes can be phished in real time”Muse Glimmer 30B · Negative question · warning
“lack centralized policy enforcement, audit logs, compliance reporting, and bulk management → not considered true enterprise MFA solutions”Qwen 3.7 Flash · Comparative question · warning
Also on the shortlist
The products named in the same answers as Google Authenticator, over the 76 answers that named it, and how often each was the first choice instead.
| Product | Named together | Picked instead | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 20 | Compare → | |
| 45 | 7 | Compare → | |
| 44 | 20 | Compare → | |
| 36 | 2 | Compare → | |
| 32 | 11 | View → | |
| 26 | 0 | Compare → | |
| 22 | 0 | View → | |
| 13 | 1 | View → | |
| 11 | 1 | View → | |
| 10 | 0 | View → |
What the models named instead of Google Authenticator →
A side-by-side page exists where both products are among a category's top eight.
How this is measured
Fourteen AI models from 12 labs are asked the same buying questions six ways, for three company sizes. Standings refresh every edition.
Gane sells AI visibility software. No company can pay to change a result.
Read the method →Sources returned with these answers
Fourteen of the fourteen models returned a source list in this edition: five return the pages they cited and nine the search results they consulted. These counts come from 60 of the 76 answers that named Google Authenticator and are not a share of its labels.
Domains cited
210 of the 210 domain citations in answers naming Google Authenticator came from a third party's page.
Pages cited
Pages are listed as the models cited them.
By model
| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grok 4.20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Mistral Small | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Kimi K2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |