# Google Authenticator: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 32 judge labels across 1 category by 13 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/google-authenticator

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Multi-factor authentication](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/identity/multi-factor-authentication/index.md) | 6% | 4 | 44% | 32 |

## What the models said for it

- "For the absolute tightest budget, Google Authenticator (free) combined with strong password policies is the best starting point" (MiniMax M2.5, MFA)
- "If you are on a budget the free ones are Microsoft Authenticator and Google's Authenticator." (Muse Glimmer 30B, MFA)
- "Start with authenticator apps combined with your platform's built-in MFA features" (Claude Haiku 4.5, MFA)
- "is Duo Free or Google Authenticator for under 10 users" (Llama 4 Maverick, MFA)

## And against it

- "Avoid for mid-size: Pure consumer tools like Google Authenticator (too basic, no central management)" (Grok 4.20, MFA)
- "Google Authenticator is too basic" (Grok 4.20, MFA)
- "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, MFA)
- "lack centralized policy enforcement, audit logs, compliance reporting, and bulk management → not considered true enterprise MFA solutions" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, MFA)

## 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 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named Google Authenticator, from 60 of the 76 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- techrepublic.com: 34
- aimultiple.com: 32
- duo.com: 25
- cisa.gov: 24
- g2.com: 20
- encomputers.com: 19
- microsoft.com: 18
- expertinsights.com: 13
- spotsaas.com: 13
- mojoauth.com: 12

### Pages cited

- https://techrepublic.com/article/best-multi-factor-authentication-solutions: 34
- https://aimultiple.com/mfa-solutions: 31
- https://encomputers.com/2024/05/best-multi-factor-authentication-small-businesses: 19
- https://microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/identity-access/microsoft-entra-mfa-multi-factor-authentication: 14
- https://expertinsights.com/identity-and-access-management/the-top-multi-factor-authentication-mfa-solutions-for-business: 13
- https://onelogin.com/learn/top-5-mfa-tools-for-iam-security: 12
- https://spotsaas.com/list/multi-factor-authentication--mfa--software/for-small-business: 12
- https://cisa.gov/audiences/small-and-medium-businesses/secure-your-business/require-multifactor-authentication: 11

## In its own words

What Google Authenticator's own pages state, read 2026-09-28. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.


## What it publishes

Every page google.dev exposes, read 2026-09-29: 10 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:


## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.