Antivirus Android apps remain one of the most popular types of applications on Android. Generally, you don’t need an antivirus app if you play it safe, only download apps from the Play Store, and keep your security settings enabled. However, there are those who like to take a walk on the wild side and not do those things. There are a ton of really bad antivirus apps out there. Even if these apps aren’t necessary, it’s good to know the safe ones that don’t suck. Here are the best antivirus apps and anti-malware apps for Android. All prices are current as of January 2018. You can also check out the best antivirus apps on other platforms on our sister site DGiT by clicking here!
Jun 27, 2019 More phones and tablets run Android than any other mobile OS, and there's a correspondingly huge variety of malware. Based on our testing, these are the best android antivirus apps to. Antivirus Free: It used to be an independent app but it has become a NQ Labs extension (you can read 'NQ Antivirus Free' in the main screen). The virus definitions updates are free only during the first month; if you have an active internet connection it will show annoying full-screen ads every now and then and after performing a scan task.
One final thing to note that a lot of antivirus apps on Android do literally nothing or a very bad job. Here’s a study that AV-Comparatives conducted with additional information about what antivirus apps are good and the ones that aren’t.
![Best free antivirus for android phone Best free antivirus for android phone](/uploads/1/2/6/0/126012960/777067176.jpg)
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360 Security
Price: Free / $5.49 per year
360 Security is a bit of a mixed bag. Some of its security stuff isn’t half bad and then the other half is quite bad. The app scans your apps for potential malware activity, although its find rate is a little bit higher than we’re willing to believe. Facebook is bad and all, but it’s not malware yet. In any case, this is a decent, super basic antivirus app that will do the scans and show you potential vulnerabilities. The trick is to uninstall the app yourself instead of enabling every little (usually snake oil) feature the app wants to enable on its own. There are some booster features, but we recommend ignoring those. Once you decline most of the app services, this one functions as a good, lightweight scanner and storage cleaner. You can remove ads for $5.49 per year.
Avira
Price: Free / $11.99 per year
Avira is one of the newer antivirus apps comparatively speaking. It grew rather quickly over the last year. The app comes with the basics, including device scans, real-time protection, external SD card scans, and a lot more. Some other features include anti-theft support, privacy scanning, blacklisting, and even device admin features. It’s much lighter than apps like Norton and others. It’s also relatively inexpensive and there is a free version. We also highly recommend its Stagefright Advisor tool.
Avast Antivirus
Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $11.99 per year
Avast Mobile Security is one of the most popular antivirus apps on any platform. It boasts over 100 million downloads and tons of features. Some of the features include the classic antivirus scanning, an applock, call blocker, anti-theft support, a photo vault, and even a firewall for rooted Android devices. It also includes booster features, but we don’t recommend those. They do more harm than good and they can really mess things up with your phone. Avast’s subscription prices aren’t bad comparatively speaking. The app comes with a 14-day free trial to demo the product.
AVG Antivirus 2019
Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $11.99 per year
AVG is another big name in the antivirus apps space. In fact, it’s basically the same as AVAST. AVAST actually purchased AVG back in 2016. Thus, the experience is similar in both antivirus apps. This one does offer a few differences. The app has anti-theft tracking via Google Maps, but it also doesn’t have the rooted firewall availability. Like AVAST, there are a swath of pointless battery, memory, and phone boosting features that don’t actually work. Otherwise, it’s not a bad antivirus. Like AVAST, this one goes for $2.99 per month, $11.99 per year, and contains a 14-day free trial.
Bitdefender Free Antivirus
Price: Free
Bitdefender Antivirus is one of the few actually free antivirus apps. It hasn’t changed much over the years. It offers a basic scanning feature, a simple interface, quick performance, and no configuration. This is a great one for super basic needs. All it really does is scan stuff and then sit there and wait to scan stuff again. There is a larger, more in-depth Bitdefender app. However, we think this one is better for those who just want something simple. It’s also actually free with no in-app purchases or subscriptions. There is advertising, though.
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Dr. Web Security Space
Price: Free / $7.99 per year / $15.99 per 2 years / $74.99 lifetime
Dr Web is one of the older antivirus apps and anti-malware apps. It has a decent set of features, including quick and full scans, protection from ransomware, a quarantine space, and even stats. Along with that, it has good anti-theft features, call and SMS filtering, URL filtering, parental controls, a firewall, and more. It’s also fairly inexpensive. It goes for $7.99-$15.99 for one to two years. There is also a lifetime license for $74.99. The lifetime license is a tad pricey. However, it does mean you only pay once.
ESET Mobile Security and Antivirus
Price: Free / $1.99 per month / $14.99 per year
ESET is another big name in the antivirus and anti-malware world. It has a decent set of features, including scans, anti-theft support, a security auditor feature, scan scheduling, and more. The setup process is a bit intrusive. It’s one of the few that require an email address. Otherwise, it works pretty well. You get a free one month trial upon installation. From there, it goes for $1.99 per month or $14.99 per year. It’s not quite has heavy as something as AVAST or AVG, but it is heavier than CM Security Lite or Bitdefender. Take that info for what it’s worth.
Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus
Price: Free / $14.95 per year
Kaspersky is one of the most popular antivirus apps. It has both a free and pro version. Both versions offer SMS and call blocking, scans, virus updates, and anti-theft. The premium version adds things like real-time protection, an applock, and more. Of course, both versions have device scanning for malware and stuff like that. It isn’t nearly as heavy as the biggest antivirus apps. Plus, it doesn’t have any nasty booster features that don’t work. It’s nice to see an antivirus app that doubles down on its purpose instead of trying to stretch out to stuff that doesn’t make sense. That makes it a decent middle-of-the-road option for a lot of folks. The premium version goes for $14.95 per year.
Lookout Security & Antivirus
Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $29.99 per year
Lookout is another popular antivirus and anti-malware app. It comes pre-installed on many devices, especially on carriers like T-Mobile. It does the basics fairly well. That includes scans, phishing protection, malware protection, anti-theft features, and more. It also comes with some unique stuff like identity protection, identity insurance, and WiFi scanning. That gives it a bit of a different perspective than most antivirus apps. It goes for $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. It’s reasonably good for an antivirus or anti-malware app.
Malwarebytes Security
Price: Free / $1.49 per month / $11.99 per year
Malwarebytes is one of the most popular antivirus apps on Windows. The mobile version is pretty good too. It features an aggressively updated virus database, support for malware and ransomware, a permission tracker, and more. It can even scan messages in WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS, etc for potentially dangerous links. Of course, it does the usual stuff like scanning as well. The app looks nice, works well, and it’s not too heavy like others. It’s also reasonably priced at $1.49 per month or $11.99 per year.
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McAfee Mobile Security
Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $29.99 per year
McAfee is one of the biggest names in antivirus apps. It’s also one of the heaviest. The app includes scanning, anti-theft, anti-spyware, and security locking features. Additionally, it can take photos of your potential phone thief, record locations to the cloud before the phone shuts down, and more useful stuff. McAfee also has a variety of standalone apps for other things. The UI is old and it doesn’t look very good. Additionally, it has boost features that don’t work and it requires an account creation to go pro. The antivirus portion of the app does work rather well and some of the tertiary features are nice. However, it’s still one of the weaker options in our top 15.
Norton Mobile Security
Price: Free / $14.99-$39.99 per year
Norton Security has its ups and downs. Just imagine how much worse it gets if we put this one here. The app has a lot of the basic features though, including protection from malware, spyware, and other bad stuff. Additional features include saving device location when the battery is low, real-time protection, anti-theft features, and more. It’s one of the pricier options in antivirus apps. However, it does have a suite available for $39.99 per year that covers your mobile device as well as your computer. Norton also has other apps, like a dedicated applock app, that are actually not half bad.
Sophos Mobile Security
Price: Free
Sophos is one of our favorite antivirus and anti-malware apps for Android. It includes all of the basic stuff such as malware protection, a virus scanner, web filtering, app protections, theft protection, Wi-Fi security, and all kinds of other stuff. It does all of this for free, without advertising, and it doesn’t include any garbage booster functions that don’t actually work. Its password safe function is KeePass compatible and it even comes with an authenticator function for multi-factor authentication. We don’t outwardly recommend antivirus apps to anybody, but if you’re going to have one, try this one first.
Webroot Mobile Security
Price: Free / Up to $79.99 per year
Webroot is another excellent and simple antivirus app. You get the basics such as device scanning, protection from malware, and real-time device monitoring. Additionally, it comes with a built-in call and text blocker should you need one. All of that stuff comes with the free version. Those who go pro get anti-theft features, remote phone wiping (if needed), a SIM card lock, and a battery and network monitor. It doesn’t seem like a long list of features, but it feels like Webroot took away a lot of the bloat in favor of a fast and functional experience. The Android subscription is much cheaper than the PC variant, but you can get both for up to $79.99 per year (often on sale for $59.99 per year).
Google Play Protect
Price: Included with Android
Google Play Protect is Android’s antivirus app. It scans the apps on your device and then compares them to the Google Play versions of that app. It lets you know if the two aren’t the same. This combined with the existing protection in Google Play creates a really good barrier of security. Plus, it’s free, it’s probably already on your device, and you don’t have to do anything to use it. This along with common sense work better and are better for your device than basically any antivirus app, no matter what company makes it. It’ll also save valuable resources with one fewer app running in the background. We recommend this one first. Hit the button above for more information!
Thank you for reading! Here are some final recommendations from us to you!10 best gallery vault apps for Android!
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Thank you for reading! Here are some final recommendations from us to you!
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If we missed any great antivirus Android apps, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!
Comments
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.As smartphones have become an inherent part of our lives, people no longer use their phones just for communication. Instead, they store most of their sensitive information on their phones. But, in this era of data leaks and constant threats to your privacy, is it safe to store your private data on your phone? Well, not unless it is secured with proper protection.
So, we have picked a list of the best free Android antivirus apps which are available in the Google Play store. You’re advised to go through our list of best antivirus software if you’re a desktop user (Windows or Mac).
Note: This list isn’t in order of preference, and is only a compilation. You are advised to choose one as per your need.
11 Best Android Antivirus Apps for 2019
1. Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus
Kaspersky is a remarkable security app and one of the best antivirus apps for Android. It has a free version with in-app premium feature purchases and a paid version. The free version features manually scanning of apps for malware and viruses, and its premium features include real-time protection, anti-theft, anti-phishing, and an app locker to provide extra protection to your essential apps. However, you can access all the premium features for a free trial for 30 days.
Special Features Of Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus
- Call filter for blocking unwanted and spam calls
- Find my phone for locating your phone if lost
- Background apps check for checking malware in downloaded apps
- Strong protection against viruses, trojans, and malware
2. Avast Mobile Security
Avast protects a lot of users worldwide on multiple platforms. With a single tap, the antivirus engine scans for any dangerous or infected apps and trojans, and provides complete protection against spyware and viruses. It has some in-app purchases with which you can remove ads and access the app locking facility, along with some other advanced features like SIM security, camera trap, etc.
However, the free version itself integrates some incredible features for providing all-around protection against viruses and other threats that can affect your smartphone. With all these fantastic features, Avast Mobile security is a worthy contender for best free antivirus for Android.
Special Features Of Avast Mobile Security
- App insights for viewing the time you are spending on each app
- Junk cleaner for wiping cache and residual files
- Photo vault for securing photographs against unwanted access
- Web shield for safe web browsing
3. Bitdefender Antivirus Free
Bitdefender Antivirus Free is powerful antivirus tool that offers protection against all major Android threats. It is one of the most lightweight antivirus apps that uses in-the-cloud scanning technology that results in super-fast scanning ability. It does not slow down your device or drain your battery. The app also offers real-time protection and scan apps as they are installed.
Bitdefender also has a paid version (Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus), which gives you 14 days of free trial. To access more advanced features of Bitdefender such as Malware scanner, account privacy, web security, Anti-theft, and App locker, you can try out the paid version.
Special Features Of Bitdefender Antivirus
- Integrated VPN for accessing blocked websites
- Smart unlock for unlocking apps when connected to a trusted Wi-fi.
- Web protection for scanning adware, malware during browsing
- Support for Android Wear devices
4. Norton Security & Antivirus
The latest version of Norton antivirus software offers impressive Android security features even in the free version. The app mostly provides 100% detection rate and removes malware, spyware, or Android viruses that can slow down your device. It can trigger an alarm to find your missing device, remotely lock your device to prevent data theft, or block unwanted calls or SMS.
It also has separate stand-alone apps such as app locker and password manager which are available for free in the Play Store. The advanced premium features are available for a trial period of 30 days. Overall, Norton Security is no doubt one of the most reliable and best antivirus for android in 2019.
Special Features Of Norton Security and Antivirus
- Wi-fi scanning to notify you about unsecured wi-fi connections
- Safe Search for flagging unsafe websites during browsing
- Call blocking for muting spam and unwanted calls
- Sneak Peek to click photographs of someone accessing your device without authority
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5. Sophos Mobile Security
Sophos is the 2016 winner of the AV-TEST awards, an Independent IT Security Institute. It is an excellent free security app for Android which does not display any ads and is feature rich. In addition to proper malware protection, you can have access to loss and theft protection, app locker, security adviser that gives you advice on how to improve device security, call blocker, authenticator, etc.
The antivirus app has more than 1 million downloads on the Play Store and does the job of protection against malware, viruses and trojans that could hamper the performance of your smartphone.
Special Features Of Sophos
- Web filtering for blocking malicious websites
- Feature to protect apps with a passcode
- Wi-fi security to protect you from snooping by middlemen
- Call protection for blocking spam calls
6. Security Master
Security Master is the upgraded version of the original CM Security app for Android. It is an all-in-one antivirus app tu use in 2019 that has a considerable number of downloads along with good ratings in the Play Store. It keeps your phone safe from all sorts of malware and makes sure that no viruses get into your phone. The free version itself brings you tons of great security features such as app locker, scanner, message security, Wi-Fi security, junk cleaner, notification cleaner, phone booster, CPU cooler, battery saver, call blocker, etc.
Along with these, it also enables you to browse any of your favorite sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. safely from within the app. Security Master is an excellent security app that can be listed among best free android antivirus apps.
Special Features Of Security Master
- Safeconnect VPN for accessing websites that are blocked in your region
- Anti-theft alarm
- Message security for hiding notification previews
- Intruder selfie for capturing intruders
7. McAfee Mobile Security & Lock
McAfee has won many notable awards since its release. Most of the advanced features such as anti-theft features, security lock, Wi-Fi security, battery optimizer, memory cleaner, etc. are available in the free version of the Android antivirus app. It has an intuitive interface, and the best thing is that it provides tutorials for every feature. The pro version, however, comes down to only a few extra features, and it is expensive compared to most Antivirus apps.
One of the flaws in the app is that it carries a complicated setup once you opt for the pro version. Nevertheless, the app is one of the best antivirus apps for Android when it comes to protecting your smartphone.
Special Features Of McAfee Mobile Security
- Thief cam for capturing the photographs of intruders
- Feature to remotely wipe data in case of theft or loss of mobile phone
- Anti-theft uninstall protection to stop a thief from uninstalling the antivirus app
- Support for Android Wear devices
8. DFNDR Security
DFNDR is one such free antivirus for Android that keeps your smartphone’s performance optimized. The AV-TEST Institute named it a top-rated antivirus app. It is an all-in-one phone protection app along with features for anti-hacking and anti-phishing. It can also speed up your internet connection by closing background apps that compete for bandwidth. However, the downside is that it displays ads which can be annoying, but you can go ad-free with a small amount of yearly subscription.
Special Features Of DFNDR Security
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- Anti-hacking and anti-phishing protection feature
- Quick cleanup to remove junk files and cache
- AppLock to lock apps with passcode and fingerprint technology
- DFNDR assistant for sending you regular updates about utilizing antivirus to its full extent
9. Avira Antivirus Security
Avira Antivirus is a lesser-known Android security app which is equally reliable like its other competitors on the list. It is fully-featured, and most of its functions are available in the free version itself. In case of antivirus and privacy protection, it can even scan external storage units and show how each app rates on a privacy scale. With the ‘cell phone tracker,’ it can track your phone’s location whenever necessary.
Also, if you ever lose your phone, it can prompt the person who has your phone to contact you. With the premium version, you can get extra protection such as camera protection, additional browser security, etc. These features can be easily bought from the in-app purchases of the app.
Special Features Of Avira Antivirus Security
- Privacy advisor for showing how apps collect your data
- Camera and Mic protection for security against snooping attacks
- Ant-ransomware for protection from ransomware attacks
- Web-based malware protection
10. AVG AntiVirus
AVG AntiVirus is a robust antivirus software tool, developed by AVG Technologies which is a subsidiary of Avast software. It features most of the standard functions necessary in modern anti-virus and internet security programs such as periodic scans, Wi-Fi security, junk cleaner, ram booster, call blocker, power saver, etc.
Some highly useful features are only available for a trial period of 14 days in the antivirus app. AVG also has a few add-on apps such as AVG Cleaner, AVG secure VPN, Alarm Clock Xtreme, and Gallery app available in the Play Store for free.
Special Features Of AVG AntiVirus
- Dual-engine antivirus for removing viruses and other malicious content
- Performance-boosting feature for extending battery life
- Photo vault for locking photographs
- Surveillance agent for remotely capturing photos and record audio from phone via the website
11. 360 Security
360 Security is another best antivirus for Android. This app gives you many reasons for why it should be a must-have app on your phone. Major features include antivirus protection, junk cleaner, speed booster, lock screen which has multiple functions, CPU cooler, anti-theft protection, etc.
In addition to real-time protection, it has a multi-function lock screen for providing you phone status direct from your smartphone’s lock screen The antivirus app is free with in-app purchases and displays ads.
Special Features Of 360 Security
- Speed booster for cleaning up phone’s RAM and boosting gaming experience
- Call & SMS filter
- Intruder selfie for capturing the picture of anyone trying to break into your phone
Did you find this list of 11 Best Android antivirus apps to be helpful? Share your reviews in the comments.
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