Avast for Android: The Best Free Antivirus on The Market Avast antivirus offers pretty reliable protection, although lab tests are very inconsistent (read our full Avast Antivirus review ). In some tests, Avast scores 100%, in others — only 5.5 out of 6.

An antivirus app for your Android device can clean up viruses, Trojans, malicious URLs, infected SD cards, and other kinds of mobile malware, as well as protect your privacy from other threats like spyware or improper app permissions.

Fortunately, a really great free antivirus app doesn't also have to hit you with performance issues you might expect from tools like these, like bloated RAM usage, excess bandwidth, etc. We've selected these particular antivirus apps because they excel with respect to usability, system resource requirements, user reviews, and feature set.

Need antivirus protection on your other devices? Check out our free Windows antivirus programs and best free Mac antivirus lists, too!

Here are the four best antivirus apps for Android, each of which has its own unique advantages:

Avira Antivirus Security

Avira’s Antivirus Security app for Android does what all antivirus apps should do: Automatically scans apps for malware, checks for threats in external storage devices, shows which apps have access to your private information, and is extremely easy to use.

Avira can scan each time you disconnect from a computer as well as start scheduled scans once a day, every day. If that isn't enough for you, you can always start a manual scan whenever you want to check for malware like adware, riskware, ransomware, and potentially unwanted programs.

When threats are found, you'll be alerted of the threat type (riskware, PUP, etc.) and will have the option to ignore them or delete them on the spot.

Here are some other things the Avira Antivirus Security app is capable of:

• Updated apps are re-scanned when they're finished updating, to ensure that any new files aren't infected
• You get to define whether files and/or apps are scanned
• The app can be set up to only show notifications when threats are found, which is really handy so you aren't bombarded with messages each time Avira finds your mobile device clean
• There's also an anti-theft tool that lets you find your device remotely, or even lock it or wipe it, via your Avira Connect account
• When checking which apps have privileged access to your information (as well as what access they have), they are categorized as being high risk, medium risk, or low risk but you can always 'trust' any of them to remove them from being labeled as a risk
• An Activity section shows a history of what Avira has been doing and what it finds; it's easy to sift through since threats are marked in red
• Overcharging Protection can remind you to unplug the device when it’s fully charged
• The Identity Safeguard function checks company breaches to see if your email was included in any of them

This free version of Avira Antivirus Security is very much like the professional edition you can buy except that the pro version doesn’t contain ads, will update its definitions every hour, includes an app locker, and supports the secure browsing feature that helps your device stay clean when browsing the web, downloading files, and shopping online.

Security Master

Security Master (previously known as CM Security) is an incredibly popular app that integrates an antivirus scanner with a suite of other tools.

This app checks for viruses, malicious ads, Trojans, vulnerabilities, hacking tools, and more.

It not only makes checking for all sorts of malware just one tap away, but also provides various privacy, security, and performance related tools to keep your phone in tip-top shape.

Here's a list of other features found in Security Master:

• Auto-scans for malware as apps are installing, and automatically blocks any threats
• Lets you perform a malware scan at any time and schedule scans to perform on a regular basis
• Can connect you to the internet through a VPN that provides 200 MB of free data every day; it can even be set up to only turn on when you're using apps with security risks
• A cleaner helps restore storage used by unnecessary things like caches and junk files
• Includes various privacy protection tools like a password to open any or all of your apps
• An intruder selfie option takes a photo of anyone who incorrectly enters a password
• Push notifications can be censored for specific apps to provide privacy on incoming alerts
• A safe browsing tool makes it simple to delete your browsing history after using the browser built-in to Security Master
• The app can identify the phone's temperature and report if it's normal or not; it gives a list of apps that are currently using system resources and lets you shut them down to cool off the phone
• A power usage analyzer shows which apps can be hibernated to save battery, and even estimates how much battery life you'll save by shutting those apps down (which you can do with one tap)
• The Wi-Fi Security tool easily shuts down apps that are using the most bandwidth; it also tests the internet speed and the security of the network you're on as well as has an option to remove the ability for your phone to access insecure networks (there's also a way to find public hotspots with this app)
• Real-time protection can be enabled or disabled at any time

Security Master is clearly a... master of security. If that's what you're after, then great. If not, you might find all these extra tools to just be in the way, especially the entire section dedicated to gaming.

However, it's important to note that regardless of all these options and capabilities in Security Master, nearly everything is accessible with a large button, so most things are just one or two taps away and are categorized in their own areas.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free

The two antivirus apps listed above are clearly stuffed with features, and that's where Bitdefender's AV app differs: it's completely free from clutter and includes only an antivirus tool.

The only manual thing you can do with Bitdefender is to start with a scan and choose whether or not to include an SD card in the check against viruses and other threats.

Once the full scan has completed, you'll be protected against any new app installs and updates automatically so that they're blocked before they can do any damage.

If a threat is found, you'll be taken into the results screen where you can easily uninstall the culprits.

Bitdefender is said to be super light on resources since it doesn't download and store virus signatures on the device, but instead uses cloud-based protection to check for the latest safeguards against outbreaks.

The only drawback to Bitdefender Antivirus Free is when you compare it to Bitdefender's not-free Mobile Security & Antivirus app, which checks your browsing habits in real-time and can lock down or wipe your phone if it's stolen, which are pretty handy features.

AVG AntiVirus Free

The AVG AntiVirus app for Android was the very first antivirus app on Google Play that reached 100 million downloads. It protects you from spyware, unsafe apps and settings, viruses, and other malware and threats.

AVG supports scheduled scans, protects against malicious apps, can scan the files stored on the internal storage device, warns you about apps that other AVG users have reported as a threat, and can treat potentially unwanted programs as malware.

Also, AVG AntiVirus Free protects you while browsing the internet in Chrome, too.

Much like some of the other Android AV apps in this list, AVG doesn't include just a virus scanner:

• If you have root access, you can also enable the AVG firewall
• An internal photo vault can hide select images within the app, protected behind a custom passcode
• AVG can clean some junk files and caches that you don't need anymore, to free up disk space
• An internet speed test is built-in to find your upload and download speed
• Security threats can be found by scanning the network you're connected to; it checks the encryption level and password strength
• You can improve the performance of your device with AVG by shutting down things that are running in memory
• A warning can be given when you reach 10% or 30% battery life. You can also configure a power save feature that will shut down things like Bluetooth, auto-sync, automatic brightness, and Wi-Fi when the battery gets too low
• Find the permissions all your apps have, categorized into high, average, and low permissions; for example, you might find that one app has access to your payment information
• View and monitor data usage to avoid overage charges
• Virus definitions can be configured to only download when you're connected over Wi-Fi
• Free users can remotely lock their device through a web browser that communicates with the AVG app; also supported are SMS commands that are used to trigger a call from your device, a data wipe, a siren or lock request, and more

The biggest downfall with this Android antivirus tool from AVG is that it's littered with advertisements; they're on almost every single screen. Plus, you're always just one tap away from upgrading to the pro version from every area of the app, which is frustrating if you accidentally tap it.

It's also annoying when AVG finds risks that aren't actually malicious. However, if you do like to have those kinds of alerts, even if no files or apps are found to be harmful, then you won't have a problem with that.

For example, after a scan, you might be told that the 'unknown sources' option is disabled on your phone that would normally tell you when you've installed an unofficial app that could contain threats.

While that feature should probably always be enabled, disabling it doesn't necessarily mean you are currently under attack or have infected files.

App backup, camera trap, device lock, VPN protection, app lock, and no ads, are are a few of the unsupported features in the free edition. There are also various links to features that you can only get in other apps, so you might find yourself leaving AVG for the Play Store when you try tapping those options.

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!

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.

Related:

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.

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

Best Free Antivirus For Android Phones And Tablets

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.

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!

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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!

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