Best Antivirus Apps for Android Android Central 2021We tested several antivirus apps for Android smartphones and tablets to find out which ones offer the best protection against malware. Bitdefender Mobile Security is my top pick. It's also my top choice for Mac and Windows antivirus. Bitdefender is a good choice for malware protection. It doesn't take too much time and has a few additional tools. It is also a good value overall.Source: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralBitdefender appears to be able to do almost everything you need. Bitdefender protects against malware attacks and warns you if you visit dangerous websites. The app uses power management to save your phone's battery and prevent slowdown. Remote access to your phone is possible with this app. You can lock down the phone, wipe data and send a message. This feature allows you to locate your phone and can be connected to your Android smartwatch. This feature allows you to locate your phone in case it is lost or stolen, and also secures personal information. Bitdefender Mobile Security offers a VPN that allows you to send and receive 200MB encrypted traffic per day. Although this isn't much, you can buy more. Bitdefender Mobile Security is easy to use for most of the time. Although the dashboard is cluttered with information and tasks when you open it for the first time, I was able remove any functions that I didn't use. The VPN tool remains permanently pinned to my dashboard. Pros: Stops malware attacksMinimal use of resourcesPhone locatorConnects to Android smartwatchesIs there a VPN?Excellent value Cons: Additional VPN encryptions are more expensiveDashboard can be difficult to understand at firstBitdefender Mobile Security is the Best Overall. Bitdefender protects your cell phones from viruses and other threats. It also includes a VPN that doesn't slow down. $15 BitdefenderAvast Mobile Security Ultimate Data Shield is a wonderful additionSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralAvast's basic app offers a free mobile security tool that blocks malware and spam messages. Avast's Ultimate program offers a VPN that hides your online activity. The program includes a password manager that keeps track of login credentials and a data shield that protects photos, contacts, and other sensitive files. Avast Mobile Security eliminates ads and locks down apps with a PIN code. It also cleans junk from your phone to make it run faster and keep weak spots closed so hackers cannot sneak in. Wi-Fi Security adds an extra layer of protection to your phone and sensitive data when you connect to public hotspots. It is simple to navigate the dashboard and find what you are looking for. Avast makes it difficult to enable all its features. You will be prompted with permission requests and links for some tools. You can find additional details and enabling options under the Privacy section for other tools. You may also need to run multiple scans of your phone for malware before Avast finds any corrupted or malicious files. The pros: VPNPassword managerData protectionThe basic version is available for freeIt speeds up your phone's performance.Scans might take multiple triesExpensiveData Shield Avast Mobile Security Ultimate Guards Sensitive Information Avast protects against malware and hackers. $24 on Google PlayKaspersky Mobile Antivirus Filter Out Texts with EaseSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralThis app prevents phishing in email and text messages. Kaspersky also protects both your and your contact information so that no one can steal your phone. This antivirus solution protects apps, blocks malware, ransomware, and filters calls. Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus also includes anti-theft tools such as a phone locator, locks, and encryption to protect sensitive information. The App Lock feature protects photos, messages, and other apps by locking them down with a secret code. This code must be entered before anyone, including you, can access them. Kaspersky, which is a great antivirus program, is also one of my favorites, even for desktops. However, Kaspersky has been accused of taking sensitive information from federal employees, department devices, and giving this information to Russia. Although Kaspersky vigorously denied the accusations, the U.S. government ordered Kaspersky to be removed from its devices and recommended that its employees use it on their personal devices. Pros: Phishing blocking agentsRemote phone lockdownProtection against ransomwareApp lock protects your filesGreat price Cons: Not recommended to government employeesKaspersky Mobile Antivirus Text Filtering Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus Text protection Kaspersky monitors email and attachments for potentially dangerous files or links. Google Play $12McAfee Mobile Security An well-known Android antivirus appSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralMcAfee Mobile Security has a key feature called the Theft Cam. This tool snaps a photo of anyone who attempts to gain access to your phone without permission. To help you track down the thief, the app sends the photo along with the location of your phone. McAfee will lock your phone if someone attempts to access it after three attempts at entering a password. If they gain access to your phone, the McAfee application will lock it down. This makes it less valuable for thieves who want to resell it. This app works in other ways. This app monitors Wi-Fi connections and blocks unauthorized users. This is particularly useful when you are connected to a public WiFi hotspot. McAfee offers a VPN Proxy feature which encrypts your online activities with bank-grade encryption. This prevents you from being tracked. McAfee did cause a slight slowdown in my phone. The bigger problem was the amount of popups I received. McAfee would pop up a notice every time McAfee opened a scan or finished a scan. It did this even though I was not physically there to view scans. Although this can be fixed by changing the app settings it is possible to have a program that's more plug-and-play. The theft cam feature is a plus.Monitors Wi-Fi connectionsPhone locatorIt's affordablePros: Too many notifications from the systemThere is a system slowdownAnti-Theft McAfee Mobile Security Helps Locate Missing Devices McAfee takes photos of anyone who steals your smartphone, allows you to remotely access it, locks it down and locates it. $10 on Google PlayMalwarebytes Security Best Adware Removal for AndroidSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralMalwarebytes can't prevent virus infections but it can detect and remove malware on your phone. Malwarebytes recognizes malicious files, which are programs that track your online activities and app usage. Then it creates targeted ads based upon that activity. Malwarebytes will then delete them, giving you more space and privacy. This program detects malware and warns you if it finds any. Upgrade to Malwarebytes Premium to get real-time protection to stop these threats from reaching your phone. The antivirus app is completely free and does not contain ads. You will not be prompted to upgrade to the paid Malwarebytes edition. It can be used with almost every Android tablet and phone, as well as a Chromebook version. It removes adwareCurrent infections rounded upCompletely remove all cons: No real-time protectionMalwarebytes Security Adware Removal Malwarebytes Security Malwarebytes Security Adware Removal Malwarebytes scans your computer for viruses and alerts you if there is ransomware. It also blocks phishing attempts. Google PlayNorton Mobile Security & Antivirus - A great choice with many secure featuresSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralNorton's app caused some lag on my phones while I was testing it, but it did a great job of stopping malware from downloading onto my devices. You can also monitor your Wi-Fi connection to ensure hackers aren't able to get through. The app includes a system advisor, which gives tips and tricks on how to protect your devices. You can also access Norton's VPN as part of the program. This feature protects your IP and location online. This makes it difficult for adware not to track your online movements or create targeted ads. You can add LifeLock to your Norton antivirus subscription. However, it will cost you extra. During testing, this app caused some lag on my phones. It was obvious that my phones were becoming slower. It was frustrating to wait for this program to stop to allow my phone to catch up. Pros: Protects IP and locationStop targeting adsHelps secure entire phoneSystem advisor gives you tipsAccess to Norton VPN Cons - Causes noticeable slowdownLifeLock costs extraSecurity Advisor Norton Mobile Security & Antivirus Scans Your Phone for Vulnerabilities Norton scans your phone for potential vulnerabilities and recommends ways to protect it from malware, snoopers, and hackers. $15 from Google PlayAnti-Hacking: PSafe DFNDR Pro SecuritySource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralThis app scans your phone for malware and other programs that are running in the background. These can slow down your phone's performance, drain your battery, or cause your device overheating. PSafe also detects fake news, spam blockers and malicious link alerts in messaging apps, such as WhatsApp. DFNDR monitors and alerts you in the event of a leak or compromise to your digital identity. DFNDR also protects your phone from hackers who attempt to access it via public Wi-Fi. DFNDR sends you a photo of the thief, triggers an alarm and gives you the location. You can also remotely access your phone to secure it or wipe out sensitive information. The most difficult and confusing part of this list is PSafe's mobile antivirus app. You will need to scroll down multiple times to see everything on the dashboard. DFNDR provides statistics and other general information that aren't necessary to be at the forefront of your screen every time you open the app. Pros: It blocks fake newsStop malware filesDigital identity protectionProtection against theftCan find rogue background apps Cons: Messy dashboardExpensiveAnti-Hacking Pro Security PSafe DFNDR Pro Security Blocks Fake News and Fake Links DFNDR prevents hackers from accessing your smartphone by monitoring internet connections, blocking fake news, websites, and links. $29 on Google PlayQR scanner: Sophos InterceptX MobileSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralSophos offers a QR scanner that scans links for malware and connects you to the scanned data. It can filter text messages and quarantine URLs containing malware. Remote access to stolen phones allows you to reset passwords or wipe data, send commands to thieves and track your location. It is not the easiest app to use. It took me some time to figure out how I could find the list of features and tools, turn on the ones I needed, and deactivate the ones that I didn't want to use. Some of the instructions for using some tools may not be clear. Although Sophos InterceptX X is compatible on many devices, it's not recommended for computer users. It is difficult to use, requires a lot of resources and doesn't provide much protection overall. It is not compatible with Chromebook. It is however a powerful program that can secure mobile devices (including Androids) and doesn't consume as much resource as other programs. The QR scanner is a proRemotely access stolen or lost devicesProtection against malicious appsNot resource-heavyUse Cons: Home computer use is not recommended.It is not intuitive to useQR scanner Sophos InterceptX Mobile: QR scanner for mobile. Sophos provides additional protection against malicious websites, files, and links using its QR scanner. Google PlayTrend Micro Mobile Security and Antivirus: Parental ControlsSource: Nicole Johnston/ Android CentralTrend Micro's mobile antivirus application can stop malware attacks including ransomware and phishing. This app protects all of your personal data to prevent theft or unauthorized apps from stealing it. This app helps you find apps that use too much data on your phone and optimizes it. Trend Micro uses web recognition technology in order to verify that a website you visit is legitimate and not a phishing site or redirect to a malicious one. The app includes parental controls that allow you to control what your child is doing on their phones, such as shutting down apps and filtering web content. You can also restrict access to certain times of the day when they should be sleeping or working. My battery life was less when I used Trend Micro than other mobile antivirus apps. Others have also reported similar issues with their phones. Although it doesn't seem to be an issue universally, there is enough information about the problem to warrant a mention. The pros: Parental controlGreat protection against malwareWeb reputation technologyIt can help optimize your smartphone Cons: Guzzles resourcesExpensiveParental Controls Trend micro Mobile Security & Antivirus lockdown apps, block sites Parental controls allow you to choose which apps and websites your child can use. $30 on Google Play
