• Best Antivirus Software For Android Phones Free
• Free Antivirus Software For Android Phones
• Best Free Antivirus Software For Android Phones
• Best Antivirus Software For Android Phones

The media is full of reports saying Android malware is exploding and that Android users are at risk. Does this mean you should install an antivirus app on your Android phone or tablet?

The current tests of antivirus software for Android from July 2019 of AV-TEST, the leading international and independent service provider for antivirus software and malware. Protect against viruses & other types of malware with Avast Mobile Security, the world’s most trusted free antivirus app for Android. Protect your privacy by receiving alerts when spyware or adware-infected apps are downloaded onto your device.

While there may be a lot of Android malware in the wild, a look at Android’s protections and studies from antivirus companies reveals that you’re probably safe if you follow some basic precautions.

Android Already Checks For Malware

Android itself has some built-in antivirus features. Before considering whether an antivirus app is useful, it’s important to examine the features Android already has:

• Google Play apps are scanned for malware: Google uses a service named Bouncer to automatically scan apps on the Google Play Store for malware. As soon as an app is uploaded, Bouncer checks it and compares it to other known malware, Trojans, and spyware. Every application is run in a simulated environment to see if it will behave maliciously on an actual device. The app’s behavior is compared to the behavior of previous malicious apps to look for red flags. New developer accounts are particularly scrutinized – this is to prevent repeat offenders from creating new accounts.
• Google Play can remotely uninstall apps: If you’ve installed an app that is later found to be malicious, Google has the ability to remotely uninstall this app from your phone when it’s pulled from Google Play
• Android 4.2 scans sideloaded apps: While apps on Google Play are checked for malware, apps that are sideloaded (installed from elsewhere) were not checked for malware. On Android 4.2, when you first try to sideload an app, you’ll be asked whether you want to verify sideloaded apps are safe. This ensures that all apps on your device are checked for malware.

• Android 4.2 blocks premium rate SMS messages: Android 4.2 prevents apps from sending premium-rate SMS messages in the background and alerts you when an app tries to do this. Malware creators use this technique to rack up charges on your cell phone bill and make money for themselves.
• Android restricts apps: Android’s permission and sandboxing systems helps limit the scope of any malware. Apps can’t sit in the background and watch every keystroke or access protected data, such as your online banking credentials from your bank’s app. Apps must also declare the permissions they require at installation.

Where Does Malware Come From?

Prior to Android 4.2, the majority of Android’s anti-malware features weren’t actually found on Android devices themselves – the protection was found in Google Play. This means that users who download apps from outside the Google Play store and sideload them are more at risk.

A recent study by McAfee found that over 60% of Android malware samples they received were from a single family of malware, known as “FakeInstaller.” FakeInstallers disguise themselves as legitimate apps. They may be available on a web page that pretends to be an official website or on an unofficial, fake Android Market with no protection against malware. Once installed, they send premium-rate SMS text messages in the background, costing you money.

On Android 4.2, the built-in malware protection would hopefully catch a FakeInstaller as soon as it’s sideloaded. Even if it didn’t, Android would alert the user when the app tried to send SMS messages in the background.

On previous versions of Android, you can protect yourself by installing apps from legitimate sources, such as Google Play. A pirated version of a paid app offered on a suspicious website may be stuffed with malware – just like on Windows.

Another recent study by F-Secure, which found that Android malware was exploding, found a scary-sounding 28,398 samples of Android malware in Q3 2012. However, only 146 of these samples came from Google Play – in other words, only 0.5% of malware found was from Google Play. 99.5% came from outside Google Play, particularly on unofficial app stores in other countries where no checking or policing for malware is done.

Do You Need an Antivirus?

These studies indicate the majority of malware comes from outside the Google Play store. If you only install apps from Google Play, you should be fairly safe – especially if you check the permissions an app requires before you install it. For example, don’t install games that require permissions to send SMS messages. Very few apps (only apps that interact with SMS messages) need this permissions to function.

If you only install apps from Google Play, you shouldn’t need an antivirus. However, if you regularly sideload apps from outside Google Play, you should probably install an antivirus app just to be safe. Of course, it’s generally best not to sideload suspicious apps in the first place. There are exceptions, such as installing apps from the Amazon Appstore, downloading games you’ve purchased from the Humble Indie Bundle, or installing the Swype keyboard from Swype’s website, but you probably shouldn’t downloaded pirated games from suspicious websites – of course, that’s just common sense.

If you do want an antivirus, there are some good free options. avast! Mobile Security for Android is particularly well-reviewed and is completely free.

Antivirus Apps Have Other Features

However, this isn’t the end of the story. Android antivirus apps are often full-featured security suites. They often include other useful features, such as a “find my Android” feature you can use to remotely find your Android phone if you lose it or if it’s stolen. This is particularly useful, as it’s not built into Android.

Apps may also offer other useful features. For example, avast! offers a “Privacy Report” feature that sorts your installed apps by permission so you can see if you have any apps that require too many permissions. avast! also offers a firewall that allows rooted users to block certain apps from accessing the Internet.

If you want any of these features – particularly the “find my Android” anti-theft feature – an Android security app can still be useful.

As long as you stick to apps from Google Play, you probably don’t need an antivirus – especially if you’re using Android 4.2 or later. The majority of Android malware comes from third-party app stores and apps downloaded from suspicious websites. To be extra safe, check the permissions of apps you install.

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Bitdefender Mobile Security

You'll have to pay $15 per year for Bitdefender Mobile Security, but its excellent malware protection and intuitive user interface make it well worth paying for.

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Norton Mobile Security

Norton Mobile Security may seem pricey, but its excellent protection, multidevice license and unique privacy features make it a worthwhile investment.

Avast Mobile Security

Avast Mobile Security has solid malware protection, but some of its many features don't work well.

If you're not running some kind of antivirus app on your Android smartphone or tablet, then you're at higher risk of infection from corrupted apps and other kinds of malware.

Based on our testing, the best paid Android antivirus app is Bitdefender Mobile Security ($15 per year), which offers nearly flawless malware protection with a wide assortment of extra features. The freemium Norton Mobile Security has similarly excellent protection and doesn't hold back much from users who don't want to pay the premium price of $30 per year.

Avast Mobile Security and CM Security Master each offer a rich assortment of features, even in their free versions, and generally score highly in malware-detection tests. But Avast's anti-theft and call-blocking features didn't work well for us, and CM Security Master's malware-detection rates varied quite a bit from month to month. (CM Security Master has also been criticized for allegedly oversharing user data with advertisers.)

You'll be taking a chance with the other two apps we reviewed. Lookout Security & Antivirus was one of the first mobile antivirus apps, and it has a good reputation among Android users. But the company no longer submits the app to independent testing labs, so we really don't know how well it protects against Android malware.

The other app, PSafe DFNDR, is easy to use and full-featured, and its paid version is only $4.99. But in lab tests, its malware-detection rates bounced up and down like a yo-yo. We can only hope that PSafe gets those issues straightened out before our next round of Android antivirus app reviews.

The best mobile antivirus apps offer not only top-notch malware detection and prevention, but also a range of privacy and anti-theft features. These include the ability to back up your contacts and photos, track your phone or tablet via GPS, snap a picture of a phone thief with the device's camera, send commands to a lost or stolen phone via text messages and even use your Android Wear smartwatch to locate your phone.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software

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Latest Security Alerts and Threats

— Many smart TVs and streaming-video devices track your viewing habits and other personal information, three different studies found. ADVICE: Go into your smart TV's or streaming device's settings to see how much you can reduce the tracking.

— Two adware-ridden selfie-filter apps were removed from the Google Play store, but are still easy to find in other Android app markets. ADVICE: Check to see whether Sun Pro Beauty Camera or Funny Sweet Beauty Selfie Camera are on your phone, and run a good Android antivirus app.

— Police in Massachusetts are warning of a phishing scam targeting users of the Venmo mobile-payment service. ADVICE: If you get a text message warning you that your Venmo account is about to be charged, do not click the included link. Use the Venmo app or a desktop browser to check your Venmo activity.

How We Tested

To gauge security protection, we used the latest evaluation results from AV-TEST, an independent lab in Germany that rates major Android security apps every two months based on their ability to detect zero-day malware and other recent threats. Because some apps' results are inconsistent from one test to the next, we've also looked at the past year's worth of AV-TEST results.

To measure the impact these security apps have on overall performance, we used the Geekbench 4 benchmarking app on a Samsung Galaxy S8 phone running Android 7.0 Nougat. For each app, we ran Geekbench several times with no AV app installed, then with one of the review apps installed and finally during that app's full scan.

We also evaluated the number and usefulness of each app's features, took note of which features were reserved for paid users, and assessed the user interface and installation process.

Best Paid Option

Reasons to Buy

Best Antivirus Software For Android Phones Free

Reasons to Avoid

Bitdefender's Android security app offers nearly flawless malware protection, minimal performance impact and robust privacy-protection tools, while incorporating Android Wear watches into the app's anti-theft features. However, there are no scheduled malware scans, and there's no freemium option. (The separate Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Android only scans for malware.) But at $15 per year per device, Bitdefender Mobile Security is well worth the expense.

Best Freemium Option

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

Norton Mobile Security offers terrific malware protection, and its call-blocking, text-blocking and contacts backup features are free for all users, as is the excellent anti-theft functionality. The premium yearly license has dropped to $25 and protects up to 10 devices. Norton's best paid feature is App Advisor, which checks installed software and apps in the Google Play store for security and privacy risks. Also good are Norton's app lock and password manager, both of which are free, stand-alone apps. There's also a new VPN app, but it's an extra $30 per year.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus is one of the most full-featured Android security apps on the market, including everything from a privacy advisor to a VPN client to a customizable blacklist. But while Avast's malware protection has improved, some of its otherwise excellent anti-theft functions didn't work for us, and its call-blocking feature barely worked at all.

Free Antivirus Software For Android Phones

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

CM Security's new paid version costs $36 per year, adds an unlimited VPN client and kills third-party ads. However, the rest of the app's extensive set of features and options can still be had for no price whatsoever. There's a network scanner; a clean, easy-to-use interface; an app lock; and a call blocker. But CM Security's malware-detection rates fluctuated from month to month, its anti-theft features offer little more than the built-in Android Device Manager, the free version displayed a lot of ads and the company has been accused of using its mobile apps in a click-fraud scheme.

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

Lookout's Android antivirus app was one of the first, and its ease of use and functionality explain its popularity among Android users. There's a free tier; a regular premium tier for $30 per year, which has many features other Android security apps offer for free; and a 'premium plus' plan that, for $100 per year, contains a full identity-protection service. But Lookout no longer submits its app to independent labs for testing, so we don't know how well it protects against malware.

Best Free Antivirus Software For Android Phones

Reasons to Buy

Reasons to Avoid

Best Antivirus Software For Android Phones

We want to like PSafe DFNDR. It looks great; has many useful features, all of which are free; and its paid version costs only $4.99 per year and merely removes ads. But in lab tests, its malware-detection rate changes from month to month. Sometimes it's excellent, sometime it's pretty bad. Until PSafe gets that problem ironed out, we have to recommend other apps.