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Best for Premium Security
While there are many worthwhile Android apps for antivirus protection, we thought Bitdefender, AVG, and Norton stood out from the rest. If you're willing to splurge for a few extra security features, Bitdefender is a great option that won't break your budget. If you are looking for a high-quality and free antivirus app, look no further than AVG. Norton 360 has excellent premium security features at a relatively affordable cost. Finally, ESET provides users with a bevy of features.
People often get antivirus software to catch computer viruses, but they may forget to protect their Android devices too. Malware can easily infect your phone just as much as your computer. Downloading an antivirus app provides protection against threats like spyware or viruses.
| Antivirus | 
Best Overall
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| Star rating | ||||
| App starting price |
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Free for Android | $19.99/first yr for Android | Free or $59.99/first yr for Android |
| EICAR test results | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Malware scans | Manual and automatic | Manual | Manual and automatic | Manual and automatic |
| Real-time protection | ||||
| Anti-theft | ||||
| Phishing protection | ||||
| Ransomware protection | ||||
| 24/7 customer support | ||||
| Extras | Smart watch protection, VPN, and app lock. | Malware uninstaller, Wi-Fi scanner, and app lock. | Privacy monitor, SMS security, and app advisor. | USB scanner and security report. |
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender | Get AVG | Get Norton 360 | Get ESET |
In reviewing and testing these antivirus apps, we considered a multitude of factors. Our choices were influenced by the ease of use on an Android device as well as typical considerations for a high-quality antivirus app. These factors include:
Along with choosing a great antivirus app, consider downloading other Android security apps to fill in any gaps. You may also want to change your Android security settings to your preferred level of privacy.
Super reliable antivirus software with a non-intrusive free version
Simple yet powerful interface tools
Perfect protection score in third-party tests
Bitdefender is a great option for people looking to protect only their Android devices who want either a free or affordable premium plan. While the free plan has minimal features, the premium plan is worth the splurge.
Bitdefender has two Android apps available. The free one is called Bitdefender Antivirus. It's a lightweight app with the same malware detection feature as the paid app, but it doesn't have any extra frills. If all you're looking for is an app to scan for malware without taking up too much storage or battery, then this is the free app for you.
The paid plan is under the app Bitdefender Mobile Security. An Android-only plan is extremely affordable, especially when you consider the extra security features like a VPN for up to 200 MB of encrypted traffic, App Lock to add passwords to apps, web protection from malicious websites, and anti-theft features to locate, lock, or wipe your device. It can even take a photo of the person trying to access your device.
While there are plenty of mobile-focused features available, we missed some other security features that are available on other operating systems. Some of these include a firewall, ransomware protection, and webcam protection. These features may or may not be important to you, but it would be nice to round out the other security elements of Bitdefender.
For testing Bitdefender, we relied on testing results from other independent antivirus testers alongside our own. To get the full picture of Bitdefender's capabilities, we also looked at the scores for other operating systems, not just Android. Here are the following results from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs, three of the most trustworthy testing sites.
| Bitdefender | |
| AV-TEST Windows score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 |
| AV-Comparatives malware protection score | 99.92% |
| SE Labs | 100% |
| EICAR score | 3/3 |
| Learn more | Get Bitdefender |
Award-winning antivirus, malware, and ransomware protection for up to 10 devices
Includes webcam protection, safe browsing and email, automatic updates, and 24/7 protection
Suite of protection benefits including a secure VPN, anti-tracking capabilities, safeguards against phishing sites, and more
AVG is a free antivirus for Android phones. This is a great option for those who don't want to spend money on antivirus software but still want to protect their device from harmful malware and hackers.
Some other antivirus apps only utilize minimal features for their free software, but not AVG. The AVG Antivirus app includes protection against ransomware, spyware, adware, and more. It even has a built-in Anti-Theft Phone Tracker in case your Android gets lost or stolen.
Despite being free, this doesn't mean AVG is poor quality. The AV-TEST scores showed that AVG excelled in all categories and had a perfect score of 6.0 for Android devices.[1] The results mean AVG is an excellent tool for malware detection, performance, and usability.
Let's say you want to upgrade to a paid plan for additional security features like phishing protection or Wi-Fi security. Unlike the other antivirus apps on this list, AVG doesn't have a plan to only cover your Android device. Instead, you need to choose the 10-device option from the AVG Internet Security plan or AVG Ultimate plan.
This makes it a bit more costly, with Android-inclusive plans starting at $39.99/first yr. The good news is that it's still a fairly affordable plan if you need to cover multiple devices. But if you need only your Android phone covered, then this plan is expensive.
To fully test AVG's capabilities at protecting against malware we also looked at results from independent testers such as AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. To get a better understanding of how seriously AVG takes security, we also look at results for other operating systems besides Android.
| AVG | |
| AV-TEST Windows score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 |
| AV-Comparatives malware protection score | 99.95% |
| SE Labs | 99% |
| EICAR score | 3/3 |
| Learn more | Get AVG |
Tested protection against hackers, viruses, malware, and ransomware
Includes VPN, parental controls, and more
Backed by a 100% Virus Removal Guarantee
Norton 360, also known as Norton Mobile Security, is best for people willing to spend a little extra to gain all of the premium security features you could possibly need in an antivirus solution. While Norton does offer an Android single-device plan, you may want to upgrade to a more premium plan to unlock high-level security tools.
Most antivirus software focuses on Mac or Windows devices, but Norton has taken the time to include security features for threats that specifically target an Android device. For example, SMS phishing can easily be mistaken for an authentic text message. But Norton has you protected with its SMS Security feature to spot and filter suspicious text messages.
While the Android antivirus plan offers the necessary protection, you may want to add extra security features. With Norton Antivirus Plus, you can get a 2 GB cloud backup and a password manager for $29.99/first yr. If you need to cover additional devices or want to add a VPN and dark web monitoring services, then take a look at the Standard plan at $39.99/first yr. Norton offers a variety of extra security tools, so it's easy to keep it all within one company.
Norton 360 has no theft protection for mobile devices. Bitdefender has a feature to lock your phone and even take a picture of someone trying to access your Android. It even has an app lock feature to provide another layer of protection for sensitive data. Neither of these is essential for an antivirus app, but it was a missing piece for overall Android security.
When we tested Norton 360, we also looked at the test results from AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. By looking at these three independent testers, we can get a better understanding of how well Norton 360 detects malware, on Android and other operating systems.
| Norton 360 | |
| AV-TEST Windows score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 |
| AV-Comparatives malware protection score | 99.97% |
| SE Labs | 99% |
| EICAR score | 3/3 |
| Learn more | Get Norton |
Lots of useful features
Offers a 30-day free trial with no credit card required
ESET has many protective features, such as a password manager, VPN, and identity theft protection. It also covers your computer or tablet, or you can cover just your Android phone and save some money. If you want a password manager, VPN, identity theft protection, and more, all protected by advanced machine learning, ESET may be your best choice.
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We appreciated how many features ESET offers customers. You can combine several services into one, like your password manager, VPN, and identity theft protection. Other features like metadata cleanup, file and photo encryption, and notification blocking are added to ESET to help keep your phone activity private./p>
If you want real-time protection on your phone, ESET provides it along with machine learning to prevent new and emerging threats from attacking you. Wi-Fi hotspots like coffee shops and hotels often provide insecure networks where hackers can deposit malware on your phone. Protection from ESET helps stop these cybercriminals in their tracks.
ESET offers 30 days free without needing to enter credit card information, which is great, but it doesn't have a free tier. Some competitors do offer basic protection for free and only charge when you upgrade to more features. If you're on a budget, you may not want to go with ESET.
When we tested ESET, we also looked at test results from other independent testers such as AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. This gave us an unbiased and deeper insight into how well ESET protects against malware on Android and other devices.
| ESET | |
| AV-TEST Windows score | 18/18 |
| AV-TEST macOS score | 17/18 |
| AV-TEST Android score | 18/18 |
| AV-Comparatives malware protection score | 99.3% |
| SE Labs | N/A |
| EICAR score | 3/3 |
| Learn more | Get ESET |
Although some antivirus programs stood out from the crowd, you may not find our top three to be the best options for you. Here are some additional antivirus apps to consider:
Yes, there are free Android antivirus apps. There are several options to choose from in the Google Play Store. We recommend taking a look at AVG for a high-quality and free antivirus app. You may also want to take a look at Bitdefender if all you need is basic malware scanning.
You can get rid of a virus on your phone by installing an antivirus app. The next step is to use the app to scan your Android and find the infected files. Once the virus is found, you can delete the malicious file or direct the app to remove it for you. You'll want to scan your phone again to ensure the infected files have been removed.
Yes, Android phones need antivirus software. Androids are just as vulnerable as desktop computers. You could accidentally install a malicious app or download a file with a virus attached. Antivirus software can help detect these threats and stop you from installing them. Some antivirus apps also come with additional perks like anti-theft features or VPNs.
The safest antivirus for Android phones is one that is downloaded from the Google Play Store. Since it has the Play Protect feature, all apps are scanned for malicious content before you install them. Any of the mobile apps listed in this article can safely be downloaded through the Google Play Store.
Let's face it: Android devices face different threats compared to other operating systems. Not only are there security threats from internet browsing, but you also face security issues from malicious apps, smishing scams, and theft.
That's why Bitdefender made our top three. It has a basic free plan for malware detection and a paid plan that includes all the bells and whistles like a VPN and anti-theft features. If you want a free plan while still having a high-quality antivirus app, then look no further than AVG. But if you have the budget, then consider Norton 360 to gain access to multiple premium security features for your Android device.
| Starting price | Best for | Learn more | |
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$29.99/first yr | Best overall | Get Bitdefender
Read Bitdefender Review |
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Free | Best free antivirus app | Get AVG
Read AVG Review |
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$19.99/first yr | Best for premium security | Get Norton
Read Norton Review |
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$59.99/first yr | Best for variety of features | Get ESET
Read ESET Review |
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