Android owners know that many of the best Android phones come with Google Play Protect pre-installed to provide a basic layer of protection against malware, but many people want to go beyond just finding and removing bugs and viruses.
Though additional Android security apps are an investment, usually running between $15 and $50 per year, they can stop phishing attempts, flag fraud attempts, protect your identity and let you securely communicate with a VPN.
We spent several weeks installing and uninstalling some of the most popular Android antivirus apps, testing their features, swiping through their menus and checking their customer support hours to see which ones offered the best overall protection, the best features, or the best value for your Android smartphone.
Overall, we think the best way to protect your Android phone is Bitdefender Mobile Security because of its excellent malware protection, variety of features and price. However, we also found excellent picks for best apps for banking, best free apps, best for features and more so you can find one that will work best for your needs.
The quick list
By putting together everything from top malware protection, app anomaly detection and phishing protection, Bitdefender Mobile Security is nothing short of the best way to protect an Android phone. The antivirus app is a bargain at $25 a year but lacks an unlimited VPN.
Avast Mobile Security not only does the basics well with good malware protection but adds an app guard and scheduled system scanning. Its ad-sponsored free version may be limited here and there but can be alternative protection to Play Protect.
Good malware protection is stacked on top of an unlimited VPN, an App Advisor for checking on the safety of software, AI-based scam protection and a slew of other protective elements. This makes Norton Mobile Security a one-stop security center for mobile devices.
As is the case with many of its other security products, McAfee designers have gone out of their way to make Mobile Security visually appealing and easy to use with a simple interface that delivers essential defenses. It adds full VPN access and a password manager.
With the fastest phone scanning around, ESET Mobile Security can trap malware, new and old, as well as phishing attempts, all while analyzing Web sites for dangers. It’s a bargain but ESET’s scanner is among the hungriest around, potentially slowing an older phone.
By burrowing into the operating system, Google Play Protect not only provides a solid security foundation but includes things like a password manager. The good news is that it is already on your new phone or tablet, protecting it from all sorts of threats with improving accuracy.
While the protection that Trend Micro’s Mobile Security provides is superior with a high-performance behavioral monitor, Ad blocker and secure browser, the app is resource hungry. This makes it hard to recommend for older mobile devices.
With experience in testing, using and evaluating all manner of security tools, Brian Nadel has tried out and reviewed all of the major antivirus software suites over the years on both mobile and desktop. He likes digging into all of their features and useful extras to see what was added or removed with each subsequent release. Brian has been testing and reviewing security software for Tom's Guide for the past 15 years but he also covers Wi-Fi routers and home networking too.
The best Android antivirus app you can get today
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Best Android antivirus app overall
Bitdefender continues to dominate security software with its powerful Mobile Security app for Android. The software not only yields excellent malware protection but is one of the least expensive defensive apps around.
While its scanning placed a heavy load on the system’s resources, Mobile Security found just about every threat thrown at it and has no shortage of extra defenses, like the App Lock that can turn off apps that might pose a security risk and the App Anomaly detector that uses machine learning techniques to thwart unexpected and potentially dangerous actions. In addition to blocking objectionable online destinations, its Web site protection focuses on phishing attempts.
There’s not only anti-theft protection that includes GPS tracking and an annoying alarm but Mobile Security’s Account Privacy checks for compromised email accounts. While Mobile Security’s VPN blocks malicious websites and ads, its use is limited to 200MB a day; to get unlimited VPN use, you need to upgrade to the Premium Security package.
At $25 a year, I miss an unlimited VPN but Bitdefender Mobile Security is one of the least expensive ways to protect a phone or tablet. It’s the best mix of protection, price and performance for keeping your phone yours.
Read our full Bitdefender Mobile Security review
The best free Android antivirus app
Avast Mobile Security starts with a surprisingly fleshed out free version to protect phones from the most prominent threats while securely storing up to 10 of your favorite photos in the cloud-based Photo Vault. Unfortunately, you’ll need to put up with a flood of ads, popups and banners.
That said, the $20 Premium Mobile Security is an inexpensive way of getting rid of the ads that includes unlimited photo storage and lots of security-conscious extras. In addition to scan scheduling, Avast’s Web Shield helps avoid nasty Web sites and the Secure Browser lets you hide your identity online.
Avast Mobile Security’s Messages section does a good job of putting all outstanding security issues in your face. Should an app go rogue, Mobile Security’s App Lock can shut it down, cutting off its online oxygen.
Need more? Ultimate Mobile Security costs $40 and ups this protection with unlimited use of Avast’s SecureLine VPN for secure online work and play.
Overall, Avast Mobile Security’s protection is good with the ability to stop popular and fresh exploits but at the cost of several false positive readings. Unfortunately, all these defenses add up to Mobile Security absconding with lots of system resources.
Read our full Avast Mobile Security review
The best Android antivirus app for features
Norton Mobile Security attempts to provide nothing short of the most thorough protection you can get to defend a phone or tablet. It generally succeeds with perfect malware effectiveness scores on AV-Test’s battery of viral assessments but that’s only half the story because there are no results from our other independent malware appraisal lab.
In addition to thorough scanning, Norton Mobile Security’s App Advisor takes a proactive approach by warning of dangerous software before it can be installed on a phone. The app’s Privacy Monitor works with data brokers to keep your personal information (including banking details) off the dark Web while Norton’s Genie AI can warn about artificial intelligence scams.
The app’s VPN access is part and parcel of Norton Mobile Security — not a separate app — making it easier to use. Unfortunately, unlimited access costs an extra $50 a year on top of the Norton Mobile Security’s $30 a year subscription, making it a steep upgrade.
That said, Norton Mobile Security is the rare Android security app that can safeguard recent Chromebooks along with Android phones and tablets. This makes it a great way to protect computers at home, at work and at school.
Read our full Norton Mobile Security review
The best Android antivirus app interface
A full-service suite for phones and tablets, McAfee Mobile Security is for more than just getting rid of infections. It’s like having a mini security suite for Androids.
Based on one of the best security interfaces around, everything is visual, simple and straightforward. The app offers good protection from a variety of threats with AI-based cloud scanning that can be scheduled, while its Safe Browsing can alert you to dangerous Web destinations. It can block the installation of unwanted apps.
McAfee Mobile Security goes a couple steps further with protection against unsafe email attachments, online identity monitoring and scams. Unlike its peers, it has a password manager for securing your login credentials.
On the downside, Mobile Security’s scanning can be painfully slow and based on AV-Test’s survey, it allowed several new threats to get through its defensive screen. Happily, Mobile Security didn’t have any false positive readings of safe software. McAfee didn’t, however, participate in our other independent malware lab’s testing.
At $30 a year with unlimited VPN access and an integrated interface, Mobile Security is a bargain at half the cost of comparable protection. It might not be perfect, but McAfee Mobile Security does a lot for a little.
Read our full McAfee Mobile Security review
The best Android antivirus app for fast scans
Sure, there’s a free version of ESET Mobile Security, but the sweet spot for this phone and tablet security app is the $15 Premium version. It not only gets rid of the annoying ads but increases the app’s protection profile with quick scans.
Its emphasis is on stopping phishing attempts dead in their tracks while the real-time system behavioral analysis looks for changes that might be due to malware. Any app can be locked and Mobile Security’s secure Payment Protection browser can help keep your identity and credit card info safe, but its unlimited VPN is only available with one of ESET’s security suites.
The app can show the GPS position of a lost or stolen phone, surreptitiously snap a photo of the person using it and lock it remotely. That said, Mobile Security’s Scanning engine goes beyond the expected to look at system software, apps and data for threats. It can even spot Windows and Mac viruses.
In addition to monitoring Web sites for potential malware exposure, ESET has a built-in security barrier for rogue code on social media apps, like Facebook and Instagram. Overall, its protection was excellent but its lightning fast scans can slow a phone down.
Read our full ESET Mobile Security review
The best pre-installed Android antivirus app
If any app deserves the most improved award, it’s Google’s Play Protect. It has risen from barely being able to find dangerous software to half-step away from the best.
Built from the start into the Android operating system, Play Protect resides several layers below the other Android security apps, allowing it priority access to the system’s inner workings. Play Protect and the system software team up to block malicious sites and dangers lurking in some of the major social media apps.
Able to stop unwanted apps from being installed on the system, Play Protect scans for app problems but not phone data. Based on a combination of local and cloud analysis, scans can’t be scheduled but will start up automatically during idle periods.
Part of the software for billions of phones and tablets, Play Protect raised its virus detection rate to world-class levels. With results in the 99+ percent effectiveness range, Play Protect’s scanning engine is capable but still allows potential threats through with too many false positives.
Like Microsoft Defender, Google Play Protect comes preinstalled, resides in the background and protects from day one. In other words, it’s the do nothing approach to security that actually works.
Read our full Google Play Protect review
The best Android antivirus app for banking
The proof of a security app’s usefulness is in its ability to thwart creative and novel threats and Trend Micro Mobile Security punching above its weight class. At $30, it lacks a VPN and several other security enhancing amenities but includes the company’s Secure Guard hardened browser to help make online commerce safer.
The app can not only block ads but its Web Guard warns of dangerous sites. Too bad it can’t schedule scanning and getting the VPN requires subscribing to one of Trend Micro’s security suites. It is capable of removing unused apps on your phone or tablet and Mobile Security is the rare Android app that focuses on the privacy settings for major social media accounts.
Meanwhile, Mobile Security’s Fraud Buster feature warns of potential online scams and a lost or stolen phone can be located and locked. The app includes parental controls and a Wi-Fi network scanner.
Unfortunately, all this adds up to a heavy burden placed on the system’s resources, although Mobile Security was just as good at detecting AV-Test’s and AV Comparatives’ viral samples. Its proliferation of false positives shows that Trend Micro Mobile Security might have been a little too eager to please.
Read our full Trend Micro Mobile Security review
Best Android antivirus app comparison chart
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Bitdefender Mobile Security | Avast Mobile Security | Norton Mobile Security | McAfee Mobile Security | ESET Mobile Security | Google Play Protect | Trend Micro Mobile Security |
Price per year | $15 | $20, $40 for Ultimate | $20 | $30 | $13 | Free | $30 |
Minimum Android support | 5.0 Lollipop | 8.0 Oreo | 8.0 Oreo | 8.0 Oreo | 5.0 Lollipop | 4.4 Kit Kat | 8.0 Oreo |
Ad blocking | Yes with premium VPN subscription | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
App lock | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Anti-theft | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
App advisor | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
URL screener | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Wi-Fi scanner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
VPN | Yes but unlimited use requires premium subscription | Yes but unlimited use requires Ultimate subscription | Yes with Deluxe, Premium or Ultimate Plus plans | Yes | Yes with Ultimate Security plan | No | Yes with Premium Security plan |
Wear OS support | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Why you should use an Android antivirus app
In order to keep your Android smartphone or tablet safe, you should keep its software updated to the latest version. This is because each new version of Android is more secure than its predecessor, and each monthly Android security update fixes newly found flaws.
However, unless you have a Google Pixel or Android One phone, you won’t get these updates and upgrades right away. Most device makers need extra time to make sure that changes to Android won’t break their devices or software.
The time between updates can be a couple of weeks though it can also take months. To make matters worse, some Android phones stop getting Android OS upgrades after two years and a few never receive monthly security patches at all.
This is where the best Android antivirus apps come in. They stop attacks that try to get around Android’s built-in defenses, especially those that Google has patched but your device doesn’t have yet (or never will). They also stop new attacks that Google Play Protect won’t catch, even on Pixel devices.
How to choose the best Android antivirus app for you
While you know you need an antivirus program for your Android smartphone, which Android antivirus app to select will depend a lot on your online habits, what features you need and your budget.
First and foremost, you’re going to want something effective against malware, phishing and malicious links as well as other online threats. Look for an app developer with a good reputation for frequent updates, since that will keep you protected from newer virus signatures as well as existing bugs and vulnerabilities.
Secondly, you’ll want to make sure the app isn’t going to be a performance hog. You’re more likely to remove or disable an app if it bogs down your phone and makes it a hassle to use. So whichever app you choose should be able to do its job and protect your device without keeping you from using your phone the way you like.
Third, you’ll likely want some features. Maybe just a few, maybe loads of them depending on how you use your phone and for what. If you don’t already have an antivirus program for your computer that provides additional protection like a password manager or a VPN, you might want to have these bonuses added to your Android antivirus app. If you’ve been a victim to a data breach, maybe you know you want additional identity monitoring.
Last check final details: look at the interface to see if the app seems neatly laid out and organized, and easy to use. Find out when the customer support hours are, and how customer support is available (email, chat or phone), and then check cost. What is included in the annual fee, and what is available for an additional price.
That sounds like a lot of research which is why reading reviews can be so valuable, as well as looking at results from testing companies like AV-Test to see scores on malware prevention, false positives and performance draws.
How we test the best Android antivirus apps
To rate these Android security apps and pick the best from the also-rans, we subjected each to a comprehensive round of testing on a OnePlus 11 test phone. It started with the installation process and extended to examining every major feature (and a slew of minor ones) until we had a good idea of how they worked.
To measure each app’s passive impact on performance, we used the Passmark 11’s system performance benchmark before and after the app was installed. We ran it again with the phone scanning for dangers and compared the three readings.
We also used a stopwatch to time how long it took for each app to fully scan the system for threats. In these tests, smaller numeric results indicate better performance.
To gauge the security protection offered by each of these Android apps, we turned to two independent malware test labs. In addition to AV-TEST we used data from AV-Comparatives on each app’s ability to spot and destroy a variety of threats. We paid particular attention to false positive readings of safe software that the apps thought was dangerous. Together they give a good idea about the app’s effectiveness at catching malware, new and old.
