The best Android antivirus apps in 2025: our top five picks

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 – here we’ve outlined our top three picks form that process.

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. We also recommend Avast Mobile Security as the best free option available and Norton Mobile Security, which has the best overall feature set.