Android is undoubtedly the most utilized operating system globally. This also means it’s the most vulnerable to viruses, malware, phishing attacks, and more.
An android device is almost like a personal assistant or confidant. We use it for all things banking, business transactions, safekeeping of sensitive info, to name but a few.
But we forget that hackers and fraudsters eye such gadgets to steal your most valuable data. They’ll do anything, from cyber attacking to malware scripting, just to get to your personal information.
That’s why you need an enhanced antivirus tool to safeguard your device against these malicious and fraudulent attacks.
We’ve rounded here our 25 best free antivirus tools that will help protect your privacy and data at all costs.
Read on to find out which tool is best to use on your smart gadget.
Best Free Antivirus Tools for Android
1. Kaspersky Antivirus
Kaspersky Labs is a household name when it comes to antivirus. It comes with top-notch, unique features for Android. It is pretty fast and efficient at identifying and blocking/destroying malware.
The mobile antivirus from Kaspersky blocks any app or webpage it suspects to have a malware infection. It cannot allow any data leakage or stealing of private information.
With Kaspersky Free antivirus, you benefit both ways – from internet security, anti-theft, remote locking when your phone is stolen.
You can even wipe data, set off the alarm, or take a photo of the person using your phone (if you lost it). Its support for Android is another feature that simplifies security management.
2. Bitdefender Mobile Security
Bitdefender Mobile Security offers excellent antivirus protection to your Android phone. It also packs anti-theft capabilities and a privacy advisor tool for your smartwatch through the WearOn technology that alerts you in case you leave your phone behind.
This app offers real-time protection on the Chrome browser. It’s got an autopilot feature that gives you recommendations for security actions based on your system and usage patterns.
Alongside these features is a bundled VPN. Just like Kaspersky, Bitdefender also lets you locate, erase data, send a message or lock your smart device remotely when It’s lost or stolen.
This app has a free trial.
3. Safe Security
Safe Security or 360 Security is a free online security and antivirus app for droids. It features a virus remover, anti-spyware, junk cleaner, and speed booster.
Safe Security checks your phone status and suggests optimization options. It allows you to block spam calls and blacklist unknown numbers, messages, and contacts. The app also detects your Wi-Fi connection and blocks insecure public Wi-Fi connections.
Safe Security features a file cleaner that cleans up images, videos, systems, and ad cache to clear up your device’s storage. The speed booster helps to enhance performance through memory optimization.
The intruder selfie feature will take a photo of the person who accesses your apps without permission, while your app lock will record the location, time, and date when the intrusion occurred. The app also has a call and SMS filter that blacklists unwanted calls and SMS.
With a multi-function lock screen, your phone will automatically go into optimization mode when it’s locked.
4. Avira Antivirus
Avira Android antivirus comes with a VPN and other top-quality features like data encryption, wiping data, and other protection features when your phone is stolen. It helps you protect your phone data from landing in the wrong hands.
Its standout features include identity safeguard features, anti-theft, and permissions management.
The app has a quality antivirus engine with plenty of capabilities. Avira can locate your phone, trigger an alarm remotely, and pin-protect your applications.
5. TotalAV
TotalAV has a pretty excellent set of free features for your Android device. It offers a good set of free features for Android, but it lacks real-time malware protection.
This app has high levels of virus detection rates. It also enables you to block or unblock connection requests without difficulty.
With TotalAV, you have the essential features needed to do away with malware and keep your device safe. You can store your data for later use, block suspected websites, stop ransomware, and much more. Its antivirus protection is quite advanced.
6. Malwarebytes Security
Malwarebytes Security works excellently in preventing malicious files from harming your phone. It will clear any adware, ransomware, and other infections without consuming your phone’s resources. This doesn’t affect your phone performance at all.
Despite being a free app, this antivirus is entirely ad-free. It detects and blocks ransomware before it takes over your programs and files. It identifies phishing schemes in your emails and alerts you beforehand.
7. BullGuard Mobile Security & Antivirus
BullGuard mobile security and antivirus is a cloud-based app offering low-impact antivirus scanning and top-of-the-line anti-theft features. The app blocks malware, including spyware, trackware, adware, and viruses.
BullGuard’s virus scanner operates in the cloud. It has an online dashboard where you can locate, lock and erase information from your phone or trigger an alarm when your phone is in the wrong hands. Even if your SIM card is removed, your device will automatically lock.
The app also scans Wi-Fi networks and backs up all your phone data.
8. McAfee Mobile Security
McAfee Mobile Security effectively protects your device from malware and viruses. It has a virus scanner and various free tools that enable you to track your lost device and encrypt it.
You can also remotely take a photo of the thief on the web. If an app is leaking sensitive data, this tool can track and lock it to protect your information.
McAfee is bundled with a free VPN you can use for unlimited time. It supports multiple devices at high tiers. With a light system footprint and a ton of features, you are assured of value for your money.
It offers you tips and advice on how to optimize your device’s security. With McAfee, you have access to free features that other apps will charge you for.
For example, the Guest Mode feature lets you create a guest account for someone else who is using your phone.
And the Safe Web protection adds more security as you surf the web.
The app also offers a storage cleaner, VPN, secure app lock with fingerprint or pattern, memory booster, anti-theft, My Watch, and other special features to ensure a healthy device.
9. Sophos Intercept X for Mobile
Sophos Intercept X for Mobile is an ad-free, cost-free antivirus Android app you can rely upon for your security needs. It has some of the most impressive features, including an authenticator, QR code scanner, anti-theft tools, and lots of other innovative features.
It scans your devices for malware and other harmful content. You’ll also get alerts for any sensitive data leak. By scheduling the antivirus scanner, you’ll have all your folders and files scanned periodically for optimum performance.
With the secure QR code scanner, your target URLs will be scanned for any threats. Sophos also lets you use the authenticator for authentication of all the apps that support the Google Authenticator. This way, you’ll manage 2FA accounts from a central hub.
10. Panda Dome Antivirus & VPN
Panda Dome Antivirus offers excellent antivirus scanning with Smartwatch compatibility. It also has an app privacy scanner, anti-theft feature, and a VPN.
The best part about this app is that you can operate it remotely from the Android Wear smartwatch.
The real-time scanner can detect spyware and ransomware. Anti-theft features include data wipe, remote location tracking, and device locking.
11. Avast Antivirus
Avast is a free antivirus for Android with standout features like performance-boosting capabilities, anti-theft, junk cleaner, and Wi-Fi security.
The app goes beyond virus scanning to help you track and remotely lock your Android phone. Its performance-enhancing features include a junk cleaner that frees up your phone’s storage space and a RAM booster that speeds up the device.
Avast is an entirely free app.
12. AVG AntiVirus
AVG also delivers great levels of Android security at no cost at all to you. It has outstanding virus protection and anti-theft measures.
It uses its antivirus engine to detect and block web threats and scan all your downloaded files to make sure you are secure. It also allows you the best recovery features and functionalities when your phone is stolen or lost.
AVG also gives you a free taste of the pro features for 14 days. These include extended anti-theft capabilities like self-locking devices when SIM card is removed, alarm trigger, a photo vault, app lock, privacy settings, and Wi-Fi security scanner.
Other features like performance enhancement let you turn off battery draining, delete junk files, and more. These are at your disposal for two weeks under AVG’s free version.
13. Traced Mobile Security
Traced is a free, privacy-oriented internet security app with great network monitoring abilities for your Android device. Some of its notable features include malicious app detection, anti-phishing protection, privacy scanner, and upscale monitoring features.
What makes Traced outstanding is that the app doesn’t collect your data when it’s running on your device. It will never ask you for the location or accessibility permissions.
This app uses machine learning to identify and block malicious apps such as ransomware, spyware, and crypto-jacking apps, and more.
Its Wi-Fi network monitoring abilities include providing detailed reports of the networks’ security profiles with instructions/advice on whether to connect to them or not.
Traced’s strongest focus is on your privacy.
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14. LINE Antivirus
The LINE Antivirus app has all the essential virus protection tools you need for your device. It features an app scanner, which scans every app and lets you know those that are harmful. You can add shortcuts and widgets on the notification bar too.
Other cool features include an app manager, safe browsing that eliminates malicious sites, device optimization through deleting unwanted files, and customized scanning.
Overall, Line Antivirus helps you improve your Droid’s performance.
15. Dr. Capsule
Do you want to protect your Android device from ransomware encryption, viruses, and malicious links? Try Dr. Capsule Antivirus. This app incorporates useful free features such as cloud scanning, phone diagnosis, prescription and solutions, and real-time protection.
Dr. Capsule has a unique feature that enables you to understand your device status. When it signals green, your phone is safe, but if it shows red, there’s definitely a problem.
The app manager lists apps based on your usage to help you check them effortlessly. It also has a messenger cleaner to remove junk and old media files in apps.
This app has some of the most amazing features and will also delete your web history to prevent your private information from leaking.
16. Virus Cleaner
Virus Cleaner is among the best free antivirus apps for mobile. It not only protects you from malware; it also speeds up your gadget whole protecting your data privacy.
Virus Cleaner can clean all those apps that are consuming your phone memory. Without affecting performance, this tool helps to save and extend battery power and keep the CPU temperature down.
Besides performing a deep scan against viruses, the app has the ability to wipe out big chunks of files and protect your Wi-Fi connections from any privacy leaks too.
17. Quick Heal Antivirus and Mobile Security
Quick Heal is another mobile app you can use to detect and block viruses and malware from attacking your phone. It scans your phone’s memory and apps to keep them threat-free. You can schedule scans, so they happen automatically.
Quick Heal provides guides on settings that enhance security. Newly installed apps are scanned before you start using them. The virus database is updated regularly, so your phone is kept up to date.
Apart from keeping your device virus-free, the app also safeguards it from malicious threats and phishing sites. You can also block/blacklist unwanted callers and delete sensitive data securely.
Through a graphical representation, you’ll be able to see your data and security levels.
18. Trend Micro Mobile Security & Antivirus
If you want to keep your device information safe from cyber attacks, viruses, malware, ransomware, scams, infected links, and other online threats, Trend Micro Mobile Security is your app.
It comes with an AI feature that keeps your smartphone virus-free. This not only enhances its performance; it also helps to extend battery life.
Some of Trend’s key features include a system tuner, secure Wi-Fi connection, safe online banking, junk cleaning, anti-theft, app lock, cloud storage, and secret snap, among other features. It also protects your privacy and allows you parental control.
19. NOX Security
NOX Security protects your device from viruses and other internal and external threats. Its abilities include cleaning device storage, real-time protection, notification checking, battery life extension, app lock, and more.
NOX is an all-in-one app that closes all inactive apps that run in the background to save battery use. Real-time protection safeguards you against rootkits, adware, and malicious apps. Any unnecessary apps and files will be wiped out to improve memory storage.
NOX uses the notification check to prevent your device from slowing down or jamming due to unnecessary notifications. It also tightens message security and allows you to lock sensitive information with a PIN code.
20. AhnLab V3 Mobile Security
AhnLab V3 Mobile Security is an Android antivirus app that runs on current and older Android gadgets with lesser spec hardware. It is a powerful app on the privacy front with high levels of malware detection.
AhnLab may not be famous, but it has excellent detection capabilities and is pretty undemanding on system resources. It is built with a booster that speeds up the performance of your device.
The app also gives you a privacy cleaner that clears your browsing history securely and a privacy advisor feature that vets all the apps on your gadget to make sure they don’t compromise your sensitive information. It definitely offers a nice, robust pack – all in a single, free app.
21. Lookout Mobile Security
Lookout Security might already be installed on your smart device, but it all depends on your gadget and service provider. The app often scans your device for malware, removing all threats. It will also show all the apps running in the background and the ones draining the battery.
Lookout Antivirus has a system advisor that continually checks the operating system for root issues that may interfere with your gadget’s performance.
It will then fix these issues to secure them from hackers and other threats. Its anti-theft tools include remote lockdown and device locator, among others.
Don’t worry if you lose your phone, Lookout will help you locate it. Its Find My Phone feature allows you to use the Lookout web portal, which has a map to locate your phone. It will secure your information remotely without any difficulty. The interface is clean, intuitive, and ad-free.
22. ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus
ESET Mobile Security offers safe browsing with an array of free features for your Android. You can locate your devices using GPS and effectively scan them for viruses and malware.
It also offers phishing protection to safeguard you from fraudsters when shopping online. Its anti-phishing feature integrates into your mobile browser for adequate protection against phishing websites.
ESET offers ad-free phishing protection and virus scanning – great for you if you often use your device to look into privacy-sensitive websites. It conducts a security audit of your Android device and application settings.
This app has a clean and intuitive user interface. It offers a 30-day free trial and a 60-day refund policy. Students get to receive enticing perks from the app too.
23. Norton 360
Norton 360 Mobile Security also packs a wealth of features such as the app checker, anti-theft, app advisor, antivirus engine, call blocking, Wi-Fi security, and more.
The app is excellent in malware protection, with other salient features for your benefit. The smart scan feature scans your phone’s SD card and apps for viruses.
With the smart privacy advisor, you’ll always be aware of suspicious apps and avoid downloading them to safeguard your phone’s privacy.
Norton also lets you locate your stolen device remotely and wipe your data after losing it. The app also locks your device automatically when the SIM card is taken out of the phone.
You can back up and restore all your contacts or share them with your close friends or family.
Norton offers a free trial for new users.
24. F-Secure Mobile Security
F-Secure gives you a 30-day free trial. It has rich features that protect your device from malware. It also provides browsing and banking protection to prevent attacks from malicious websites while verifying the banking websites you are visiting.
In case you lose your phone, F-Secure will help you locate it, lock it, or wipe your most important data from the phone. All your Android devices will be managed from a browser user interface, allowing you to see your phone’s status and take necessary actions when it’s lost.
The browser user interface also has parental features, including app control, safe search, content filter, and time limits
25. Google Play Protect
Google Play Protect is built into your Android device as long as it runs Google Play. It offers outstanding anti-theft tools. Its interface is minimalist, with a light impact and no ads.
The app’s built-in features include Find My Device and Safe browsing on Chrome browser. The best feature I like most at Google Play Protect is its ability to remotely disable all the dangerous apps of your droid. This remains like this whether you’re using a third-party antivirus app or not.
To enhance your protection against malicious apps, you may need to use another app.
Final Thoughts
We always believe our android devices are secure. But that may not be the case as more malware keeps being developed to target smart devices.
Our top best app is Kaspersky. It has excellent features to stop viruses and malware before they attack your device.
Kaspersky Lab is a renowned brand whose products work effectively on any device. The android app works wonders to keep your gadget healthy and safe.
If it doesn’t block a threat, it will definitely clean it. It is software with no limitations to keep your data and applications safe.
