It is no secret that your Android smartphone is not so smart when it comes to antivirus needs. While paid options are your better bet, be glad to know that the best free antivirus for Android will still protect to you. An effective one, such as one of the five I list below, along with a reliable VPN, will cover almost all your antivirus and online security needs.
There is no particular order to this antivirus list; they are all capable. What you need to do is determine what exactly will work best for your particular needs. Even the best free antivirus is not going to cover everything, but each will cover slightly different things that will suit you.
Best free antivirus for Android: Antivirus Boost
Not only is this one of the best free antivirus apps for Android; it is also one of the most highly rated antivirus apps on the entire Google Play store:
- Over 100 million downloads
- 10 million ratings
- Average rating of 4.6 out of 5
There are not many apps that can get a rating this high. Considering that this free antivirus app can do real-time scans for malware (including your games) and have an anti-theft feature…
You could simply download this app, along with IPVanish VPN, and eliminate 99.9% of all online security threats.
But the software didn’t stop there. It also added a feature which will you allow to clean and boost the speed of your apps. While this is not essential to antivirus capability or security, it does prevent you from downloading another app which could be harmful. Such as the entire CCleaner scandal.
Best free antivirus for Android: AVL Pro Antivirus
Not only does this free Android antivirus app have a cutting edge antivirus database, but it is also able to detect executable files. You can also use features like real-time device scanning, real-time protection, and scanning an external SD card.
Four very notable features include:
- Anti-theft protection
- Privacy features which go beyond just being secure
- Blacklisting features
- Device administration features
The tradeoff from all these features is that it is a slightly larger antivirus for Android app. If you want all the mentioned features, it is much smarter to just download this one app than several antivirus apps.
Best free antivirus for Android: Bitdefender Antivirus Free
Bitdefender is one of the biggest names in online security, not just in the area of free antivirus apps. The developers behind Bitdefender were sure to design an antivirus app for Android that measured up to the software’s stellar reputation:
- It is very effective but lightweight.
- The app does not run constantly in the background, freeing up your system resources.
- You can schedule scans to run at a convenient time for you.
- It automatically scans new apps as you download them
You do not need to worry about any configurations once you have download Bitdefender Antivirus Free. The company has done everything it can to make this free app not only useful but also easy to use.
Best free antivirus for Android: Avast Mobile Security
With over 100 million downloads, this is another popular free antivirus for Android app. This comes from Avast, another well known and established name in the online security industry.
This Avast mobile app has gone far beyond just being an antivirus app. It also offers:
- Call blocking
- A free firewall
- Remote locking of your phone
- Remote wiping of your phone
This free app would be useful with just those four features alone. But the addition of its cutting-edge antivirus solution has made it a real contender for the best free antivirus app available for Android.
The only drawback is that advertisements support the free side of the app. If you do not want to see the ads, you will have to pay a small fee. Otherwise, it is free.
Best free antivirus for Android: Sophos Free Antivirus
If you don’t like the advertising that made the above antivirus app free, you will love this one as it has no ads. Instead, it is supported by its paid side. Usually, the business side of things is where the real money is.
Sophos Free Antivirus and Security app will:
- Scan apps for harmful content.
- Check to see if apps can leak sensitive information then notify you.
- Scan specific files periodically.
- Scan specific folders periodically.
- Offer you spam protection.
- Remotely lock and wipe your device by SMS.
- Block websites with harmful content.
All these features get help from the malware database that is supported by the paid side, so the free version is updated daily. It is another do-it-all app that is also one of the best free antivirus apps for Android.