10 Best Android Antiviruses 2025: Secure Your Device

Raven Wu
Raven Wu Writer
Updated on: April 26, 2025
Fact-checked by Kate Davidson
77 Antiviruses tested
5000+ Research hours
48 Experts
6000+ Reviews
223 Guides
Raven Wu Raven Wu
Updated on: April 26, 2025 Writer
Fact-checked by Kate Davidson
77 Antiviruses tested
5000+ Research hours
48 Experts
6000+ Reviews
223 Guides
10 Best Android Antiviruses 2025: Secure Your Device
Short on time? Here’s the best antivirus app for Android in 2025:
  • 🥇 Norton : Advanced malware protection, Wi-Fi monitoring, phishing protection, app advisor, VPN, identity theft protection, and much more — all inside an intuitive Android app.

I downloaded, installed, and tested the most popular Android antivirus apps. I wanted to find the best tool to protect me from dangerous apps, webpages, and other threats. Unfortunately, I quickly learned that most Android antivirus apps are terrible — they failed to detect sophisticated malware, drained my phone’s battery, and even harvested my data for advertisers.

The good news is that there are some excellent internet security apps out there. They offer a wide range of useful features, such as real-time malware protection, anti-phishing protection, virtual private networks (VPNs), anti-theft tools, spam filters, and parental controls.

After weeks of testing, I found the 10 best Android antiviruses on the market. All of the apps below performed excellently in my tests, and they can be installed onto almost all Android smartphones and tablets. (Chromebook users can look here for my favorite Chromebook-compatible apps).

As a quick money-saving tip, click on the links on this page for the best deals. You’ll get lower prices and stronger money-back guarantees than buying directly from the Google Play Store.

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Quick Summary of the Best Android Antivirus Apps in 2025

Editor’s Choice
Norton
Best overall Android antivirus in 2025 (feature-rich app + perfect malware detection).
Most of our readers choose Norton
Bitdefender
Best lightweight scanner (includes an excellent VPN, app locker, and scam alerts).
McAfee
Best tool for avoiding web-based threats (blocks phishing sites and scam pages).
TotalAV
Best antivirus for optimizing Android devices with speed and storage issues.
Avira
Good choice for privacy-conscious users (with mic and camera protection).
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1. 🥇Norton — #1 Overall Pick for Best Android Antivirus of 2025

Norton

Norton Mobile Security includes an Android internet security app with additional tools to protect your privacy. It has a reliable anti-malware scanner and a lot of extra features. During my tests, I ran Norton’s malware scanner against a wide range of Android threats, including malicious apps and dangerous files. It removed 100% of the malware from my device, and the scan took just a few minutes. The app had virtually no impact on my device’s performance or battery life, and in terms of privacy, Norton only collects minimal information, which it doesn’t share with any third parties.

Norton includes more security features than almost any competitor, including:

  • App Advisor.
  • SMS filter.
  • Genie Scam Protection (SMS & web).
  • Anti-phishing protection.
  • Wi-Fi monitoring.
  • LifeLock identity theft protection (separate app).
  • Data broker removal tool (US only).
  • Secure browser.
  • Parental controls.
  • VPN.

1. 🥇Norton — #1 Overall Pick for Best Android Antivirus of 2025

I really like Norton’s App Advisor. It scans the Google Play Store and warns you about malicious apps before you download them. Additionally, it provides a useful list of every app on your phone, organized by permissions and threat level. I used it to remove a malicious app and a few others that were collecting excess personal information about me. Norton runs scans in real time, so you’ll be alerted to threats as soon as they arise.

Norton’s anti-phishing protection is also excellent — it blocked most phishing and risky sites I tried opening. It works on every major mobile browser and protects you from dangerous links on social media sites like Instagram and texting apps like Facebook Messenger. Norton also scans links you receive in text messages and can even block spam text messages from appearing in your inbox.

1. 🥇Norton — #1 Overall Pick for Best Android Antivirus of 2025

I love that Norton’s Android-only plan comes with Privacy Monitor, a tool that US-based users can use to request that data brokers remove their personal information. Norton is the only antivirus on this list to include such a tool on its Android plan. If you subscribe to one of Norton’s many bundles, you can get a whole suite of additional identity theft protection tools — they’re the best on the market.

Other notable features include an unlimited-data VPN. It maintained fast speeds while I browsed the internet anonymously, and it has a split-tunneling feature, a kill switch, and an integrated tracker blocker. It isn’t as good as the best standalone VPNs, but it’s still pretty good. A Wi-Fi scanner also alerts you whenever you connect to an unsecured network.

Norton Mobile Security covers 1 Android device and costs $19.99 / year*, but it’s missing the VPN and most identity protections. Norton’s premium bundles are a great option if you want those features or have multiple devices to protect. The 360 Deluxe plan ($49.99 / year*) brings the most value as it includes most features and covers up to 5 devices. But there are other options, and they’re all backed by a generous 60-day money-back guarantee.

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Bottom Line:

Norton Mobile Security is a reliable Android antivirus with tons of additional security features. Its antivirus scanner is the best on the market, detecting 100% of malware during testing. I’m also a big fan of Norton’s anti-phishing protection and identity theft monitoring, but its VPN could be better. Norton Mobile Security is available for mobile users as a standalone app or bundled with Norton’s antivirus packages, and there’s a generous 60-day money-back guarantee on all of Norton’s plans.

Read the full Norton review here >

2.🥈 Bitdefender — Lightweight Malware Scanner With a Fast VPN

Bitdefender

Bitdefender’s Mobile Security plan comes with a lightweight antivirus app for Android with tons of helpful features. Its cloud-based scanning engine uses machine learning to detect the latest malware threats. When I tested the scanner, it removed all of the malware from my phone and tablet in just a few minutes. The real-time protection worked perfectly, barely impacting my phone’s battery or performance. The only downside is that Bitdefender collects more user data than Norton.

Bitdefender has an innovative App Anomaly Detection feature for Android. This advanced technology continually monitors app behavior and immediately flags any suspicious activities. It even works when Bitdefender is closed, so you’re always protected.

2.🥈 Bitdefender — Lightweight Malware Scanner With a Fast VPN

The app also comes with a VPN powered by Hotspot Shield, but the better version of the VPN requires a separate app. The VPN included with the antivirus is barebones, while the dedicated VPN is fully featured, with a kill switch, split tunneling, multiple protocols, and a wide selection of servers. That said, I enjoyed good speeds on both apps. With a Mobile Security subscription, you can use both apps. Most plans have a low data limit, but you can get unlimited data by getting the most comprehensive multi-platform bundle.

2.🥈 Bitdefender — Lightweight Malware Scanner With a Fast VPN

I’m pretty impressed with Bitdefender’s mobile app’s wide range of features. You also get:

  • App locker.
  • SMS scam filter.
  • Data breach monitoring.
  • Anti-theft tools.
  • Web protections.

At $14.99 / year, Bitdefender Mobile Security is a good value, but it can only protect a single Android phone. If you have multiple devices, you can get a better deal by subscribing to one of the multi-platform plans. Antivirus Plus costs $34.99 / year and covers up to 3 devices. But my favorite plan is Total Security ($54.99 / year), which includes every feature save the unlimited-data VPN. All of Bitdefender’s plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Bottom Line:

Bitdefender Mobile Security provides lightweight protection with some great extra features. The malware scanner scored 100% in my device scanning and real-time protection testing. I also like Bitdefender’s anti-phishing measures and VPN, which provides 200 MB of daily data usage (you’ll need to upgrade to the priciest plan to get unlimited data). You can buy Bitdefender as a standalone Android app or as part of Bitdefender’s multi-device bundles. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of Bitdefender’s subscriptions.

Read the full Bitdefender review here >

3.🥉 McAfee — Best Android Web Protections

McAfee

McAfee’s feature-rich Android app provides excellent malware protection and some of the best web protections on the market. McAfee’s scanner detected all of the malware I downloaded to my Android tablet, but the scanning process affected my battery life much more than Norton or Bitdefender.

The malware scanner works well, removing both apps and dangerous .ZIP and .APK files. I like how the app issues you with a protection score that you can increase by optimizing your phone’s security settings. US customers can also set up McAfee’s identity theft monitoring service to get the highest possible score.

3.🥉 McAfee — Best Android Web Protections

McAfee’s Android app also comes with excellent anti-phishing protection. In my tests, it successfully blocked both risky sites and malicious downloads. It also scans URLs sent in text messages, making it easy to identify scammers.

In addition to helping you avoid dangerous sites, McAfee’s Android app will alert you to unsecured networks. The Wi-Fi scanner analyzes networks for security issues and alerts you if you connect to an unsecured hotspot. However, the strongest privacy tool is the VPN, which you can use to anonymize your web traffic.

3.🥉 McAfee — Best Android Web Protections

I recommend Android users pick up McAfee Premium for $49.99 / year. It provides unlimited device licenses, so you can also protect your desktop and iOS devices. You’ll need the Advanced plan ($89.99 / year) for extensive identity protections. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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Bottom Line:

McAfee is a secure antivirus app for Android with a robust set of web protections. McAfee’s malware scanner is excellent at detecting and removing malware, the anti-phishing protection blocks all risky sites, and the dark web monitoring notifies you if your sensitive data is leaked in a data breach. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of McAfee’s plans.

Read the full McAfee review here >

4. TotalAV — Best Device Optimization for Old or Slow Androids

TotalAV

TotalAV’s Android antivirus provides secure anti-malware protection, good additional features, and excellent device optimization tools. Like all of TotalAV’s apps, the Android version is easy to use. It’s also very effective, detecting 99% of the malware on my Android device during testing, but the real-time scanner did affect my phone’s battery more than Norton (which detected 100% of the malware).

TotalAV’s device optimization tools are excellent. They scanned my Android tablet for duplicates, junk, and cache files and cleaned up over 1 GB of much-needed disk drive space. I really like the duplicate photo and video finder. I had tons of near-identical images which I could swiftly delete.

4. TotalAV — Best Device Optimization for Old or Slow Androids

TotalAV includes a few more decent security features:

  • VPN.
  • Anti-phishing protection.
  • Secure browser.
  • App locker.
  • Data breach monitoring.

TotalAV’s VPN is better than both Norton and Bitdefender’s VPN, ranking #1 on our list of the best antiviruses with VPNs. It provides access to almost 100 servers worldwide, has a kill switch and no-logs policy, works with streaming sites, and maintains fast speeds. The secure browser has added protections and uses DuckDuckGo’s search engine, but even if you stick with your favorite browser, you’ll benefit from Web Shield, which blocks dangerous sites. They work well on all types of Android devices, including tablets.

All of TotalAV’s internet security suites are compatible with Android devices. The multi-device plans are way cheaper than the Android subscription, starting at $19.00 / year, and providing excellent antivirus protection for PC, Mac, and iOS as well. Every annual plan is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

TotalAV for Android has good malware protection and excellent device optimization tools. The scanner detected all the malware in my testing, but the real-time protection drained my battery more than the other top antiviruses on this list. TotalAV’s device cleanup tools removed over 1 GB of junk files from my tablet, improving its speed and performance. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of TotalAV’s annual plans.

Read the full TotalAV review here >

5. Avira — Good Privacy Protections

Avira

Avira Security Antivirus & VPN provides a cloud-based malware scanner with lots of features. Avira’s malware scanner detected all of the malware files in my testing, but I was disappointed with how quickly it drained my battery during scans.

The malware scanner works well — and it’s 100% free. It removed every malicious app on my phone and provided a list of every app with invasive permissions. But I prefer Norton’s App Advisor, which rates apps based on overall permissions (Avira shows permission types, and you have to tap the permissions to see which apps have them).

Here are Avira’s additional features:

  • Anti-phishing protection.
  • Breach monitoring.
  • Call blocker.
  • App locker.
  • Camera and microphone protection.
  • Web protection.
  • Password manager.
  • VPN (100 MB/day, or unlimited data on Avira Prime).
  • System tune-up tools.

5. Avira — Good Privacy Protections

I like the VPN and system tune-up tools the most. The VPN is intuitive (one of my top choices for torrenting), and the system tune-up tools are excellent for clearing memory and storage. Unfortunately, you’ll have to upgrade to a paid plan to get unlimited data. The web protections (another premium feature) are great, too, providing security that matches the VPN’s privacy features.

You’ll need the Prime plan to get all of Avira’s Android features — including the unlimited-data VPN and web protections. It costs $59.99 / year and covers up to 5 devices (including Android, PC, Mac, & iOS). Avira’s annual plans are covered by a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

Avira Security Antivirus & VPN is a full-featured antivirus app for Android with more features than many competing brands. Avira detected the majority of the malware in my testing, and its anti-phishing protection, system tune-up tools, and VPN are all good. Avira offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on all of its yearly plans.

Read the full Avira review here >

6. ESET — Strong Malware Protection

Eset

ESET Mobile Security comes with an Android app with a thorough malware scanner, achieving a 100% detection rate during my tests. Its real-time protection effectively stopped ransomware, spyware, and other malicious files.

ESET comes with a lot of additional features:

  • Anti-phishing protection.
  • App lock.
  • Payment protection.
  • Wi-Fi network scanner.
  • Anti-theft protection.
  • Call filter.
  • App auditor.
  • Payment protection.

6. ESET — Strong Malware Protection

I found the anti-theft protections very comprehensive. If your phone is stolen, you can use the anti-theft dashboard on your computer to find it. You can also make it so your phone is automatically locked whenever the SIM is removed. The ability to take photos of any potential thief is a nice addition.

The anti-phishing protections are pretty good, too. They successfully blocked the majority of dangerous sites I tried to visit. However, they are over-sensitive, and I found it difficult to add false positives to the whitelist. There’s also a payment protection tool that provides extra security by encrypting your keystrokes when shopping on your phone.

ESET has a decent VPN on its most expensive plan, Ultimate, but it costs a whopping $179.99 / year. I think Norton’s VPN is better in terms of security and convenience.

ESET Mobile Security can protect up to 10 Android devices. Its annual plan starts at $12.99 / year for 1 device. To get coverage for 3 devices (including PCs and Macs), you can upgrade to Premium Security for just $59.99 / year. ESET’s plans come with a 30-day free trial (no credit card required) and are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

ESET Mobile Security offers powerful malware protection and many extra features. Its anti-theft tools and application auditor are particularly good. However, it lacks some valuable extras top competitors offer, like system tune-up tools. ESET provides a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans.

Read the full ESET review here

7. Kaspersky — Powerful Anti-Theft Features

Kaspersky

Kaspersky’s Android app is currently unavailable from the Google Play Store, but you can download the .APK file from Kasperksy’s site. There’s no evidence to suggest that Kaspersky’s products present any privacy risk to their users. However, if you’re still wary (or reside in the US, where sales of Kaspersky have been banned), there are plenty of great alternatives.

Kaspersky has a powerful Android malware scanner and some of the best anti-theft tools on the market. It detected all of the 80+ malware samples I put on my phone during a full scan and took less than 5 minutes. Kaspersky doesn’t sell the premium Android antivirus on its own, so if you want the full version, you’ll need to get one of Kaspersky’s bundles.

Its real-time protection stopped me from downloading dangerous apps from the Google Play Store, intercepting and automatically placing them into quarantine. However, it doesn’t warn you about risky apps before you download them — an added layer of security offered by Norton Mobile Security’s App Advisor.

Kaspersky’s Android app also comes with the following additional features:

  • Anti-phishing protection.
  • Anti-theft.
  • App lock.
  • Call filter.
  • Social media privacy optimizer.
  • Optimization tools.
  • VPN (unlimited data on Plus and Premium plans).
  • Home Wi-Fi monitor.
  • Password manager (separate download).

7. Kaspersky — Powerful Anti-Theft Features

The anti-theft tools are Kaspersky’s standout feature. From your computer or any other device, you can take photos, set off an alarm, lock your device, and even perform a factory reset. The optimization tools saved a bit of space on my device, but the impact was smaller than with TotalAV.

To get phishing protection and other premium features, you’ll need Kaspersky’s Standard plan. It can protect 3 devices (including PCs, Macs, and iPhones) for $25.71 / year. The Plus plan starts from $34.71 / year and adds a VPN with unlimited data, home Wi-Fi monitoring, and a password manager (separate app). Every plan is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

Kaspersky offers a solid antivirus app with particularly good anti-theft tools. Kaspersky caught every malware sample I threw at it during my testing and blocked most phishing sites I visited. However, it lacks many features, such as in-depth identity theft protections. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans.

Read the full Kaspersky review here

8. Panda — Compatible With Wear OS Smart Watches

Panda

Panda Dome’s Android app features a good malware scanner with a 95% detection rate and excellent real-time protection that blocks all attempted malware downloads.

The Android app comes with:

  • App lock.
  • Anti-theft tools (including motion alerts).
  • App privacy auditing.
  • Call blocker.
  • Parental controls.
  • VPN (150 MB/day on most plans).

I like how Panda’s anti-theft tools have Android smartwatch connectivity, which allows you to control your antivirus from your wrist. The anti-theft tools will sound an alarm if your watch and your device are too far away from each other. You can even make it so you’ll get an alert on the web dashboard if your phone changes location. It’s my favorite feature after the call filter, which blocked tons of annoying (and dangerous) cold calls.

8. Panda — Compatible With Wear OS Smart Watches

However, Panda’s other features are unimpressive compared to its competitors. For example, its privacy auditing isn’t as good as Norton’s app advisor, and the VPN severely lacks features and has a low data limit on most plans.

I recommend getting one of Panda’s multi-platform plans. They start at $20.00 / year and can cover unlimited devices (including PCs, Macs, and iPhones). To get the unlimited-data VPN, password manager, and Android parental controls, you’ll need Panda Dome Premium, which starts at $56.00 / year. All of Panda’s plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

Panda Dome has a secure Android antivirus with good malware detection. That said, the rest of its security features are disappointing. It has a decent app auditing tool and some unique anti-theft features, but it doesn’t have as many extra features as some top competitors, and its VPN leaves something to be desired. Panda’s plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out to see if it’d be a good fit for you.

Read the full Panda review here >

9. Trend Micro — Good Smishing Blocker

TrendMicro

Trend Micro Mobile Security has a pretty good malware scanner — it detected almost all of the virus samples I downloaded onto my phone. Its web protections also worked well, preventing me from visiting several malicious and fraudulent websites during my tests. However, in general, Trend Micro lacks many features that competitors offer.

Trend Micro has the following additional features:

  • Wi-Fi monitoring.
  • System tune-up tools.
  • Anti-theft tools.
  • Parental controls.
  • Social media privacy checker.
  • VPN (separate app).
  • Password manager (separate app).

I like Trend Micro’s ability to stop SMS-based phishing (smishing), which warns you if it detects a scam URL in any SMS message (Norton also offers this feature). The web protections work well, too, but the call spam filter wasn’t effective in my tests.

9. Trend Micro — Good Smishing Blocker

The anti-theft tools (which can take a photo of anyone who steals your phone) are pretty good, but other features are lacking. The tune-up tools didn’t improve my phone’s performance (and the app itself used more resources than I’d like), and it didn’t remove nearly as much junk as TotalAV.

Trend Micro Mobile Security starts at $29.99 / year for 1 device. Trend Micro Maximum Security, however, is its best value plan, at just $49.95 / year. For that price, you’ll also get a password manager, parental controls, and much more, as well as coverage for up to 5 Windows, macOS, and iOS devices. Trend Micro’s VPN is only offered as part of its highest-priced plan, Trend Micro Premium Security Suite ($54.95 / year), which is $54.95 / year. All of Trend Micro’s plans are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

Trend Micro Mobile Security has great malware detection rates and anti-phishing protections. It also includes Wi-Fi monitoring, system tune-up tools, and anti-theft tools. However, it doesn’t offer as many extras as other top Android antiviruses, and none of its additional features are truly outstanding. Trend Micro backs all of its plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read the full Trend Micro review here

10. Malwarebytes — Good No-Frills Antivirus

Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes has a decent, minimalistic Android antivirus with an intuitive interface. Its malware scanner is incredibly lightweight, having little to no effect on my battery or my device’s performance speeds, but it only found 95% of the malware I hid on my device for testing purposes — much less than the top antiviruses on this list.

Malwarebytes has very few additional features:

  • Smishing protections.
  • Data leak checker.
  • Privacy Checker.
  • VPN.
  • App manager.

10. Malwarebytes — Good No-Frills Antivirus

Privacy Checker, which analyzes the apps on your phone, is pretty good. It lets you quickly review your apps’ settings and permissions, including which apps can read your personal information, track your location, monitor your calls, cost you money, and more. I prefer Norton’s App Advisor, though, as it makes it more immediately clear which apps pose privacy risks (with Malwarebytes, you have to click on individual risk categories to see potential threats). It’s also a shame that Malwarebytes can’t identify apps that may pose a security or privacy risk before they’re installed.

You can protect your Android by subscribing to Malwarebytes Standard for $44.99 / year. Plus subscriptions cost $59.99 / year and add an unlimited-data VPN. Both plans protect up to 20 devices, including Macs, PCs, and iPhones. All plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Bottom Line:

Malwarebytes’s Android app is pretty good at removing malware from your device. It also has a decent privacy auditing tool and extras like a VPN and data leak checker. It definitely doesn’t offer as much value as the best Android antiviruses, which have tons of additional features. Users who just want a lightweight and minimalistic antivirus may be happy with that, though. You can try out Malwarebytes risk-free by taking advantage of its 60-day money-back guarantee.

Read the full Malwarebytes review here >

Quick Comparison Table

Android Antivirus Starting Price Malware Detection Rate VPN Extra Features Free Version Money-Back Guarantee
1.🥇Norton $19.99 / year* 100% ✅ (unlimited browsing data with 360 Deluxe) App advisor, Wi-Fi scanning, scam protection, data broker removal tool, SMS filter 60 days
2.🥈Bitdefender $14.99 / year 100% ✅ (200 MB/day; upgrade available) App Anomaly Detection, anti-theft features, an app lock, data breach scanning 30 days
3.🥉McAfee $39.99 / year 100% ✅ (unlimited browsing data) Wi-Fi scanner, dark web monitoring 30 days
4. TotalAV $19.00 / year 99% ✅ (unlimited browsing data) System optimization tools, app locker, data breach monitoring 30 days (for yearly plans)
5. Avira $26.99 / year 100% ✅ (100 MB/day; upgrade available) System tune-up tools 60 days (for yearly plans)
6. ESET $12.99 / year 100% ✅ (unlimited browsing data with Ultimate) Anti-theft features, Wi-Fi scanner, an app lock, privacy auditing, payment protection 30 days
7. Kaspersky $25.71 / year 100% ✅ (300 MB/day; upgrade available) Anti-theft features, an app lock 30 days
8. Panda $20.00 / year 95% ✅ (150 MB/day; upgrade available) Anti-theft features, an app lock, privacy auditing 30 days
9. Trend Micro $29.99 / year 97% ✅ (unlimited browsing data with Premium Security Suite) Anti-theft features, Wi-Fi scanning, system tune-up tools 30 days
10. Malwarebytes $39.99 / year 95% ✅ (unlimited browsing data with Plus) Privacy auditing 60 days

Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria

To identify the best Android antivirus apps for 2025, I used our detailed testing methodology to assess each product’s malware detection, threat protection, performance impact, usability, additional features, and overall value. Here’s how I approached the evaluation of these essential security tools for Android devices.

  • I tested malware detection capabilities. I thoroughly tested each antivirus app on this list for its ability to detect and neutralize various types of malware, including ransomware, spyware, and viruses. This included analyzing their effectiveness against threats embedded in apps from the Google Play Store, as well as those found in emails, text messages, and websites.Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
  • I evaluated comprehensive threat protection. A top-notch Android internet security app should have a full range of cybersecurity features, like web protection, SMS and call filters, junk cleaners, a VPN, and an advanced antivirus scanner. All the brands on this list offer at least one of these tools, and some (like Norton) offer all.
  • I considered what each company does with user data. Every Android antivirus app needs access to some level of user data. There’s no way around that fact. However, some developers take this way too far, harvesting sensitive data and selling it to third parties. I only selected apps that collect minimal data.
  • I checked for additional features. I looked for apps offering more than just basic virus protection, including system optimization tools, anti-theft features, parental controls, and more. These additional features can significantly enhance privacy, security, and device performance.Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
  • I considered value for money. I compared the cost against the range of features offered by each antivirus app. All apps on this list provide excellent value, featuring comprehensive security tools such as malware protection, anti-phishing measures, and VPNs at a reasonable price. Each app also offers a money-back guarantee, allowing you to try them risk-free.

Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut

  • Avast. Avast includes a good malware scanner inside an intuitive interface, but the lack of a password manager and parental controls stops it from making this list.
  • AVG. AVG’s mobile app is pretty good and includes excellent anti-theft protections. However, its parental controls aren’t as comprehensive as other options on this list, and I didn’t like having to download multiple apps to access every feature.
  • Webroot. Webroot has a decent, lightweight malware scanner, but it isn’t great at stopping ransomware. It also offers minimal web protection and lacks many bonus features for Android.
  • Sophos. Sophos offers decent antivirus tools for many users. But while the Sophos Android app is pretty good in terms of features, the interface isn’t as intuitive and easy to use as the other apps on this list.
  • Trustd. Trustd is a free antivirus app with great malware detection and anti-phishing protection for Android. Unfortunately, I found its constant push notifications a little intrusive, and it doesn’t have as many extra features as the other antiviruses on this list.

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About the Author
Raven Wu
Raven Wu
Writer
Updated on: April 26, 2025

About the Author

Raven Wu is a freelance writer, editor, and translator. He is a strong advocate of internet freedom and is very passionate about technology, and he’s honed his craft by researching and writing about a variety of other topics including education, literature, health, pop culture, and games. Outside of work, he's an amateur novelist and history enthusiast who enjoys hard games, spicy food, and thinking way too hard about everything.

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