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, the best free antivirus for Android will still protect you. An effective one, such as one of the five I list below, along with a reliable VPN, will protect almost all of 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 they will cover slightly different things that can better 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
- 16 million ratings
- Average rating of 4.6 out of 5
There are not many apps that can get a rating that 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, and IPVanish VPN, and eliminate 99.9% of all online security threats.
But they didn’t stop there. They also added a feature which will you allow to clean and boost the speed of your apps. While this is not essential to antivirus 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 & Security
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 use standard features such as real-time device scanning, real-time protection, and scan an external SD card.
Four very notable features include:
- Antitheft protection
- Privacy features which go beyond just being secure
- Blacklisting features
- Device administration features
The trade off from all of these features is, of course, the fact that it is a slightly larger antivirus app for Android. If you want all of these features, it is much smarter to just download this one app than several apps.
Best free antivirus for Android: Bitdefender Antivirus Free
Bitdefender is one of the biggest names in all of online security, not just for free antivirus apps. They were sure to design a free antivirus app for Android that measured up to their stellar reputation:
- It is very effective, but lightweight.
- The app does not run constantly in the background, freeing up your system resources.
- You 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. They have done everything they can to make this free app not only useful, but easy to use as part of your security and data privacy plan.
Best free antivirus for Android: Avast Mobile Security
This is another very popular free antivirus for Android app as it has over 100 million downloads. This comes from Avast, another well known and established name in the online security industry.
They have gone far beyond just being an antivirus app and also offer:
- 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, the addition of its cutting-edge antivirus solution makes it a true contender for the best free antivirus app available for Android. Combining a tool like with its firewall with a VPN is even more important for those who frequently use public WiFi. These networks are prime locations for hackers and malware distributors.
The only drawback is that the free side of it is supported by advertisements. If you do not want to see them you will have to pay a small fee. Otherwise, it is free.
Best free antivirus for android: Sophos Free Antivirus and Security
If you don’t like the advertising that made the above antivirus app free, you will like 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 leak sensitive information, and notify you.
- Scan specific files periodically.
- Scan specific folders periodically.
- Remotely lock and wipe your device by SMS.
- Block websites with harmful content.
All this with help from a malware database that is supported by the paid side so it is updated daily, and with the unique bonus of spam protection. It is another do-it-all app that is also one of the best free antivirus apps for Android.