Contrary to Apple devices, Android smartphones and tablets aren’t guaranteed to have built-in protection against malware. Despite Google’s efforts to filter out viruses-ridden apps from its Play Store however, a lot of apps manage to bypass the process. Malware isn’t just annoying, it can also steal your data, lock you out of your device and give away your computing power to hackers.
Fortunately the antivirus software available for Android can help keep these threats at low. The best antivirus for android has powerful malware detection, beneficial privacy tools, and even anti-theft features. Most will offer a free version to test the security and performance.
Kaspersky is often regarded as the top antivirus application for Android because it offers top-quality protection against malware and has minimal impact upon system performance. This app has a long track record of delivering excellent results in hands-on tests conducted by independent labs. The paid version also comes with an effective call blocking feature and numerous other security features.
Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus is among the most full-featured Android antivirus applications. Its malware defense scored nearly perfect in our tests. It also has many other useful features, such as a Wi-Fi alert and junk clean-up of files. It’s a bit less user-friendly however, and its call-blocking feature did not work in our tests.
Avira is a superb malware detection and prevention tool. It is clean in its interface, and minimal impact on the system. It also has some advanced security tools, like privacy advisors and memory optimizer. It offers a great security feature to prevent theft and offers affordable premium plans that cover a variety of phones for one price.