The best free antivirus for Android

Our high decide is Avira for a couple of causes. First, it will get high marks from each AV-Test and A-V Comparatives. From the previous it earned 99.9 p.c on each the real-time assaults and widespread malware assessments in March 2022. Over at A-V Comparatives Avira received 100 p.c detection utilizing practically 3,700 samples within the 2021 Mobile Security Review.

Avira additionally has a wider variety of options. Beyond the virus scanner, it has 100MB of VPN utilization per day, some storage-optimizing options, identification safety, and a permissions supervisor.

It’s a pleasant set of options together with top-notch safety, at this writing.

If you need one thing a lot easier, and that has equally good safety rankings look no additional than Bitdefender. The Romania-based firm truly has two apps within the Play Store. The free one is Bitdefender Antivirus, not Bitdefender Mobile Security.

The free model does precisely what it says: scans your cellphone while you ask it to. There’s additionally some minimal automated scanning from Auto-pilot while you obtain a brand new app—a possible assault vector for Android telephones.

Bitdefender earned 100 p.c from AV-Test for real-time assaults and widespread malware assessments for March 2022. It additionally had a 100 p.c detection score from AV-Comparatives’ 2021 Mobile Security Review.

Another high safety choice is AVG Antivirus & Security for Android. It received high marks from AV-Test with 100 p.c safety for the real-time and widespread malware assessments. Over at AV-Comparatives, nonetheless, the detection charge was 99.6 p.c, with one false constructive. That’s partially why we’re placing it down right here in third place. Another draw back is that it makes use of personalised promoting to assist it, whereas the others don’t.

Despite that annoyance, nonetheless, there’s lots to love about AVG’s free Android app. It can scan apps and information, clean-up junk information, and scan your present Wi-Fi community. it additionally has malicious web site safety, a “RAM booster” that kills background apps, a Wi-Fi velocity take a look at, and an anti-theft function for monitoring and securing your cellphone remotely. That final function requires an AVG account.

If you favor Avast, which owns AVG, that app is nice too. It had the identical safety scores as AVG and just about the identical function set free of charge.

Sophos was not analyzed on Android by A-V Comparatives, as the corporate opted for under a rating from AV-Test. AV-Test gave it 99.8 p.c in March 2022 for the real-time malware assaults. For the widespread malware take a look at, in the meantime, Sophos earned 100 p.c.

For main options, Sophos presents lots together with malware scanning for apps and information, malicious internet web page blocking, a hyperlink checker for defense towards malicious hyperlinks, Wi-Fi community scanning, and a privateness advisor.

While it has a barely decrease rating than the opposite apps for real-time response it’s nonetheless an excellent service and it has a whole lot of good options. Plus, it doesn’t have any advertisements.