With the liberty that Androids offer, perhaps the biggest trade-off is that it makes Androids, in particular, more vulnerable to viruses and malware attacks. Unlike, the closed system iOS is, Android is an open-ended one, thus it is far easier for an Android user to be a victim of such.

Whether you have an Android phone or a tablet, you are equally likely to be a target of malicious software, thus it is better to be safe than sorry. The need arises for one to have a really good Anti-Virus software which can bring your mind at peace. Thus, this article suits this very purpose by describing some of the best Anti-Virus software made specifically for Androids.

You won’t need to run most of them manually since they automatically follow a scheduled scan, and scan downloaded files and web pages which seem to be malicious altogether too.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free

Pros:

• Is quite lightweight
• No need for configuration

Cons:

• No automatic scans

Perhaps you might have already heard about how big a brand is Bitdefender, and so is their Android app. As we know that Anti-Viruses can have a big impact on our smartphone battery life and speed, surprisingly this one doesn’t. This is mainly because it doesn’t eat on system resources and battery life since it doesn’t run in the background like most antiviruses do.

But then, there is a caveat to this; You will have to manually scan your phone or schedule scans. Though it doesn’t mean that the applications you download aren’t scanned: They are. Furthermore, the Bitdefender Antivirus is easy to setup and there aren’t any complications.

In case you need real-time protection for Google’s Chrome browser and anti-theft features, you can sign up for a free 14 day trial of Bitdefender Mobile Security.

McAfee Security & Power Booster Free

Pros:

• Prevents Sensitive Data from getting leaked
• Anti-Theft Features

Cons:

• Is Ad-Driven

Another quite popular antivirus software, especially for PCs, is McAfee. Its Android app, the McAfee Mobile Security is quite good too. There is a traditional virus-scanner topped by extra features through which you can track a lost device. Not only this, but you can lock the device remotely too or even wipe it completely (though you can also do the same things through “Find your Phone”).

Furthermore, apps are automatically scanned if they are stealing your data and locks them unless user itself permits it not to. Furthermore, you won’t be annoyed by spam calls and text anymore, since it maintains a blacklist of spammers. The only downside is that it is Ad-supported which might annoy you but you can always get its paid premium version without Ads.

Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus

Pros:

• Excellent Virus Detection Rate
• Prevents Malicious Sites and links from unauthorized access by blocking them

Cons:

• Most of the good features are on the paid version

Kaspersky is a quite well-known brand, and its anti-virus software has a detection rate of a whopping 99.9 percent. It also blocks malicious websites and links automatically. The app also supports Android Wear through which Security Management tends to get simplified. Though for extra features like an automatic scan, automatically blocking spammers, and anti-phishing along with a confidentiality feature isn’t on the free version.

Norton Security and AntiVirus

Pros:

• Best Virus Detection Rate
• Amazing Anti-Theft Features

Cons:

• Automatically blocking of Malicious sites isn’t available

Instead of leaving a little bit (0.1 %) doubt about viruses like Kaspersky, Norton Virus Detection Rate is 100%. This is quite a feat since this means that the security would be top-notch. Viruses are scanned inside apps and files and thus automatically removed if found.

Perhaps a quite useful feature is that you can lock your phone by just sending an SMS, or whenever the SIM Card is removed. If your device is lost, you can also lock it remotely. After 10 unsuccessful unlock attempts, the device would be automatically locked. Sadly, the app doesn’t offer malicious site blocking. For that, you will need to buy Norton Mobile Security which has a Safe Web filtering system.

Avast Mobile Security

Pros:

• Good anti-theft features
• Get rid of spammers

Cons:

• Ad-Driven

Perhaps if you wanted an anti-virus which had it all in a free version, it is Avast. There is a built-in call blocker to prevent annoying spam and unwanted calls. Apart from being a good virus scanner, the app also acts like a firewall, which is a kind of a bridge between you and the internet, thus keeping you safe by allowing only certain ‘things’ to cross. There are also- anti-theft features, which grant you remote lock and wipe.

There is also in-app locking, through which a pin code will be required on selected apps whenever you open them. The only caveat is that the app is supported by advertisements.