Tech Desk 
Sep 11, 2024
The best Android apps not only protect your smartphone from harmful apps and other malware but they also help protect you from falling victim to fraud or scam. In addition to flawless malware detection and prevention, the best Android antivirus apps integrate useful privacy and anti-theft features.
However some like Google Play Protect are completely free, and there are others you have to pay for while they often include extra security features like a VPN or password manager to help keep you safer online. Gadinsider has compiled a lineup of best Android antivirus apps (2024)
Best Android antivirus apps (2024)
Bitdefender Mobile Security
Bitdefender's Android security app has nearly perfect malware protection, a very light performance impact, Android Wear watch integration, a VPN client and a malicious website blocker that works with most Android browsers.
Moreover, it has robust privacy-protection tools, such as an app lock, a Wi-Fi scanner, anti-theft features and data-breach notifications.
Norton Mobile Security
Norton Mobile Security, aka Norton 360, provides the best malware protection of any of the Android antivirus apps. However, it no longer has anti-theft functions, contacts backups and Link Guard malicious-link blockers.
Read more: 10 best mobiles you can buy in 2024 — Our top picks for September
Additionally, Norton removed Norton Mobile Security's free tier, which was the best among all the Android antivirus apps. That's been replaced with a security-only app for one device set at $15 a year for the first year — $30 on renewal.
Avast Mobile Security
Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus is the best Android antivirus app, providing everything from a privacy adviser to a system optimiser to a customisable blacklist. Some of Avast's anti-theft functions didn't work for us, and its call-blocking feature didn't work.
Lookout Security & Antivirus
Lookout Mobile Security, now reformed as Lookout Security and Antivirus or Lookout Personal, was one of the first Android antivirus apps. However, Lookout's costs can rack up immediately. The free tier is bare-bones; it only scans for malware and finds lost phones.
Google Play Protect
Google Play Protect is set to be built-in into every Android device that runs Google Play, and it is claimed to work great. However, Google Play Protect's dismal malware detection makes the strongest possible argument for utilising a third-party Android antivirus app.
How to select best Android antivirus app
Android antivirus apps normally arrive in three pricing ranges: fully free, fully paid and freemium.
Freemium apps allow you to select between getting a limited set of features for free or updating to the premium version which provides you access to all of their features, relatable to fully paid apps.
While apps that provide plenty of features for free may also display a lot of ads
