The digital era has surely increased our productivity levels and made our lifestyle more flexible. Yet, security threats are a major issue for everyone. Every internet user is vulnerable to adware, malware, and ransomware attacks, data theft, keylogging, phishing attempts, banking apps hacking attempts, and other types of privacy and security breaches.
Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, digital dependency has increased to a huge extent. Hence it’s extremely important for every one of us to address these issues for our own safety, especially from children and aged users. Previously we have covered a post with the best free antivirus apps for iOS. Today we will look into its android counterpart.
Thanks to the Google Play Store, Android is flooded with free and paid antivirus apps that can safeguard you against various threats. We carefully picked a few which are worth trying out. Here’s an overview.
Sophos Intercept X for Mobile
This is an antivirus app from Sophos Limited. The app has a rating of 4.4 / 5.0 based on 43k reviews and has more than a million downloads. For the user’s privacy and safety from malicious links, the app can block phone calls and filter text messages. The app has a built-in QR Scanner which checks for your safety whenever you scan anything. The app has a system scanner using which users can find security issues and resolve them.
The app also has anti-theft features that can help you locate down your phone or access them remotely and wipe out all your personal data. You can also make a custom message to be displayed on your screen. The apps User Interface is a bit complicated but once you find all the features and turn them on or off, you will get used to it.
Avast Antivirus – Scan & Remove Virus, Cleaner
This is an antivirus app from Avast Software. The app has a rating of 4.7 / 5.0 based on 6M reviews and has more than 100 million downloads. The app has a data shield program which protects your contact information, photos, and other private sensitive files for being seen or hacked by hacker or trojan. The app has a unique feature of blocking malware right before it tries to infect your files. The user interface here is clean and straightforward so new users will not get any problems using it.
Most of the tools and features are listed on the home screen which saves users time and this one of the many factors why his app is so popular. Unlike other apps, this app doesn’t slow down your device while scanning for threats. The app also has web protection which you can use while surfing or downloading data. Lastly, you can also enable a VPN which will not only enhance your security but also act as a shield to keep you safe on the web.
AVG Antivirus Free – Android Virus Cleaner 2024
This is an antivirus app by AVG Mobile. The app has a rating of 4.7 / 5.0 based on 6M reviews and has more than 100 million downloads. The app has a photo vault feature where users can save you images securely because, from photo vault, only the owner can access it by entering the correct passcode. A VPN connection here keeps users safe on the internet from phishing and malicious websites and also hides the device location from adware and internet trackers.
The app has a deep scan feature which you can use to scan and fix most of the malware related issue and help you clean the system leftover junks making your phone run smoother and faster. The cons in this app are that it makes your phone slow while scanning or doing any other activity from the app which makes the user experience not so good and there are no anti-theft features available in this app. Apart from these two issues, the app is excellent.
Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus
This is an antivirus app by Bitdefender. The app has a rating of 4.7 / 5.0 based on 245k reviews and has more than 10 million downloads. Users can find this app having a bit fewer features as all this app does is scanning your device.
The app doesn’t have any VPN service or any feature which secures the device from malicious and phishing website. But the scanner feature here is well optimized and enough to resolve any security issue throughout your device. The app deeply scans your device, each folder, each app, and even your SD card is scanned.
Unlike the last app, this one doesn’t cause any slowdowns to your device when you are using it. Remembering that the app is free, still, you can’t find annoying ads, unlike other free apps that are full of ads. The missing VPN and anti-theft features are two major reasons why this app isn’t on the top.
Security & Antivirus | Lookout
This is an antivirus app by Lookout Mobile Security. The app has a rating of 4.6 / 5.0 based on 1 million reviews and had more than 100 million downloads. There is a chance that this app is pre-installed on your device because many device manufacturers and cell phone providers bundle this app with their phones.
The app frequently scans your device for malware and viruses and once finding will show a popup to remove them. The apps system advisor feature is probably the best you can get on any antivirus app because it automatically checks your system for root issues which may cause your device to run slow and then fixes.
Besides these, this app also comes with all the anti-theft tools which can help users to find their lost devices. The app also comes with a VPN feature that protects its users online from phishing and malicious websites.
Last Words:
So these were the popular Antivirus Apps that you may try for your Android Device. But do remember that simply keeping them installed won’t give you maximum protection. There are many zero-day vulnerabilities that these apps may not be able to protect you from. So, keep your eyes wide open while browsing the internet. Don’t download suspicious files randomly, and don’t enter your passwords, credit card information, etc anywhere online without properly verifying the authenticity of the website.
Thank you for reading. If you are stuck somewhere and need help, don’t hesitate to comment below. I will try my best to assist you. Do share this post with your friends and help them fight the internet threats easily. Don’t forget to join our Telegram Channel for the latest tech updates.
I’m a CSE student, technical blogger, writer, and graphic designer. I love writing about upcoming technologies, hardware, and the topics revolving around them.
