Best Android Antivirus of 2024

TotalAV continuously updates its database of malicious websites, apps, and files to ensure its product can stop even the latest viruses.

The Android app will stop you from visiting malicious websites that may expose you to malicious software and phishing attacks, and it will scan every app and file you download to ensure they pose no harm to your device, even from messaging apps.

The app also includes a VPN to help you stay safe while browsing the internet and when using public WiFi networks. Its top-tier plan also provides password manager protection for all your online accounts, making TotalAV an excellent security suite for Android users.

In testing, we found TotalAV offers great performance, as its scans are quick but thorough, and the battery drain is nearly unnoticeable. In addition, its Memory Optimization feature can clean up unused apps and files, boosting the performance of your device and freeing up storage.

TotalAV has three plans.

TotalAV costs just $1.58/month for the standard antivirus and system optimization features with the introductory offer. Upgrading to the Internet Security plan unlocks VPN protection, while the Total Security plan also includes a password manager.

TotalAV is the best choice for users looking for an app that’s easy to use, has minimal impact on Android smartphone performance, and offers excellent malware detection rates and real-time protection.

Surfshark is well known as one of the best VPN providers and provides high-speed connections and excellent security features – but you shouldn’t overlook its antivirus capabilities. The provider offers 24/7 real-time antivirus protection for five devices.

Surfshark is also more customizable than most of its competitors. You can exclude apps you trust to speed up your scans, and it lets you pick between full and quick scans, and you can schedule them for convenience.

A full scan will detect even the most persistent, hidden malware, and we found it to be a good option if you’re scanning for spyware.

Besides scanning installed apps and files as you use them, Surfshark will also scan apps in the background when you install them and ensure files pose no threat before you launch them.

Surfshark’s cheapest plan costs $2.19/month but doesn’t include the antivirus.

The Surfshark One plan includes all the antivirus features, costs $2.69/month, and adds data breach monitoring to alert you if your credentials leak online. You can also upgrade to Surfshark One+ for data removal tools.

Surfshark is ideal for users looking for antivirus protection, coupled with one of the fastest VPNs on the market, plus data breach monitoring and versatile scanning options. Given all this, it’s often named as the best Android antivirus on Reddit.

The Norton mobile security solution offers real-time protection and allows you to scan your phone for viruses. It also offers top-notch protection against zero-day threats and ransomware.

Subscriptions include 24/7 support, so if you can’t remove a virus with Norton, you can contact a technician for assistance. What’s more, Norton is so confident about the effectiveness of its product that the firm promises your money back if the antivirus fails to remove a virus.

Although it isn’t as performance-friendly as TotalAV and Surfshark, Norton offers detailed reports on your device’s security and performance issues, allowing you to identify and deal with files or apps that may affect your device.

For example, Norton will highlight apps that require security updates and warn you about potentially dangerous public WiFi networks.

Norton has a flexible, scalable pricing structure. The starting plan protects just one device for $2.49/month, but the more comprehensive plans add VPN protection, parental controls, dark web monitoring, identity protection, and other features for higher fees.

Norton’s detailed reports, intuitive interface, and actionable insights make it a great pick for beginners and families. It’s ideal for users who’d like to fix even the slightest security gaps on their Android smartphone.

NordVPN’s Threat Protection Lite can help keep your Android devices malware-free. The security feature scans every file and app you download and deletes or blocks it if it poses a threat.

The security tool can also stop third-party trackers from collecting your information, and it has an extremely effective ad-blocking tool.

There’s also a data breach scanner, which will alert you if it detects any of your details in data leaks, including passwords, credit card numbers, usernames, emails, and similar data.

Besides keeping your Android devices malware-free, opting for NordVPN will get you NordPass, one of the best password managers for Android.

NordPass can help you create strong passwords and scan your existing passwords for vulnerabilities, complementing the antivirus features to provide airtight Android security.

The VPN is also worth mentioning, of course, and provides fast connections, top security, and an extensive network of 6,300+ servers in 110+ countries.

NordVPN offers Threat Protection with its Plus and Ultimate plans. For $3.99/month, the Plus plan offers Threat Protection, ad blocking, data breach scanning, and password management. Ultimate adds 1TB of encrypted storage and advanced cyber protection features.

NordVPN’s Threat Protection Lite is an excellent pick for privacy-conscious users looking for comprehensive VPN and antivirus protection. It’s slightly more expensive than Surfshark but provides a superb global VPN network.

Avast provides real-time protection for your devices, prevents ransomware encryption, and allows you to scan your WiFi network for intruders and security weaknesses.

Its paid plans offer much more, though, including automatic scans, email and SMS scam protection, sandbox testing, and webcam protection. It also lets you lock your apps using a unique PIN or pattern, which makes it an excellent anti-theft pick.

The Email Guardian email-scanning feature provided with Avast mobile security is particularly good. It labels every email as being “Safe” or “Suspicious” before you open it, alerting you to potentially harmful content.

Avast may not be as affordable as TotalAV with its introductory offer, but it won’t be easy to find more features than with the Premium Security and Ultimate plans. You can protect ten devices with both plans for $5.83/month for the first year or one device for $4.17/month.

As the best free antivirus for Android, Avast is the first choice of a reported 435 million users worldwide. While the free plan is good, its paid plans are even better, and the advanced antivirus features offer excellent security for Android users.

The app lock feature is also a superb addition for Android. Check out our Avast vs AVG guide for additional analysis.

Like Avast, McAfee offers comprehensive online protection to help you avoid phishing attacks, and it can block malware attacks on the websites you visit, allowing you to browse the internet safely. You can also use the VPN to secure your connection and bypass geo-restrictions.

With Personal Data Cleanup, McAfee will help you find out if data brokers are using your information. The provider can then help you request that your details be removed and deleted.

One of our favorite McAfee features is its Protection Score, which lists all your security vulnerabilities in an accessible panel. The feature provides an at-a-glance view of all the actions you need to take to maximize your online security.

Although its scans aren’t as quick as TotalAV’s, McAfee had a 100% malware detection rate in our tests, and the antivirus app lets you launch and schedule scans and disable and uninstall potentially dangerous apps and files with a single click.

McAfee has a flexible pricing structure. The entry-level Total Protection plan lets you protect up to five devices for $3.33/month and offers traditional online and offline antivirus features.

The other plans extend protection to unlimited devices and add advanced features such as wallet protection, credit monitoring, and scam protection.

McAfee is ideal for privacy-conscious users. The Android antivirus app comes with a huge range of features to protect your security and privacy and can help you prioritize and address issues and vulnerabilities.