5 Best Free antivirus for Android smartphones in 2019

Now a day most of the mobile users in the world are using Android devices. Unlike Linux devices, Windows and Android devices face more risk of virus infection, malware infections and security breaches. Talking about Android devices, present-day mobile devices are just like mini edition computer, it runs Operating system, it has almost all the computer like hardware within it. It runs any program or app like any other computer, so like any Windows computer, any Android device is also susceptible to virus and malware threats. In the case of mobile users, 85% of the World’s mobile run on Android, so of course the Android mobile users are one of the prime targets for hackers. Billions of people around the world use Online banking facility through mobile phones, so if your mobile phone is at risk, your digital privacy, network neutrality, Financial security all are at risk.

• First of all, let’s get out of the misconceptions, that going into a link through mobile is safer than going to the link through a Win Pc, as this conception is entirely wrong.
• One more misconception is that just installing an Antivirus app solve every virus-related problems and issues, which is also wrong. The Antivirus app also needed to be maintained for better security and scanning of the device.
• But for the best result and best protection, you need to go for the best and most renowned Antivirus apps, which will ensure you good performance, very good security, for a reasonable price. But some user may feel the price factor is too high, sometimes which is true also. So, for those people keep reading this article s we are going to discuss some of the best Antivirus apps in the market, which are absolutely free of cost but gives you the best quality performance and security.
• One more thing to be clarified that, securing a device from virus and malware is actually a two way job, one is to protect the device’s memory and the files in it from any virus, if infected then moving the infected file to some safe location where it cannot be accessed, the aspect is the online data security, which is very important for online banking, social networking, online gaming, and even surfing and browsing through the internet.

A good Antivirus Apps should protect the device by fulfilling both the aspects.

Best & Free Antivirus for Android mobile in 2019

Avast Mobile Security

It has really an extensive feature list, there is no doubt from my point of view at all to put Avast in the no.1 position. It is the most commonly recommended antivirus software by most experts. This product covers most of the aspects any smartphone security needs. Avast Mobile Security is free to use the product for most of the general Android users’ needs.

Highlights of Avast Mobile Security & Virus Cleaner features:

• It has a URL scanner feature which shields the device from malware-infected sites
• Inbuilt Call blocker feature for blacklisted phone numbers
• A standard firewall system to stop any particular app from accessing the internet
• A mobile data usage monitor
• SMS Shield feature to make sure the malicious URLs cannot be accessed
• A Wi-Fi optimizer tab to keep the network speed high along with high security
• A storage cleaner (memory optimizer) to delete any unnecessary files, app usage history, temporary app files, old unnecessary installation files from apps, duplicate files, advertisement caches etc.
• This app even comes with a Power Saver tool which ensures good battery life by optimizing the resources and applications.
• There is an option called App permissions tracker which keeps checking the amount of personal data any apps are accessing and keeps warning the user.
• It also comes with a built-in VPN service, which is a common utility tool for surfing the internet without any legal blockage.

Paid Version Vs Free version:

• The free one comes with loads of adds while the paid comes with No advertisements
• Prioritized technical support from the developers
• Free App locker facility to protect any apps containing private data with a PIN
• Anti-theft features included such as:
  • A feature of clicking an image of any unwanted user with the front-cam whenever an incorrect PIN is entered.
  • The feature of auto locking the device while the SIM card is changed

Pro:

• Highly sensitive and accurate malware detection. When I tried the app in my old phone to test it, it really worked well even with the latest malware releases which were encountered even after November 2018…..impressive result from my point of view.
• I never have encountered any false positives reports.
• Almost no impact on battery performance, no device overheating encountered.

Cons:

• The number of advertisements in the free version.
• A huge amount of Pop-up
• A little Complex UI for the new users, as it offers so many built-in features in that tiny screen.

Verdict:

This app even with the free version offers the highest number of free features compared any other mobile antivirus. That point makes it a perfect all-in-one free antivirus solution for any android device.

Price: Free
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AVG AntiVirus 2019 for Android Security

AVG’s PC antivirus program is well recognized due to the performance and feature and the easy to use UI. Even for Android, the performance persists though with some exceptions. Though AVG offers a decent level of malware detection capability with a very solution for anti-theft protection. Though it offers less than expected when it comes to web browser protection-oriented features.

Highlights:

• Features of the Anti-theft Tech
• The phone can be physically located on a separate device (by GPS location) in case of phone theft.
• A feature for locking the device Remotely
• A full-volume alarm ringer
• Option for Wiping out all the data off the phone remotely in case permanently stolen.
• A phone number blacklister feature
• Photo Vault feature, password protection photos and images

Paid Version vs Free Version:

• Camera trap feature – it clicks an image of the user automatically if incorrect password attempts made
• Free App Lock Facility in the paid version
• Device Lock facility in case of SIM card switch
• App Backup feature to keep backup copies of apps and data on the SD card

Pros:

• Very good malware detection rates, even after several tests made by me, it is a big competition for Avast.
• Never received any false positives alerts.
• Minimal impact on battery life, no impact on CPU performance and network usage, no overheating issues.
• You can try the premium features for 30 days before buying it, that’s really nice of the developers.

Cons:

• Loads of pop-ups and advertises in the free version.
• Fewer features when it comes to online security comparing to Avast

Verdict:

If you are looking for a software with best anti-theft technology with a decent antivirus performance then AVG is the thing for you.

Price: Free
Download

Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus

Kaspersky Antivirus app is considered as one of the best security apps for pc, the same is can be said for the Android counterpart also. This one is a free app in-app purchase feature for the paid version.

Highlights of Kaspersky Mobile Antivirus: AppLock & Web Security:

• With the free version, you can have only the manually scanning technique of apps for malware and viruses
• This that good as an Anti-theft solution
• This app is not for app locking purposes
• As there are not much extra plugin or features, it makes this application a very lightweight and performance optimized app.
• Call blocking and filter feature for it plus blacklisting of unwanted and spam calls.
• Find my phone feature to locate the device if cannot see it.
• Background apps checker to keep an eye on the processes going on behind.
• Very Strong detection and protection against viruses, trojans, and malware, even for the latest releases.

Paid Version vs Free version:

• The Premium features offer real-time protection and scanning of apps
• It offers anti-theft in the premium version
• It offers anti-phishing in the premium version
• The app locker provides extra protection to the apps from the unwanted user.

Pros:

• One can have the taste of the premium features for a free trial for 30 days.
• Very good malware and virus detection performance. Very good against the latest malware releases, it can be used in 2019 with confidence.
• No impact on battery life and no impact on CPU performance. No chance for overheating as the free version does not run in the background.

Cons:

• Lots of advertisement in the free one
• Not a good solution for anti-theft purposes.

Verdict:

A very good a lightweight app, very good for comparatively old devices with less memory and lower-end CPU.

Price: Free
Download

Bitdefender Antivirus Free

If you do not want a big, bulky, and complex app for all in one security for the mobile of yours, and you want to roll with an easy-to-use UI with decent antivirus tools without the bells and whistles etc. then Bitdefender Free is the choice for you.

Highlights:

• Purely Antivirus protection only
• Automatically scan apps any newly installed apps.

Paid Version vs Free Version:

• The paid version is the combination of the software as a Mobile Security and Antivirus
• It has an enabled with the Web browser protection paid edition only.
• The paid feature offers pro features like locking and wiping out the data of a stolen phone.

Pros:

• It is a very simple app and extremely light on the phone’s resources.
• No configuration is necessary and very fast installation process.
• Works on the cloud-based environment protection technique, so the data in the device is safe.
• One can taste the features of the paid version for 14-day free trial

Cons:

• It doesn’t include the much-advanced features like others
• It does not have the ability to schedule scans
• As it is a cloud-based app it needs an internet connection to work properly.

Verdict:

This app is ideal for those people who just a dependable free anti-virus app.

Price: Free
Download

Sophos Mobile Security

Sophos is not old in this competition. But even for a newbie, this app proved itself to be quite of a useful app. The first thing that this one is a completely free app, with all functions available and with no in-app purchases. Even after being a free solution it comes with zero advertisements, and this app also comes with a few unique features of its own.

Highlights:

• It comes with some Anti-theft features
• This app can Track the location of your phone in case of theft
• In case of theft, it can remotely Lock and remotely wipe device’s data.
• It can trigger the alarm remotely with antitheft feature
• Automatically send alerts to your email whenever the SIM card is changed
• It also has a filter for a Text message to encounter the malicious URLs
• It comes with a Phone number blacklister.
• It also has an app permissions monitoring feature
• Multi-factor authentication is unique in an Antivirus app especially when it is free
• QR code scanning feature which that warns the user before connecting to a malicious website

Pros:

• All features provided features totally are free to use and require no paid upgrade
• Though it is free it has a strong malware protection core. In the case of virus and malware detection, it is one of the best, even better than the Kaspersky, AVG, Avira and Bitdefender. On my old Lenovo K6 Power, it scored a 97% detection rate in antivirus tests (was not expecting that amount seriously).

Cons:

• Though some false positives pop up for detection comes up now and again, which is annoying
• The UI design is not up to the mark
• Daily definition updates must be downloaded for best results. So, a regular maintenance factor is there.

Verdict:

The main drawback of any free software is the advertisements. But in the case of Sophos, the developers overcame this issue. Though Sophos is not a big brand like the others in the list, but it offers a huge set of features with a strong malware detection, good performance, with negligible impact on battery and CPU, and all these free of cost even without the annoying ads.

Price: Free
Download

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