360 Security (Free) (Google Play, Amazon)
A major player in China, developer Qihu burst onto the scene and claimed the top spot in AV-Test’s September 2013 report with a virtually flawless detection rate of 99.9 percent, the highest of any of the security apps tested. In the latest March 2014 report it achieved a detection rate of 100 percent. The focus with360 Mobile Securityis firmly on detecting and nullifying threats to your system. It has a very streamlined, elegant design. It’s extremely lightweight, and it’s completely free.
A standard real-time scan will safeguard your device from malware, spyware, and the threat of infection. It’s also capable of detecting and fixing system vulnerabilities and cleaning up idle background apps to help your phone run more efficiently. There’s a privacy advisor and a tool to clear your usage history.
360 Security
The latest version of 360 Securityboasts a lot of extras, including a junk file cleaner, memory booster to free RAM, a power saving option, app management, privacy with encryption, and anti-theft tools for locating or remotely wiping your phone.
For a good blend of usability and strong protection, you should think about 360 Security. It offers smooth performance and a host ofextra features, so it is bound to appeal.
Avast! Mobile Security (Google Play)
As a genuinely free app for the Android platform, Avast! Mobile Security is offering an impressive range of tools. It has antivirus protection, it scans your apps to provide details on what they are doing, and it has a Web shield that scans URLs for malware.
There are various additional tools in the package and the best of the bunch is the anti-theft component. The app is actually based on an old app called Theft Aware which Avast acquired. The anti-theft feature is hidden and allows you to remote control your smartphone using SMS. So if you lose your phone, you can remotely lock it, locate it, or wipe it. You can make it play a siren sound, lock down the SIM card, and prevent USB debugging as well. It’s a comprehensive solution for theft protection.
If you have a rooted device then there’s also a firewall that allows you to control network traffic. You can block access to Wi-Fi or the network for specific apps which is handy for security and potentially saving on battery juice as well.
According to the latest AV-Test report of 31 popular Android security apps, Avast is a solid option with an overall detection rate of 99.9 percent. Although it is not top of the charts in terms of malware detection, the extra functionality (including the anti-theft tools and a firewall for rooted devices) still make it worth considering. It has a light footprint with no discernible drain on battery life and no impact on general performance. It also returned no false positives.
The fact this app is completely free, has a wide range of features, and offers protection for rooted devices, makes it a strong contender. If you’re looking for a security solution for your Android smartphone, and your primary concern is malware and safe browsing, then this could be the right app for you.
Avast Marketing Director, Milos Korenko, has assured us that “There might be a paid version in the future but that won’t have an impact on the free version. It will continue to be available and loaded with features.”
ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus (Google Play, Amazon)
This is a new entry for our top five and it deserves its place with a 100 percen detection rate in the latest AV-Test report and an easy-to-use interface. The basic app is completely free and it provides real-time scanning of apps to detect malware and potentially dodgy apps trying to send texts or make premium rate calls.
The free version also includes a suite of anti-theft tools. You can remotely locate and lock your smartphone or tablet, and you can prevent anyone from uninstalling apps by using password protection.
If you want remote wipe or SIM guard capabilities then you have to spring for the premium version at $20 per year, but it also delivers anti-phishing protection, an app audit feature, device monitoring for unwarranted use of data, and advanced call blocking.
Avira Antivirus Security (Google Play)
With a 100 percent detection rate and no false positives, you can trust the free version of Avira to keep your Android smartphone or tablet safe. It has a light footprint in terms of performance and a sleek, minimalist design that fits in well with the Android platform.
Avira allows you to scan apps for potential trouble and it scans new apps or updates automatically. There’s also the usual batch of anti-theft tools, to help you find your device remotely, lock it, wipe it, or trigger an alarm.
There’s an additional tool that claims to be able to tell you whether your email account has been hacked and tell you what action to take if it has.A decent range of blacklisting options rounds off this app, so you can block problem callers or nuisance spam.
There is a premium version that adds anti-phishing, more regular updates, and better support, but the free version covers enough bases for most people.
AVL (Google Play)
Some of you are probably just looking for malware protection that’s as barebones as possible. If you don’t want anti-theft tools, or identity protection, or any of the other possibly superfluous features that come in many security apps then AVL will suit you.
This app scored a 100 percent detection rate with no false positives and AV-Test found performance was good with no undue impact on speed or battery life. AVL can scan a variety of file formats beyond APKs and it’s designed to be fast and efficient.
Other options
The fact that 18 of the 31 apps tested by AV-Test in March 2014 scored 100 percent detection rates shows how much security software on the platform is improving. If you don’t fancy any of our picks thenMcAfee Antivirus & Security, TrustGoAntivirus & Mobile Security,and Trend MicroMobile Security & Antivirusall offer free versions that are worth a look. They all scored a 100 percent detection rate as well and could easily have made the list.
From the big name security software brands,Kasperskyand Symantecwill attract many people because they are familiar names, but compared to some of the free options there’s really nothing there to justify the price tags. Same goes for the excellentNQ Mobile Security & Antivirus andBitdefenderMobile Security & Antivirus. All scored 100 percent, but they are only free trials and will bug you about paying out an annual subscription.
