The Best Antivirus for Android in 2026
Eight Android security apps compared on AV-TEST's July 2026 scores, what the free versions include, and the price of each paid plan where the vendor lists one.
Short answer: Bitdefender Mobile Security is the best paid pick on this list. It costs $17.99 for the first year on one phone, the lowest first-year price among the paid apps here, and it scored a perfect 6/6/6 in AV-TEST's July 2026 Android round. For free, Avast and AVG also scored 6/6/6, and both cost nothing to install.
Google Play Protect is already on your phone and scored 6/6/6 too, but Google's help page describes app checks and privacy alerts, not a VPN or a scam-text filter. If you want scam-text filtering, Norton, Malwarebytes and AVG's paid upgrade all offer it, and Bitdefender's app includes a basic VPN capped at 200 MB a day.
Key facts8 tools compared: Bitdefender Mobile Security, Norton Mobile Security for Android, Avast…
- 8 tools compared: Bitdefender Mobile Security, Norton Mobile Security for Android, Avast Mobile Security (free), AVG AntiVirus Free for Android, Avira Antivirus Security (free), Google Play Protect, Malwarebytes Mobile Security, ESET Mobile Security
- Norton Mobile Security for Android (best for: Owners who want scam, Wi-Fi and app-risk alerts on one phone and do not need a VPN): $19.99 first year for one mobile device (33% off); renews at $29.99 a year; no VPN in this plan
- Avast Mobile Security (free) (best for: Free-tier users who want a 6/6/6 scanner and a path to paid tools inside the same app): Free basic antivirus inside the Avast One app; the Premium Security price is not listed on Avast's Android page
- AVG AntiVirus Free for Android (best for: Phone owners who want free scanning and Wi-Fi checks, with the same app family on PC and Mac): Free: virus scans, malware removal, Wi-Fi security checks and junk cleaning; the upgrade price is not listed
Android already runs a scanner, Google Play Protect, so the real question is what a third-party app adds. The answer is narrower than the ads suggest: scam-text filtering, app lock, a VPN and anti-theft tools, and most of those sit behind an upgrade or a subscription.
Bitdefender and Norton sell subscriptions for their phone apps, Malwarebytes sells its phone app inside a multi-device plan, and Avast, AVG, Avira and ESET let you install for free before they offer more.
We ranked the eight apps on three things: the AV-TEST score for the app build tested in July 2026, what the free version does without a payment, and the price of the cheapest paid plan each vendor lists, using the first-year rate where there is one.
Cyberpresso data: Toolradar's October 2026 security ranking, from our sister directory, tracks 855 security tools, and 45% of them are free, freemium or open source.
Five of the eight apps below are free at their basic level. For IT leads choosing apps for a company phone fleet, these consumer plans come without a central admin console, which is the job of mobile device management software.
Top Picks
Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.
| Tool | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Bitdefender Mobile Security | $17.99 for the first year on one device, billed annually; 14-day free trial first; renewal may be higher | Phone owners who want the top lab score at the lowest first-year price for one device |
| Norton Mobile Security for Android | $19.99 first year for one mobile device (33% off); renews at $29.99 a year; no VPN in this plan | Owners who want scam, Wi-Fi and app-risk alerts on one phone and do not need a VPN |
| Avast Mobile Security (free) | Free basic antivirus inside the Avast One app; the Premium Security price is not listed on Avast's Android page | Free-tier users who want a 6/6/6 scanner and a path to paid tools inside the same app |
| AVG AntiVirus Free for Android | Free: virus scans, malware removal, Wi-Fi security checks and junk cleaning; the upgrade price is not listed | Phone owners who want free scanning and Wi-Fi checks, with the same app family on PC and Mac |
| Avira Antivirus Security (free) | Free, with a VPN capped at 100 MB a day; Pro adds web and camera protection as an in-app purchase | Budget users who want free applock and breach alerts, plus a small free VPN |
| Google Play Protect | Built into Android and on by default; Google's help page lists no separate price | Owners who want no second app and can do without a VPN or a scam-text filter |
| Malwarebytes Mobile Security | Standard lists at $59.99 a year for 3 devices; Plus, with the VPN, lists at $79.99 a year | Households fighting adware and browser hijackers across phones, tablets and computers |
| ESET Mobile Security | Free virus scan; Premium features free for 30 days, then paid; no Premium price on the Android page | Users who want a free scanner with a 30-day trial of anti-theft and anti-phishing tools |
Pricing read from each vendor's own published pricing page, checked Oct 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.
Best for: Phone owners who want the top lab score at the lowest first-year price for one device
Pricing$17.99 for the first year on one device, billed annually; 14-day free trial first; renewal may be higher
Best for: Owners who want scam, Wi-Fi and app-risk alerts on one phone and do not need a VPN
Pricing$19.99 first year for one mobile device (33% off); renews at $29.99 a year; no VPN in this plan
Best for: Free-tier users who want a 6/6/6 scanner and a path to paid tools inside the same app
PricingFree basic antivirus inside the Avast One app; the Premium Security price is not listed on Avast's Android page
Best for: Phone owners who want free scanning and Wi-Fi checks, with the same app family on PC and Mac
PricingFree: virus scans, malware removal, Wi-Fi security checks and junk cleaning; the upgrade price is not listed
Best for: Budget users who want free applock and breach alerts, plus a small free VPN
PricingFree, with a VPN capped at 100 MB a day; Pro adds web and camera protection as an in-app purchase
Best for: Owners who want no second app and can do without a VPN or a scam-text filter
PricingBuilt into Android and on by default; Google's help page lists no separate price
Best for: Households fighting adware and browser hijackers across phones, tablets and computers
PricingStandard lists at $59.99 a year for 3 devices; Plus, with the VPN, lists at $79.99 a year
Best for: Users who want a free scanner with a 30-day trial of anti-theft and anti-phishing tools
PricingFree virus scan; Premium features free for 30 days, then paid; no Premium price on the Android page
What it is
An Android antivirus scans apps, downloads and files for malware and blocks phishing links, often with extras such as app lock, a VPN or scam-text filtering. Google Play Protect already covers the scanning, so a paid app has to add the extras.
On the free tiers, scanning and basic cleanup are free.
Anti-phishing, app lock and anti-theft tools sit behind an upgrade or a trial. The best free antivirus guide covers the same free-versus-paid split across Windows, Mac and Android.
Why it matters
Google's help page for Play Protect says it checks apps from the Play Store before you install them, warns about harmful apps from other sources, and is on by default. It describes app checks and privacy alerts. It does not describe a VPN or a scam-text filter, and that gap is where the paid apps earn their price.
A lab score is a better guide than a store rating, and AV-TEST's July 2026 round is the latest Android round on its site.
The gap is real but narrow. Eleven of the twelve products AV-TEST tested scored a full 6 on protection, so the choice comes down to what else you want in the app.
Bitdefender and Norton give you a full paid suite for one phone. Avast, AVG and Avira give you a free scanner and an upgrade for the rest.
Key features to look for
Pricing
Prices above were checked on each vendor's own Android or pricing page on 10 October 2026: Bitdefender Mobile Security, Norton Mobile Security, Malwarebytes pricing, Malwarebytes for Android, Avast's free Android page, AVG AntiVirus for Android, Avira's free Android page, ESET Mobile Security and Google Play Protect.
Malwarebytes' October sale, shown on its pricing page at $35.99 for Standard and $47.99 for Plus, was listed through 11 October.
The table uses list prices.
Avast, AVG, Avira and ESET publish no price for their paid Android tiers on the Android pages linked here, so those tiers are shown unpriced rather than estimated.
Lab results: AV-TEST's July 2026 Android report tested 12 mobile security products on default settings.
Eleven scored 6 out of 6 on protection, performance and usability, and G Data Mobile Security scored 5.5, 6 and 5.
Kaspersky Premium for Android also scored 6/6/6 but is not ranked: the US Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security has barred Kaspersky from providing anti-virus updates and products to US persons since 29 September 2024.
McAfee Mobile Security also scored 6/6/6, but no current Android plan price for it is on record, so it stays unranked.
Methodology: we compared eight Android apps on three inputs: AV-TEST's July 2026 scores for the app build it tested, the free version's contents as the vendor describes them, and the price of the cheapest paid plan each vendor lists, using the first-year rate where there is one.
We did not install or run the apps ourselves, so the detection and performance results on this page are AV-TEST's, not ours.
For entity profiles beyond pricing, see Bitdefender, Malwarebytes, ESET and Avast on Toolradar.
| Plan | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Google Play Protect | No separate price | Built into Android, on by default; AV-TEST July 2026: 6/6/6 |
| Avast Mobile Security, free | Free | Basic protection in the Avast One app; Premium is an upgrade |
| AVG AntiVirus Free | Free | Virus scans, malware removal, Wi-Fi checks; app lock is an upgrade |
| Avira Antivirus Security, free | Free | Applock, breach alerts, VPN capped at 100 MB a day; Pro is extra |
| ESET Mobile Security, free | Free | Virus scan; Premium features free for 30 days |
| Bitdefender Mobile Security, 1 device | $17.99 first year | Billed annually after a 14-day trial; renewal may be higher |
| Norton Mobile Security, 1 device | $19.99 first year | Renews at $29.99 a year; no VPN in this plan |
| Malwarebytes Standard, 3 devices | $59.99 a year (list) | Phones, tablets and PCs; no VPN in this plan |
| Malwarebytes Plus, 3 devices | $79.99 a year (list) | Adds the Malwarebytes VPN |
The bottom line
Bitdefender Mobile Security is the best paid pick: a perfect AV-TEST score in July 2026 for one phone's first year at the lowest rate on this list. If you want the free route, Avast Mobile Security and AVG AntiVirus Free give you the same 6/6/6 result for nothing, and Avira adds applock and a small free VPN.
Norton Mobile Security is worth its $29.99 renewal only if the SMS and Wi-Fi alerts matter more to you than a VPN.
Skip a paid app if Google Play Protect already meets your needs and you do not use your phone for banking or work email on public networks.
For everyone else, pick the app whose extra you will use: scam-text filtering, a VPN or app lock.
For desktop, read our best free antivirus guide, and our best 2FA authenticator apps guide covers the layer most antivirus apps do not.
Cite this: Cyberpresso, "Best Antivirus for Android in 2026," October 2026.
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