Antivirus is a program that is made to prevent and remove viruses and other malicious software like trojans, worms, and more. Viruses and other malicious files harm/corrupt other files on your PC thus damaging the operating system. Therefore, antivirus protects your system from these viruses and malicious files by building a firewall and blocking entry to these viruses and malicious files.
Most Android users think they don’t require protection from viruses since Android is a Linux-based operating system. But this is a myth. Android is as vulnerable to malware as is Windows. To hack into an Android device, and that too without running hundreds of codes—all you need is an app like Xnspy. This app can remotely access your phone logs, GPS location, and even social media. Still not feeling intimidated? Well, you should, because your personal information is just at the brink of dissemination if you are using an Android device. Be it a smartphone or a tablet, you should have an antivirus running on it. Not running an antivirus app on your Android device means you are risking your data from being infected by corrupted apps and other viruses and malware.
In this article, we have reviewed many antivirus apps for Android and have listed down 6Â Best Android Antivirus Apps of 2016. This list is decided based on criteria such as malware detection, ease to installation and use, impact on the Android device, and user reviews. Nowadays, the options for security apps are far from limited. Almost every security app offers features like malware detection and prevention but the best Android antivirus app offers a wide range of features like privacy, anti-theft features, tracking your phone with the help of GPS, backup of your data and contacts, and locating your device with the help of your Android Wear smartwatch.
Android antivirus apps are available in both- free and paid versions. Although free versions are pretty solid in terms of functionality, paid versions always have an edge over them in terms of reliability. You can decide your favorite Android antivirus app from the below list.
avast! Antivirus
Avast antivirus is the best antivirus for Android because of its anti-malware protection and other wide range of features. The free version of Avast antivirus is almost comparable to the paid version of several other antivirus apps. The premium version of Avast! antivirus costs about $15 per year and contains astounding features like privacy adviser, customizable blacklist, and some special options for the rooted Android device. Some other features of Avast! antivirus are automatic scans of your phone and memory card, SMS and call filtering, remote lock, wipe options, siren alert in case of theft, and a notification alert when someone tries to switch SIM cards. Overall, the avast! antivirus for Android is well organized and provides good support to its users.
Kaspersky Internet Security
The PC version of Kaspersky is often regarded as the best antivirus you can get. Coming to the Android version, the free version will give you protection against malware and provide a bunch of anti-theft features. The paid version which costs you around $14.95 for 1 year provides you with anti-phishing protection for text messaging, cloud protection, and privacy protection when you browse the internet. But as we know there are always cons with pros. One con of the Kaspersky Internet Security is its user interface which some users report is unfinished and old-fashioned.
AVG Antivirus Security
AVG is famed for its security products for PCs and now they have also entered the Android market with lots of expectations. Well, while reviewing them we considered all the aspects of a good Android antivirus. Our result suggests that AVG is one of the best in terms of privacy protection, and anti-theft features, and is easy to use but its malware detection rate and speed performance were a disappointment. But AVG has another set of maintenance applications for Android that integrate smoothly with the Antivirus Security app thus making it 3rd on the list. It also has a feature that can erase or block your data and help locate your device with the help of Google Maps in case of theft.
360 Security Antivirus
360 Security Antivirus was previously known as Qihoo and is one of the most popular antivirus apps for the Android operating system. Along with basic features like scanning device, memory card content and new apps automatically before they can end up on your device and protection against malware, adware, trojans, etc., they have some unique features like Junk file cleaner, RAM Booster, Power Saver, Anti-Theft, Privacy and Real-Time protection. Furthermore, this app is available free of cost and can be easily downloaded from the Play Store.
CM Security
CM Security is an award-winning antivirus app for Android that provides the best malware protection for your device. The CM Security antivirus app is fast and comprehensive. Along with malware protection and other antivirus features, CM security boasts of the AppLock feature and fingerprint password. There is a feature called App Intruder Selfie which snaps the picture of the person who tries to open your device.
Some other features are Private browsing and private chat lock. Coming to its security features, CM Security Antivirus is ranked 1st in tests carried out by AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives. It is fast and handy and provides multilayer protection for your device. It scans file systems and websites in real-time to ensure your device’s safety and is compatible with both smartphones and tablets.
AVL Antivirus
If you are looking for an antivirus with a good user interface, then AVL Antivirus is just perfect for you. It doesn’t have some advanced features which other Antivirus boasts of but it provides your device basic protection against viruses and malware. Since it is a basic antivirus, it doesn’t use a large amount of your battery and has minimal effect on the performance of your device.
This was our list of the 6 best Android antivirus apps of 2016. If you have any other antivirus in your list, suggest it to us in the comment box. Feel free to share this article on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook.
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