Best free antivirus for Android in 2025

Using a free antivirus for Android is useful to ensure basic malware protection. Free apps from reputable providers usually offer the same malware scanning engines as their premium counterparts.

The difference between a free and paid antivirus is that a premium version gives you all-around security, such as real-time protection, advanced web protection, a VPN, or other useful tools. However, you can still use some free antivirus software for effectively detecting malicious files or apps or learning about data breaches.

To help you choose a free app that actually offers excellent malware protection levels, I tested dozens of antiviruses that I found on the Google Play Store. Continue reading to learn the best free Android antivirus apps based on my in-house malware protection tests, independent lab results, bonus features, and more.

Best free Android antivirus apps

1. 1. TotalAV – best free Android antivirus overall
2. 2. Bitdefender – free Android antivirus for daily scans
3. 3. Avast – feature-rich Android antivirus that’s free
4. 4. Malwarebytes – reliable Android antivirus with powerful free features
5. 5. Avira – free smartphone antivirus with a limited VPN

 

Should I use a free or paid Android antivirus?

Using a free Android antivirus is better than using none at all, but free apps are usually limited in features. Here are the main differences between free vs paid Android antiviruses:

• Real-time protection – free antivirus software usually doesn't include real-time protection, meaning you won’t detect malware until you run a scan. A paid antivirus would inform you immediately.
• Web protection – not many free antiviruses offer web protection, while premium antiviruses include advanced web protection from phishing or malware-filled websites.
• VPNs – most antiviruses don’t offer VPNs in their free plans, and if they do, they’re highly limited. With some premium services, you get access to a VPN with loads of servers.
• Customer support – free antivirus users usually can only make use of knowledge bases or FAQs for support. Meanwhile, premium antivirus users also get live chat or email support.

Best free Android antivirus apps

I researched and tested dozens of Android antivirus apps with a free plan that I could find on the Google Play Store. Each antivirus was tested for malware protection rates, and I also reviewed their additional features, performance, and more. Let’s review my insights in more detail.

1. TotalAV – best free Android antivirus in 2025

TotalAV

1

9.7

/10

Visit TotalAV

Pros & cons

• Forever free plan available
• 100% malware protection rates
• Free AppLock feature
• Data breach scanner

• No way to cancel a scan

TotalAV is the best free Android antivirus currently on the market, offering exceptional threat detection rates and great features. Whether you need an antivirus for Samsung or Xiaomi, TotalAV works seamlessly on any device. My in-house tests showed that the free version detected 10 out of 10 test malware files that I used.

I also checked the recent AV-Test Android antivirus tests (September 2025), and they showed me that TotalAV blocks 100% of zero-day threats without sacrificing performance. When testing TotalAV, I didn’t notice a significant change in battery usage or any performance issues.

You can use the free TotalAV app to run data breach scans and find out if your email has appeared in any breaches. I found out that my old email address was breached 5 times, what was compromised, when, and what I should do next.

You can even scan your photos, videos, contacts, and calendars to clean up duplicate or similar items and save storage space. I was surprised at how well TotalAV detected duplicates and highly similar photos – and it even automatically marked the ones I should delete.

There’s also the AppLock feature, which lets you use a PIN or biometrics to secure specific apps, and a Wi-Fi checker. If you want to access the TotalSearch secure browser or prevent annoying alerts while browsing, you can do that for free as well.

If you ever decide to upgrade, you can get TotalAV starting from $19.00/year. This way, you’d also get features like real-time protection, WebShield protection from scam sites, smart scans, QR checker, and a VPN.

Learn more in our TotalAV review.

2. Bitdefender – simple & free Android antivirus for daily scans

Bitdefender

1

9.6

/10

Visit Bitdefender

Pros & cons

• Forever free plan available
• 100% malware protection rates
• Retains excellent performance

• No additional features

Bitdefender is an excellent free antivirus for Android users, which ensures your device stays malware-free at all times with minimal impact on resources. It scans your apps and files with the same scanning engine as on the paid plans, so it’s no wonder that it blocked all 10 of the test malware files I tried.

Both the AV-Test and AV-Comparatives independent laboratories have tested Bitdefender’s protection capabilities on Android and found that it shows some of the top results. The antivirus blocked all threats that it was challenged with.

The free plan is not very feature-rich, as it doesn’t even offer the AppLock, which you can get for free with TotalAV. However, it doesn’t compromise performance. It uses in-the-cloud services to find zero-day threats instead of storing virus signatures on your device.

If you want more features, like App Anomaly Detection, Web Protection, and identity protection, call blocking, anti-theft, and a VPN, I recommend trying out the premium plan from $29.99/year.

Find out more in our Bitdefender review.

3. Avast – free Android antivirus that’s feature-loaded

Avast

1

9.3

/10

Visit Avast

Pros & cons

• Has a free version for Mac
• Comes with an unlimited VPN
• Mac version has received a near-perfect score by testing labs

• No parental controls

Avast is a feature-rich free Android app that gives you a range of tools to protect your smartphone from threats. Plus, during my tests, it blocked 8 out of 10 test threats, with two false positives.

I checked multiple independent lab tests to find out how Avast performs in terms of protection. While AV-TEST showed a 100% threat protection score, AV-Comparatives showed 99.9%. Either way, the result is nearly perfect compared to other antiviruses.

As for features, I especially liked that you get free Wi-Fi Security, which checks the network’s security to ensure your online payments are secured and a free Wi-Fi speed tester. There’s also the junk cleaner, which removes unnecessary data, junk files, and gallery thumbnails to help save space.

I found that the free hack check feature is just a data breach scanner. It found the same number of data breaches as TotalAV’s scanner when I inserted the same email address. The free Web Guard blocks malware-infected websites, and there’s also a photo vault to encrypt your important photos and secure them with a PIN code. 

The premium features that Avast offers are scam protection, app lock, and email guard. If you feel like you outgrow the free plan, the paid version starts from $31.20/year. 

4. Malwarebytes – reliable free antivirus with strong tools for Android

Malwarebytes

1

9.2

/10

Visit Malwarebytes

Pros & cons

• Free forever plan
• Nearly excellent protection scores
• Digital footprint scanner

• No free Wi-Fi security

Malwarebytes is a reliable free antivirus for Android users that offers excellent protection rates and features like text protection, digital footprint scanning, and scam guard completely free. During my in-house tests, it blocked 9 out of 10 test threats that I used to evaluate its protection capabilities, with one false positive.

After checking independent laboratory tests, I found that Malwarebytes is another tool with nearly perfect scores. AV-Comparatives showed a 99.88% protection score. However, there were 28 false positives detected, which is a lot.

As for features, Malwarebytes offers quite a few free tools. For example, you get a free digital footprint scanner, which shows the data that’s publicly available about you once you verify your email address. I was surprised to find my birth date, passwords, device, social media, and location so easily exposed.

Malwarebytes even showed way more data leaks than other free apps – 15 compared to Avast’s 5. There’s also the AI Scam Guard you can use for free, which is a chatbot you can use to ask if the email or message you received is safe to open or if you just had a suspicious call.

Malwarebytes can also analyze your test messages for free to identify phishing and malicious links or spam in real time and alert you when needed. 

Meanwhile, the premium app offers features like a VPN, identity theft protection, real-time protection, and safe browsing. So, if you decide to upgrade, the paid plan prices start from $59.99/year.

5. Avira – free antivirus for Android with a VPN

Avira

1

9.0

/10

Visit Avira

Pros & cons

• Free plan available
• Great protection scores
• Comes with a VPN (100 MB/day)

• Many ads initially

My tests showed that Avira is a free Android antivirus that’s great for all-around security since it also comes with a VPN. When I tested its protection capabilities with 10 malware test files, it managed to block 8 of them out of 10.

Meanwhile, like with AVG and Avast, independent laboratories showed mixed results. Avira scored 100% for protection on AV-TEST and 99.9% on AV-Comparatives. Either way, while it’s not as perfect as TotalAV, it’s still an excellent result.

Once you install Avira on your Android device, you’ll get a bundle of a free antivirus with a VPN that gives you 100 MB per day. However, the VPN limit ran out in around half an hour after I scrolled on social media. Plus, you get identity protection that checks if your email has been leaked and a privacy advisor which shows which apps request access to sensitive data.

I liked that you also get the App Lock feature and Clean System feature for free, letting you clean out your device from unnecessary clutter.

If you decide to invest in a paid plan, it will also add microphone protection and web protection. The prices start from $26.99/year.

Free Android antivirus apps compared

If you’re still not sure which antivirus is best for your needs, I made a table of my hand-picked free Android antivirus apps and how they stack up against each other. You can see the results below.

How I tested and selected these antiviruses

I tested dozens of free antivirus apps by downloading them onto my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone with the latest Android 16 version. Only antiviruses from reputable service providers were taken into account to ensure they’re secure. Here are the main areas I took into account:

• Free app (30%). I only included antiviruses that have actually free plans on Android – not risk-free trials but forever free tiers.
• Malware blocking capabilities (20%). I performed in-house tests with 10 malicious test files, infecting my Android with them to see how well each antivirus can handle them. Independent laboratory test results were also taken into account.
• Extra features (20%). Free antiviruses usually aren’t comprehensive in terms of features, but I selected those that offer at least some useful tools. Aside from malware protection, most of my selected apps offer features like data breach scanners, app lock, Wi-Fi security checkers, and more.
• Performance (20%). I evaluated the CPU, memory, and battery on the same Android device before installing a specific antivirus and after. Only the apps that had no visible performance issues made my list.
• Ease of use (10%). Antiviruses are easy to use in general, but free apps can sometimes make it difficult to navigate due to excessive promotions of their premium version. I only selected antiviruses that don’t make it impossible to use the app due to ads.

Free antivirus apps for Android I don’t recommend

When choosing a free antivirus app for Android, it’s important to research the brand and check if they have been tested by independent lab tests. Currently, I’ve found multiple Android antivirus apps that I wouldn’t recommend:

• SuperClean: Junk & Antivirus – unverified by independent lab tests and doesn’t have actual security features, only a junk cleaner. It’s filled with ads, making it difficult to use.
• AntiVirus – Virus Cleaner – the antivirus hasn’t been tested by independent lab tests and doesn’t have important security features.
• Mister Phone Cleaner – this antivirus is available on third-party app stores and is known to deliver malware to your device. Avoid installing it at all costs.
• Kylhavy Mobile Security – another antivirus that you can get from third-party app stores, which has been used to spread dangerous malware.

These are just a few of the antiviruses I wouldn’t recommend. If you’re unsure on how to choose correctly, always install apps from the Google Play Store instead of unknown websites. You should always check the developer and carefully read reviews.

Final thoughts

A free antivirus for your Android device can help ensure that your system is free of malicious files or apps. Some free apps go beyond basic malware detection and offer data breach scans, Wi-Fi security checks, and more.

The best free Android antivirus is TotalAV. It offers 100% zero-day threat detection rates, blocked 10/10 test malware during my in-house tests, and offers additional features. With the free plan, you get Wi-Fi checker, AppLock, photo, video, contact, and calendar scanner, and more.

However, the other free antivirus apps are also reputable and secure options you can try out. It all depends on the free features you want to have.