The Best Antivirus Apps for Android 2013

These days it’s all about the best way to have your Android smartphone protected against all kinds of security threats found either while browsing the Internet or otherwise. We looked around and selected the best antivirus apps we could find for 2013. See our picks below.

Dr. Web Light

is the first app to make it on our list today. This tool comes in two versions: free and premium. If you can pay $13 per year for the premium one, you get all sorts of additional features; and by that we mean antispam filtering and web protection. The free-of-charge version of the Dr. Web Light app will not automatically offer real time protection; it will also not perform any scan if you decide to install other applications on your handset. We recommend you update this software by hand. You should also start the SpIDer Guard module. Overall, if you want only an antivirus solution and nothing more, you should try the free Dr. Web Light.

Avast! Mobile Security

If you’re looking for a completely free security app, then you should direct your attention to the one called . This app is able to offer antimalware and antivirus protection at the same time with the real-time protection when you run it for the first time ever. Here’s what you get: a web privacy module, firewall (if your handset is previously rooted) and anti phishing technology. Other features included are a manager for the new applications and a web shield on the side.

TrustGo Mobile Security

is another security app which costs nothing. Like the above options, its quality is very good. The features it delivers are these: custom scanning and the possibility to decide which app can access which site. This application has included the possibility to backup your device via a cloud.

Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus

Many laptop users have a Bitdefender antivirus program installed on their devices. The company behind it also makes security apps for your Android phone. The one we picked for today is called . Should you want to use the full features, it will cost you $9.95 annually. The free trial version offers 2 weeks where you’ll get to use PRO features that deliver antiphishing and real time internet protection to go with it. If you decide to go ahead with the download of this app, you need to know the following: if you’ve never used such a tool, you will be required to get into your BitDefender account. Second step: start a scan of your device using the Full option. You may come across a problem, though, which might make you reconsider grabbing this app: the scanner it features will try to connect to Bitdefender support via their servers. If everything goes well, though, then you will be offered the usual antivirus options and whatnot.

AVG

Our fifth pick for best protection apps for Android devices in 2013 is called . You can either download a free or a premium version. Just like wine, this tool only got better with time. And this means features such as an anti theft module, able to locate your device and a unwanted task manager able to stop any running task. The software includes web protection when you visit Internet pages that pose security problems and a powerful antivirus. If you want more features, then you can get the PRO version after the initial 14 days of free usage expire. What the premium option offers is made of the possibility to have the installed applications saved into the phone’s memory card and something called App Locker. The latter is able to allow an app to be launched only if you type in a password. Once you get the AVG AntiVirus on your smartphone, the first scan it performs has to be started by you. Otherwise nothing will work and you are going to get a warning message. After you get everything in order, this security app will give its best to protect your handset that runs an Android OS.

McAfee Antivirus & Security

Like Bitdefender, McAfee is another software which protects your comp or laptop against unwanted visitors looking to throw in bugs and such. Here is an app connected directly to it: . This option is recommended to users who want the simplest of security features. Because from what we saw and what others experienced before us, this app just doesn’t rise to the high expectations you might be inclined to have of it at first glance. But it’s not that bad either or else it wouldn’t have ended on our list. Suffice to say that it’s the weak link in this chain and yet it still does what it is intended to.

Lookout Security

shares the same fate as other security apps on this list, in the sense that if you wish to get in touch with better features you need to pay $2.99 per month. The 2013 version for which you don’t have to pay money has the following advantage: it makes sure you can backup your friends numbers on your phone to the official site of Lookout. When you get things in motion for the first time, the Lookout Security & Antivirus will need you the following course of action: you must have an account on lookout.com, sign in and wait for some screens to appear on your phone.

After that you will be introduced to the actual app and then the latter is going to scan all the applications installed on the phone. The entire process is automatically. The app will also check if the phone has service problems and you will need to wait for the tool to start its real time scanner for the installed applications. What the premium version offers for the money you pay includes the ability to transfer photos along with privacy module, call history (only if you call new numbers), the blocking of unsafe URLs and remote wipe/device’s lock. But the missing device service we mentioned above is great if you cannot find your smartphone (whose battery is ready to die out) , because it is helped by an option baptized Signal Flare.
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Kaspersky Mobile Security

app has a free version that is known as Kaspersky Mobile Security Lite. And with this option you have included a anti-theft module and a SIM protection option. You are also offered privacy module able to help you to see if the phone was used by strangers and for which activity. We should also mention call & SMS filtering here. When you want to install this particular app, here’s what will be asked of you: to generate a number used for different control activities. With this number you can control the phone and you can send it commends of any kind.The Kaspersky Mobile Security Lite does not have as much protection features as other apps. But it is going to detect malware well enough. We recommend the full version, but this one will come at a price. What we noticed with the free option: real time protection for all the new installed applications, is coming with the software by default. However, the Lite version isn’t able to scan any existing data of already installed applications.

GuardX

The last security app for your Android handset is labeled . We chose this one among the best in our “Best Apps for Android in 2013” list because we think it’s one of the easiest applications to get and use. And the features it comes with are in no way inferior to any of the above solutions.