The best free antivirus for Android

How to play it safe on the cheap.

- IAN PAUL

Keeping your Android phone secure without security software is doable, but for some people it’s just plain risky. That’s especially true if you open a lot of files on your phone from email or messaging platforms, or if you are, shall we say, a little too liberal with the kinds of apps you’re willing to install— even if they are from the Play Store.

If you want to make sure your Android device is secure from these threats and others, an antivirus app can help. In fact, there are a bunch of completely free ones in Google Play, but you want to make sure you’re getting security from a known and reputable company. Because there’s only one thing worse than getting pwned by an app you downloaded from Google Play: getting pwned by an antivirus app you downloaded from Google Play.

Luckily for us, almost every major antivirus maker has an Android app with the ability to keep your device secure, and some of them are even free. And by free we mean really free. Not 30-day-trial free, but actually free for as long as you have it on your device. Some may have more restricted features (that is often the trade-off with free), but if you want to keep your device more secure without paying for a subscription you don’t otherwise need, these are the apps we recommend.

For more smartphone fortification, check out our roundup of the best free VPNs for Android (fave.co/37RIxa7)—a great way to protect your privacy and guard your data when using public Wi-Fi.