As it turns out, more and more infected apps are landing on the Google Play Store, despite the fact that this is supposed to be a safe place for Android users, so antivirus products or security software are at least mandatory on Google's mobile operating system.
And a survey conducted by security institute AV-TEST reveals the best antivirus solutions for Android, helping you decide which one you should choose if you're committed to increased data security on your phone.
Just like with Windows antivirus software, the results speak for themselves: a total of 7 different security products have the highest score, with perfect scores for performance and usability. Security products from Tencent, Symantec, Sophos, G Data, Cheetah, Bitdefender, and Antiy lead the pack, while AhnLab, McAfee , and Trend Micro come in close behind.
Kaspersky, which has long been one of the leading providers of security for desktops and mobile devices, performed well during the latest round of testing, achieving a 99.8% detection rate in real-world tests and a 99.9% detection rate.
Security software made by Chinese company NSHC called Droid-X 3 got the lowest score, with a 91.9% detection rate in real word tests and a 94.8% overall detection rate.
ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus for Android received 5.5 points (out of a maximum of 6) for protection, 6 points for usability, and 1 for 1 for features, coming pretty close to the leaders in the charts, but still leaving some malware samples behind.
In the end, choosing a powerful antivirus shouldn't be that big of a problem, especially since no less than 7 different solutions received the maximum result in these tests.
But at the same time, as with Windows computers, one of the best ways to avoid malware is to always download apps from trusted sources, and although the Google Play Store is supposed to be safe, take a look at the number of downloads, user reviews, and other information that could expose an app.
