Android Security Apps Long-Term Test: Top Performers Identified
AV-TEST's latest long-term evaluation reveals which Android security apps provide the most robust protection against malware, phishing, and spam.
IT security institute AV-TEST has released its latest long-term test of Android security applications. The study evaluated 11 different apps over a six-month period on Android 15, assessing their effectiveness in protecting devices against malware, phishing, and spam.
The results show that eight applications achieved a perfect 100 percent detection rate for malware. These top performers included Avast, AVG, Avira, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and Norton. These apps successfully identified and blocked all nearly 17,500 malicious applications tested without generating false positives.
McAfee and Sophos closely followed, achieving detection rates just shy of 100 percent. F-Secure and TotalAV also demonstrated strong performance, despite a few minor detection errors.
Google's built-in Google Play Protect ranked lower in the detection category, with scores of 99.6 and 99.8 percent. While still a high level of protection, the test indicates that dedicated third-party security apps can offer superior defense.