14 DAY TRIAL // New research conducted by AV-TEST reveals the best antivirus solutions for Android, with no less than 8 out of 16 apps getting the maximum point score.
AV-TEST tried to determine the apps’ performance in three separate test rounds performed between November 2017 and March 2018. The institute evaluated protection, usability, and features of third-party security solutions for Android and Google Play Protect, the default Google anti-malware service that’s bundled into the Google Play store.
The research lab offered six points for each of the protection and usability tests, and one point for features, leading to a maximum of 13 points for the top performers.
Security solutions from Avast, Bitdefender, G Data, Kaspersky Lab, PSafe, Symantec, Tencent and Trend Micro got the top score, followed closely by McAfee with 12.8 points, Alibaba with 12.7 points, and AhnLab with 12.4 points.
Top performers
Protection apps from Alibaba, Avast, McAfee, and PSafe topped the charts in terms of malware detection, while Bitdefender and Kaspersky Lab offered nearly top-notch performance. Google Play Protect completely failed here with just 56.8 percent detection in the real-world test and 61.5 percent detection on the reference set.
“Google endeavors to increase the security for all Android users. If this were not the case, there would be no constant scanning of the Play Store and automatic examination of each mobile device using Google Play Protect. The laboratory from AV-TEST does indeed agree with the call for more security, but the current test scores of Google Play Protect recommend the use of a security solution, however,” AV-TEST explains.
Overall, the 6-month endurance tests show that Android users have a wide array of apps to choose from if they’re looking for third-party protection on their devices, as Google Play Protect still isn’t considered an effective layer against malware.
The performance impact of these apps should be minimal, as 12 of the 16 tested products received the full 6 points after almost no slowdown was detected during the tests.
