Surprisingly, not many people keep their mobile as secure as their desktops. This is a big mistake when you consider that 97 percent of mobile malware is on Android, and that number is rapidly rising. Android malware rose from 238 threats in 2012 to 804 new threats in 2013. It’s a safe to assume that number is even higher in 2015.

“App stores and mobile apps are the greatest hostile code and malware delivery mechanism ever created”, says Winn Schwartau, chairman of MobileActiveDefense.com

The question then is how can you keep your Android device safe? There are many ways. Here are the top 10 mobile security apps for Android.

360 Security

This totally free app is everything you want from an antivirus Android app. It deletes and scans threats, can clean devices from old and corrupted files, and comes with some additional stuff like a privacy adviser and data monitor.

Anti-virus

This app has a variety of subscription services and a free version. The latter comes the typical features including antivirus, anti-malware, and even anti-theft services such as phone locking and remote location tracking. You can also pay monthly, yearly, or over a single lifetime.

Antivirus & Mobile Security

TrustGo’s Antivirus & Mobile security includes standard antivirus and anti-malware security features, secure web browsing, and data backup and device location.

It doesn’t offer too many extended features like other security apps, and uninstalling the app is tedious, but doable.

AVAST Mobile Security

AVAST is a well-known company, offering above average services for half the price of other paid security subscriptions. It’s only $1.99 per month, undercutting its competition in pricing by about 50 percent.

It’s recommended you go with the paid version because it offers more features than most of the free apps on this list. However, it most likely won’t work on low spec devices and the real time protection can be a bit annoying at times.

AVG Antivirus Security

This app has 100 million installs, so you can trust it’s good. The free version comes with the security basics – antivirus, anti-phishing, and anti-malware. Anti-theft features are offered in both the free and paid versions. If you do go with the paid version, the app has a host of unique options such as app backup, app locks, and SIM locking.

Be warned though, this app isn’t simple. Also, the more secure browsing features are available only in the stock Android browser, which most people don’t use.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free

This app is probably the simplest on the market. Install, run the scan, remove the bad files – that’s it. It’s very light so it works well on older devices. There are no unnecessary features. However if you do need more features such as anti-theft or data backup, look elsewhere.

CM Security

This app is relatively new on the market, but so far it’s been exceptionally popular and highly rated. It has the traditional antivirus, anti-malware, and safe browsing features as well as some impressive anti-theft functionality that includes Google Maps integration, picture taking support and scream mode.

At the moment, CRM security boasts a 100% detection rate, and is 100% free. The only downside is that it still can’t make you a cup of coffee.

Dr Web Anti-virus

While it may be the most expensive app on the list, Dr Web Anti-virus is a good old fashioned antivirus app. The free version includes basic features including a service that lets you know when somebody is accessing your device storage. The paid version includes anti-theft, anti-spam, and cloud checker services. Low system resources make it great for older devices.

Eset Mobile Security & Antivirus

Eset is the maker of the very popular Nod32 series of antivirus apps on desktop. They’re highly rated and very popular.This app boasts a near perfect detection rate, and even let’s you auto-scan new files as you download the. It comes with a tablet interface, something rather uncommon in security apps.

Premium features include call/SMS blocking, advanced anti-theft features, and a rather informative training course on mobile security. However, there are a lot of drawbacks: the free version is extremely basic and you have to pay for automatic virus definition updates

Kaspersky Internet Security

Kaspersky is one of the most popular and trusted antivirus companies out there. Even though the free app is a scaled down version of the premium option, the former offers the essential antivirus and security features. The free version even offers anti-theft features.

However, despite being one of the best antivirus companies in the business, the app has a lot of minor details that may prevent you from downloading. For instance, you have to pay for real-time protection, poor performance on older or midrange devices, and you must create a Kaspersky account just to open the app in the first place.

Conclusion

App security is important, especially on Android devices. Fortunately, there are a lot of both free and paid mobile security apps that will keep you safe from viruses, malware, and hackers. The longer you wait, however, the more likely you’ll device will get infected.