5 Best (REALLY FREE) iPad & iPhone Antivirus Apps in 2022

The iOS “antivirus” app doesn’t offer traditional antivirus scanning. Instead, the iPhones and iPads use an advanced security feature called “sandboxing”, that prevents apps making changes to other apps, files or processes on your device.

When people refer to “antivirus for iOS“, most people mean “internet safety for iOS”. This covers a wide variety of features that protect iPhones and iPads, such as anti-phishing and protection from scam SMS messages.

I was able find 5 iOS security apps with free or extended free trials of premium features.

There is not one iOS security app that offers all the features you need. If you are aware that your privacy and data are valuable, Norton’s iOS app is a great choice.

Quick summary of the best Antivirus Free For iOS apps in 2022:

• 1.🥇 McAfee Security — Best free iOS app in 2022.
• 2.🥈 Avira Mobile Security — Excellent iOS privacy features + VPN.
• 3.🥉 TotalAV Mobile Security — Wide range of free features including a device locator.
• 4. Kaspersky Security Cloud — Strong (but limited) VPN and data breach scanning.
• 5. Lookout Personal for iOS — Email breach scanning, device locator & app update scanner.
• Bonus. Norton Mobile Security — Best premium iOS security app in 2022.

1.🥇 McAfee Mobile Security for iOS — Best Free iOS Security App in 2022

McAfee Safety is an intuitive app that provides a wide range of iOS security features. It currently offers a 180-day free trial for its premium features. This is the longest available free trial of any iOS security apps.

McAfee’s web security was excellent. It prevented me access to multiple verified phishing websites, including fake banking login page.

McAfee’s iOS App also contains:

• Wi-Fi scanner.
• VPN (with unlimited bandwidth).
• Data breach alerts.

McAfee’s WiFi scanner is quite good. It’s an on demand scanner that will alert you if you are using an unsafe WiFi network. It alerted me when I used the public Wi-Fi at my local coffee shop, which isn’t a secure network.

The VPN is also very simple to set up. Although the VPN was fast in all my tests, it did not allow me to choose a server location. It chose the closest one. A VPN with more advanced features and a variety of servers is recommended if you are looking for a better VPN.

McAfee’s mobile plans can be purchased as an individual or combined with McAfee’s 2-year Total Protection subscriptions. These subscriptions start at $48.33/year and cover up to 10 devices including iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.

Bottom line:

McAfee remains my favourite iOS security app, and it will be available for free in 2022. It is intuitive and easy to set up. It has a lot of great features, and protects against malicious sites. Anyone looking to protect their device for as little as 6 months can use the 180-day free trial.

2.🥈 Avira Free Mobile Security for iOS — Excellent iOS Privacy Features + VPN

Avira Mobile Security for iOS offers more features than any other iOS app. All of its features are intuitive and useful and offer an extra layer of protection for iPhones or iPads.

Avira’s iOS application is my favorite feature. The Privacy Manager feature is a downloadable iOS profile which prevents Siri sharing your data with Apple. Once installed, it prevents Siri logging commands on Apple servers. This profile is great if the goal is to reduce the amount of personal information that big companies can collect.

Avira Mobile Security also offers many additional security features such as:

• VPN (100MB daily limit).
• Anti-theft protection.
• Network scanner.
• Device analyser.
• Photo storage manager.
• Contacts backup.

Avira’s VPN is a great choice. It provides encrypted internet access at lightning speeds with no logs and protects your browsing history. The VPN only allows you to connect to one server and has a daily limit at 100 MB. Upgrade to Avira PhantomVPN Pro for $42.11 per month and get unlimited data and access to a wide range of global server locations.

Avira Mobile Security for iOS is a great free app. However, Avira’s paid plans provide a lot more. Avira Safety Pro for iOS includes anti-phishing, spam calling blocking, and data breach monitoring. Avira’s premium password manager, Avira Prime, can be added to unlimited VPN data. This package costs $59.99 per year and includes all Avira’s features for up 5 devices (including iOS, macOS and Android).

Bottom line:

Avira is a free antivirus app that works on iPhones and iPads. Its Privacy Monitor feature allows you to use Siri with no Apple data. The anti-theft tools and call blocker are excellent. If you need web protections and a VPN that doesn’t limit your data, as well as a password manager, then you will need to upgrade to Avira Prime Mobile, which is available either for a monthly subscription, or as part the larger Avira Primeantivirus pack.

3.🥉 TotalAV Mobile Security — Good Range of Free Features for iOS

TotalAV Mobile Security offers a secure web browser that is free from being targeted or tracked by advertisers. DuckDuckGo is our top choice for the most secure web browser (2022).

TotalAV has a breach scanning function that scans for compromised email addresses. I was relieved that my test Gmail account was still secure. However, I wasn’t surprised that my Hotmail account that I had created in 2005 had been affected by numerous data breaches over the past few years. Norton’s data breach monitoring function, which searches for information such as stolen credit card numbers and driving licenses, is still my favorite.

TotalAV offers a few additional features for no cost, such as:

• Device locator.
• Photo cleanup.
• Battery manager.
• System security.

TotalAV’s device locater is a simple anti-theft tool that allows you to track your iPhone in case it gets lost. However, it’s completely free and you can upgrade to be able to track it if it does get lost.

TotalAV Mobile Safety Premium gives you anti-phishing protection. TotalAV’s VPN was able to connect to many servers around the world and unblock geo-restricted Netflix content. TotalAV’s VPN bundle is the best on the market. TotalAV Mobile Safety Premium is also included in TotalAV’s antivirus plans, which start at $29.00/year and cover up 6 devices on all operating systems.

Bottom line:

TotalAV Mobile Security offers many free features, such as a secure browser or a data breach scanner. Other features that TotalAV offers are also free include a device locator and duplicate photo cleanup. TotalAV Mobile Safety Premium offers unlimited VPN use and anti-phishing protection. All TotalAV premium plans come with a 30-day guarantee.

4. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free for iOS — Decent Free VPN & Security Breach Scan

Kaspersky Security Cloud offers a free, minimal iOS security app that doesn’t track your browsing history.

Kaspersky’s VPN allowed me to stream high-quality video with no slowdown. Unfortunately, the free version of Kaspersky doesn’t allow you to select a server from its global network. You’ll have to connect to a local server. Upgrade to get that option.

Kaspersky’s vulnerability scanning is almost identical to TotalAV’s. Simply enter your email address and Kaspersky will compare it with a large database of compromised logins.

Kaspersky also offers a free password manager application. The app allows for convenient auto-filling and password generation, as well as 256-bit AES encryption. However, the free version can only store 15 passwords. This is a disadvantage compared to other free password management apps.

Kaspersky’s iOS paid plans offer anti-phishing protection as well as unlimited password storage across desktops and mobile devices. However, Kaspersky’s multi-device plans start at $23.99/year and provide unlimited VPN data and protection on multiple devices including iOS, Mac, Android, PC and Android.

Bottom Line:

Kaspersky offers a free iOS app that lets you browse unlimitedly through Kaspersky’s VPN service. It also includes unlimited password storage and parental controls.

5. Lookout Personal for iOS — Good Breach Monitoring & Anti-Theft Tools

Lookout Personal iOS offers an app update scanner, basic data breaches monitoring, and missing device location tool for free. This is only useful if iOS’s persistent updates notifications are ignored.

Lookout’s Locate tools can be very useful. If you lose your phone, you can track it on a map or issue a remote alarm. You can also display a message to let good Samaritans know that you have returned your device. Lookout can even save your last location before it dies , which is an extremely useful feature!

Lookout’s last feature is an on demand data breach scanner. It’s nearly identical to TotalAV’s scanner. Enter your email address to see if any logins were compromised during a data breach.

Lookout’s iOS protection is good, but the paid version Premium includes real-time data breaches updates, Wi-Fi network scanner and anti-phishing protection. Lookout offers identity theft protections to Premium users.

Bottom line:

Lookout Personal for iOS offers decent phone protections, data scanning, and iOS updates notifications. The remote alarm feature, which can detect and deter theft, is something I love. But, I think Lookout users who enjoy Lookout’s iOS security tools, such as anti-phishing protection and Wi-Fi scanning should upgrade to the premium version. This includes data breach reports and identity theft tools.

Bonus: Norton Mobile Security — Best Premium Antivirus App for iOS

Norton mobile Security is my favourite iOS security app of 2022.

Norton is the most trusted security provider for iOS.

• Advanced Identity theft monitoring using Norton’s LifeLock technology.
• Protections against Phishing.
• Malicious SMS message protection.
• Scam iOS calendar invites protection.
• VPN (with unlimited bandwidth).
• Wi Fi security scanning.
• and more…

Norton’s identity theft monitoring features are superior to similar features offered by other apps. While most apps scan for email addresses to check for potential breaches, Norton scans for stolen bank account details, credit card details, insurance details and driving license details. It also scans for addresses, phone numbers, telephone numbers, and driving license details. It can even scan for your mother’s maiden names, which are often used as verification.

Norton’s iOS calendar protection is also a great option. It prevents hackers from sending spam invites to iOS calendars, which often contain links to phishing websites. But, I’d like Norton to offer more iOS-tailored options, such as Avira’s ability to protect Siri interactions from Apple’s servers.

Norton Mobile Safety is a great value and costs less than other premium iOS security apps. However, it only covers one device. Norton 360 Deluxe (for $49.99/year) can cover up to five devices including Android and Macs. All Norton plans include a 60-day money back guarantee.

The bottom line:

Norton’s iOS security software is my top choice for iPhones/iPads in 2022. It includes advanced security features such as protection against spam iOS calendar invites, and identity theft scanning tools. Norton does not offer a free plan but offers a 60-day money back guarantee so that you can test it risk-free.

How to choose the best iOS Antivirus App

Although no free security app will provide the level of protection I consider essential, some apps on this list are close. These are the things I looked for in every app that made it into my top five iOS free apps:

• All versions are free. Search for apps that offer long-term functionality, free of charge, and lengthy trial periods. All of these apps offer premium versions that are better — and they are usually quite affordable.
• Privacy. Free apps that only log and sell user data should be avoided. There are not many ways to make money from free apps. All the apps in this list are free and protect user data. Some even have additional tools to ensure that your sensitive data is not compromised.
• Easy to use. Make sure you choose an app that is easy to set-up and use, and doesn’t require any time to understand how each feature works. These tools and apps provide enhanced security with well-designed user interfaces.
• Efficiency. Make sure the antivirus app that you choose doesn’t slow down or crash your iOS device. Before and after installing each app on my iPhone and iPad, I checked the performance of my devices and made sure they were not slowing down or draining batteries.

Top Brands that Didn’t Make it to the Cut

• Traced.Traced’s iOS security application is simple to use and has some good features. It doesn’t have as many features, however, as the other apps.
• Bitdefender. Bitdefender offers a decent paid mobile app that provides web protection, data breach scanning and a limited VPN. Bitdefender does not offer an iOS app for free.
• Avast/AVG. Avast remains one of the most popular security apps on the App Store. However, SafetyDetectives won’t be recommending it anytime soon. Avast is the owner of AVG and there have been disturbing reports about Avast/AVG selling user information to large corporations. Read more here.

What antivirus do I really need for my iPhone?

Apple is correct when it states that you don’t require an antivirus to protect your iOS device. It’s also totally wrong.

Antivirus is a bad term to use, as these apps don’t detect viruses. Apple’s security features can’t protect you from your browsing habits. Phishing is a big problem, theft and browsing on unsecure networks are huge problems.

Anyone who has ever used Apple’s slow “Find My iPhone”, features will tell you that it is not fast enough to locate a lost device or deter thieves.

You don’t have to worry about installing antivirus apps like McAfee or Avira on your iPhone. They also contain our most private information.

What iPhone antivirus apps will work on my iPad?

Most cases, yes. Most iOS antivirus apps like McAfee or Avira will work on all iOS devices, even iPads. You should still check that each app provides the protection you need. Featured features may only be available for iPhones.

What antivirus features are necessary to keep me protected?

Antivirus is an odd term for iOS security apps. Although the threat of a virus of any kind is very low, there are many other threats that could compromise your cybersecurity.

Anti-Theft Tools 360 offer the most comprehensive security features. However, a premium iOS security application is required to ensure your device has all the protection you need.

McAfee’s iOS app is a great choice for users looking for a security app that is free. Although it offers a wide range of features, it is easy to use and has many great features. However, you can get a 180-day trial for free, which allows you to enjoy all its premium features for approximately 6 months.

Source : #safetydetectives
Editor by : BEST Antivirus Review Team