Best antivirus apps for iPhone and iPad

If you own an iPhone or iPad, you might know that iOS is one of the most secure mainstream operating systems on the market, rivaled only by Linux. However, viruses and malware for iOS do exist, which is why you need to use an antivirus.

Since iPhones and iPads are often targeted by phishing emails, malicious ads, and other threats, an antivirus can help keep your data safe.

Keep on reading to find all of the best antivirus for iPhone and iPad. Keep in mind that these apps aren’t just virus scanners. They offer lots of useful features that will help you stay safe online, such as public wifi protection to integrated VPNs.

Best iPhone antivirus apps:

1. TotalAV – best antivirus for iPhone in 2023 with real-time protection
2. Norton 360 – secure antivirus with main functions and VPN
3. Bitdefender Antivirus – extensive and feature-loaded solution
4. Avira Antivirus – great antivirus with a feature-packed free plan
5. McAfee – excellent security tool for malware removal

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Best antiviruses for iPhone – our detailed list:

If you’ve finally decided to get an antivirus tool for your iPhone but are having a hard time choosing the right one, check the list below. It includes short reviews of each application, telling you how it will benefit your iOS device.

1. TotalAV – the best antivirus for iPhone

Free version:	Yes
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get TotalAV, now 84% OFF!🔥

Visit TotalAV

TotalAV is an amazing antivirus option for iPhone and iPad. It keeps your device fast, offers excellent security features, and includes additional tools – it's a perfect all-in-one package.

Features like Data Breach Check, available for free, will inspect whether your emails or personal data has leaked – protecting you from possible identity theft. System Security features will ensure your security practices are up to par, making the device fully locked from someone else accessing it.

There are tools for device location, a battery monitor, and a Photo Manager. The latter will remove unwanted screenshots, bursts, and duplicate photos, freeing up your disk space and speeding up your phone.

An affordable premium option goes even further. It includes WebShield, which protects your device in real-time, blocking harmful websites and preventing various social engineering attacks. It works across all apps on your web browser, letting you can surf more comfortably.

Regarding better surfing, premium TotalAV also includes a solid VPN to protect your browsing data, such as an IP address, protecting your browsing from spying. Together, these features make TotalAV premium a top option. Especially if you have devices other than your iPhone and iPad – TotalAV premium offers for desktop devices as well.

If you’d like to try out the TotalAV antivirus premium package, you can get it for $19.00/year. And if you are dissatisfied with it, TotalAV offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, ensuring no instant long-term commitments.

To learn more about this provider, check out our TotalAV antivirus review.

2. Norton 360 – antivirus for privacy and real-time protection

Free version:	7-day trial
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get up to 66% OFF Norton Antivirus🔥

Visit Norton Antivirus

Norton is one of the big shots in the mobile security market for iPhones, and it comes as no surprise. Well, there’s a good reason for it: it’s a really good antimalware suite, protecting just about any facet of your digital life.

But what does it offer for iPhone and iPad users specifically? For starters, the app is an easy nut to crack, even for beginners. Everything is organized in the main window, and the learning curve is effortless.

In terms of features, the Norton 360 antivirus app for iOS does lots of pretty useful stuff. For example, it filters spam text messages that may contain phishing attempts. The app also warns you against unsecured wifi networks and patches various device vulnerabilities.

In addition, the Web Protection feature will prevent you from visiting infected websites. And if you’d like to be aware if any of your personal info gets leaked, use the Dark Web Monitoring feature for live alerts.

Moreover, the Norton antivirus app for iPhone and iPad lets you enable a VPN (unfortunately, this feature is unavailable in some countries).

If Norton caught your eye, you’ll be pleased to know that its pricing starts from $19.99/year. Plus, since there’s a free 7-day trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee, you basically get 67 free days!

To learn more about this provider, check out our Norton 360 Antivirus review.

3. Bitdefender – all-around cybersecurity package for iOS

Free version:	Yes
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get Bitdefender for up to 62% OFF!🔥

Visit Bitdefender

If you’re looking for an excellent antimalware solution for your iPhone, Bitdefender can be an excellent solution. It’s a well-rounded security suite with useful features

So, how does Bitdefender cater to Apple fans? Well, for one, the apps are convenient – everything (from features to support) is displayed at the bottom of the window.

Even the free app scans network connections and blocks anything suspicious. In addition, it also includes a VPN with a limit of 200MB a day. While not much, this means you won’t need to subscribe to a separate VPN service for regular browsing and occasional connections to unprotected wifi networks.

But that’s not all. Bitdefender iOS also allows you to scan your email address for potential breaches for free, letting you know your security status online.

The premium plan enables web protection, ensuring your phone is safe from online threats. And thanks to the Bitdefender Central platform, you can view the status of all the other devices under the same Bitdefender account. You can change the parental control settings here, too.

Aside from the free plan, the price of premium subscriptions starts from $23.99/year. It’s a solid option for protecting your iPhone – and there’s no risk involved. In addition to a solid free version, there’s also a free 30-day trial for all premium options.

To learn more about this provider, check out our full Bitdefender review.

4. Avira – lightweight security app for iPhone with a free plan

Free version:	Yes
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get 1 year of Avira at 40% OFF!🔥

Visit Avira

Avira is a great lightweight all-rounder tool for iOS devices. While not as feature-heavy, it’s still a very reliable and solid app.

And how does it appeal to Apple users? The app itself is very minimalistic, clean, and easy to navigate. Plus, it’s butter smooth to use, which is always a big plus.

Additionally, the features Avira Mobile Security offers are a great addition to iOS protection. My favorite feature is the one that prevents Siri from logging your Siri commands onto Apple’s servers.

Also, the app comes with the Avira Phantom VPN (100 MB a day) so you can also protect the unsecured network you connect to and detect other smart devices using your home network.

In addition, the application will update your software regularly, create a backup of your files, and help you recover your lost or stolen iOS device.

If you’re interested in Avira's top security features, you can get a subscription for $30.99/year, and you’ll also get a 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, a single Avira account can be used on multiple devices, so you can easily protect all the phones and computers you own.

To learn more about this antivirus provider, check out our Avira antivirus review.

5. McAfee – beginner-friendly tool for threat removal

Free version:	Yes
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get McAfee, save up to 67%🔥

Visit McAfee

If you want an all-round antivirus app for iPhone and iPad, look no further than McAfee. It keeps your devices safe while also offering advanced security features.

So, how does the iOS version of McAfee stand out from the crowd? Firstly, it’s a clean and minimalistic app with various tips and useful information. While the app took slightly longer to load, none of the features were buggy, so the overall experience was good.

In terms of security features, McAfee provides you with a real-time protection feature that will stop any online threats from entering your system. It also offers regular regular system security scans to detect wifi attacks and outdated software.

Also, McAfee iOS lets you locate a lost or stolen device by using a GPS tracker or activating a remote alarm. Aside from that, the app’s Media Vault feature will protect your personal photos and videos with a PIN code. You’ll also be able to backup your contact information automatically.

The Premium Plus version of McAfee offers an unlimited VPN that will offer reliable protection when browsing the web, even when using public wifi.

There’s also a 7-day free trial for the Premium version that you can download to your iPhone or iPad. And if you decide to purchase the service, the paid subscriptions start from $39.99/year.

To learn more about this provider, check out our McAfee Antivirus review.

6. ESET NOD32 – antivirus protection with an extensive suite of security features

Free version:	Yes
Dedicated iPhone app:	No
VPN included:	No
Current deal:	🔥Get ESET, save up to 33%🔥

Visit ESET NOD32

ESET is cloud-based antivirus software ideal for iOS devices, letting you easily manage ESET through a singular management platform. It provides all the data of your security system and allows you to manage all endpoint security and user activities.

Features include anti-theft capabilities, web content screening, whitelisting and blacklisting of programsDevice security is offered by ESET Mobile Device Management. A remote program called ESET Mobile Device Management is used to set up security settings for iOS devices. What’s more, this antivirus app does not need to be set up on your iPhone. ESET can assist you remotely in protecting your iPhone. Very simply, you can control all of your devices from one consolidated dashboard.

One of the best features of ESET is its endpoint security. It offers ransomware protection, blocks and prevents targeted attacks, and prevents data breaches.

There is also really solid protection from phishing attacks, as well as email security, complete disk encryption and file server protection for an all-around safety from all possible angles.

The ESET antivirus plans allow you to cover up to 100 devices, and the price starts from $39.99/year. There is also a 30-day free trial.

Check out our ESET review to learn more about this antivirus.

7. Trend Micro – easy-to-use antivirus for iPhone

Free version:	Yes (Android and iOS)
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get Trend Micro, now 54% OFF!🔥

Visit Trend Micro

Another great antivirus software for the iPhone is Trend Micro. This provider is safe, and uses sophisticated AI technologies to identify and block any suspicious activity.

It’s an easy-to-use antivirus compatible with iOS 11.0 or later. Its functionalities include keeping your iOS device safe by automatically blocking potentially harmful websites while browsing. It blocks ads, personal information trackers, and avoids unsafe wifi networks, as well as excess data usage.

Trend Micro lets you run quick, full, or custom security scans. However, these scans are quite fixed and you can’t control much. Its Folder Shield feature acts as an anti-ransomware layer that watches all of your files, including connected drives.

Trend Micro also has features like iMessage Protection for iOS. It automatically places all iMessages that link to suspicious sites into a junk folder.

There is a free version for you to try and test out. If you’d like to get Trend Micro Maximum Security or other premium plans, they start at $19.95/year. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case you're not fully satisfied with the software.

Take a look at our Trend Micro review to learn more.

8. Surfshark AV – privacy-oriented mobile security for iOS

Free version:	No
Dedicated iPhone app:	Yes
VPN included:	Yes
Current deal:	🔥Get Surfshark Antivirus - 76% OFF!🔥

Visit Surfshark Antivirus

Surfshark is another great security solution for iPhone devices. While the iOS app doesn’t include an antivirus, it has everything you need for iOS protection.

For starters, you may have already heard of Surfshark because of its market-leading VPN service. It keeps you safe from hackers on public wifi and hides your online activities from your Internet service provider, malicious actors, and even governments. All that while maintaining excellent speeds.

Additionally, you get the Alert feature which monitors the web to find any leaks of your personal data. This includes your email address, credit cards, and IDs. If you want to use it, you have to enable two-factor authentication as an extra security layer.

This provider also has the Surfshark Search feature available in the app. It’s a search engine (like Google) but it doesn’t collect your data (unlike Google). Plus, it’s also completely ad-free, so you can enjoy an uninterrupted browsing experience.

You can get the Surfshark bundle for $3.98/month. You can try it risk-free – if you end up unsatisfied with it, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee available.

For more information, visit our Surfshark Antivirus review.

How we tested and selected these antiviruses

It’s a shame that most iOS antivirus applications are just worse versions of their Windows counterparts. Most of them are stripped down of features and functionality. Some antivirus apps for iOS don’t even offer real-time protection, which is the entire point of antivirus software.

So, to select only the best antivirus for iPhone and iPad, we paid attention to such criteria:

• Malware detection rates. While it’s rare to experience security threats with iOS, it’s still possible. And a good antivirus ensures excellent results in independent lab tests, such as AV-Comparatives.
• Extra features. Apple products already come with security tools within them, so an antivirus software has to provide some additional features to strengthen device protection. This can include a VPN, device optimization tools, web protection, and other.
• Simultaneous connections. A good antivirus plan covers more than one device. Additionally, you probably have devices that work with different OS, so it’s important that the antivirus lets you protect at least a few of them.
• Price. Although plenty of antiviruses offer free plans, premium subscriptions can be quite pricey. We made sure to choose providers that offer the best bang for the buck.
• Money-back guarantee. In case you’re unhappy with the provider of your choice, it’s important that you can get your money back if you cancel your subscription within at least a month. That’s why every provider in this list has the money-back guarantee.

How do I install an antivirus on my iOS?

Even if you’ve never done this before, installing an antivirus application on your iPhone or iPad is super easy. Just follow these steps and you’ll be using your antimalware application in no time:

1. Open the App Store and search for the application you want

2. Download the application onto your iOS device and open it

3. Sign in or create an account if you don't have one

4. Follow the application instructions and finish setting up the app

Secure your iPhone with TotalAV

Do I need a security app for my iPhone?

The truth is, your iPhone can get a virus, but the chances are slim. The reason is that iOS sandboxes all the downloaded applications, limiting their access to your system. This makes downloading apps to your iPhone a much safer pastime than doing the same on your Android.

However, if you’ve “jailbroken” your device, a virus has a much bigger chance of infecting your iPhone or iPad. For instance, if you removed the software restrictions imposed by Apple or did it to download an app or extension not approved by the App Store.

Another way of accidentally infecting your iOS device is by visiting malware-infested pages. Even using the Safari search engine doesn’t guarantee 100% security. That’s because certain vulnerabilities might allow malware to escape the sandbox.

Plus, there are other useful features that an antivirus can offer aside from threat protection. For instance, it’s useful to be warned about security breaches. Such features like parental controls or a device locator may come in handy as well.

All in all, even though it’s extremely rare, your iPhone can actually get a virus if you let your guard down.

How to choose the best antivirus app for iPhone?

If you still can’t decide which antivirus tool to download to your iPhone after reading our list, here’s a few criteria to keep in mind that will help you decide:

1. Consider your budget. Decide whether you want to invest into a premium tool or a free version is enough for you. Keep in mind that free plans are limited and usually don’t include such features as real-time or web protection.
2. Think about what features you’ll need. Consider whether you need such functions as file backup, a data breach checker, a device locator, a VPN, or others.
3. Count how many devices you’ll want to secure. Most antivirus software have apps for various operating systems. So, for all the iPad kids that want to get protection for Windows, Android, or other devices as well, check how many connections the antivirus allows.

Overall, don’t choose blindly or judge a book by its cover – evaluate what the providers have to offer or go through their reviews.

Is there a free antivirus for iPhone?

Yes, there are plenty of free high-quality antivirus software for iPhone folks. Even most of the ones mentioned in our list above offer free plans. These include:

• TotalAV – lets you check whether your personal data has been breached, make use of the device locator, a photo manager, and even a battery monitor for free.
• Avira – the free antivirus scans for protection, privacy, and performance issues. Additionally, it lets you set up anti-theft protection and includes an iOS updater, contacts backup, a call blocker, a VPN, and a privacy manager.
• Bitdefender – with its free version, you can scan your device for updates and wifi security. Plus, there’s a VPN and a data leak scanner.
• McAfee – allows you to check for data breaches, use a VPN, enable safe browsing, and scan your wifi network.

However, what you should keep in mind is that they usually lack certain security features, such as a VPN, real-time or web protection, which prevent threats from entering your device.

To sum up, free antiviruses are usually extensive in features. However, if you want extra protection from threats, a paid subscription might just be a better solution.

Video review: best antivirus for iPhone

Conclusion

As you might have already guessed, finding a good antivirus for iPhone isn’t all about high virus detection rates. Since, for the most part, Apple has the more traditional malware threats nailed down on iOS, antivirus providers are looking for other ways to offer value to customers. You have to take lots of things into account, especially when it comes to extra features and the tool’s compatibility with other operating systems.

And even if you only have an iPhone or an iPad, you shouldn’t overlook getting a safe antimalware tool. Remember – one virus is all it takes. Don’t let this risk ruin your day or your life.

Our top pick for antivirus software for your iPhone or iPad is TotalAV. It offers the best features to strengthen your iOS device and includes extra additions to optimize your phone. It offers the best value to price ratio.

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