there have been many questions surrounding the abundance of security applications out there for your android device and we decided it was time to finally compare the big three:  wavesecure, mobile defense and lookout.  (all are currently free.)

to start off this review, check out this chart we threw together comparing the different options involved in each application…

after looking at that chart, your initial reaction would probably be to want to go out and grab wavesecure immediately.  and sure, it’s a great app, but the one thing you’ll notice missing, is the scheduling aspect.  i find that scheduling is my best friend when it comes to backup applications.  on your home pc, would you ever run a backup or anti-virus scan if you had to do it manually or do you just set those bad boys up to run in the background?

lookout on the other hand, which is the application i currently have installed on my droid runs scheduling but is definitely missing some key features including backups of call logs, videos, and texts messages.  i love that it runs my backup at night while i’m asleep, but i’m not sure how much longer i can go without being able to backup the dozens of videos, thousands of texts, and call logs from my phone.

and mobile defense, as you may have guessed, is miles behind the other two.  the app installs on your phone and immediately goes into hiding and is only accessible from their website.  you can connect to your device from their site which is nice, but the options just aren’t there yet.  they have notices on their website confirming updates in the future which will allow backups and wipes, but right now, doesn’t have either as a feature.

my verdict?  all of the applications do a fantastic job at the security aspect of their functionality which is locating your device if it is ever lost or stolen.  so it really comes down to those few key additional features then.  do you like scheduling or do you want to be able to backup your videos, texts and call logs?  i’m sticking with lookout for now, but if they refuse to add an option for video, text and call log backup, our relationship may end much sooner than they know.

additional info:

wavesecure:  https://www.wavesecure.com/
mobile defense:  https://www.mobiledefense.com
lookout:  https://www.mylookout.com

your questions?

q:  do wavesecure and mobile defense use international sms? 
a:  both have confirmed changes made to their systems so that international sms texts are no longer charged to u.s. customers.  (not sure what that means for the rest of the world just yet.)

q:  do anti-virus programs for android really work?
a: a great question.  since android is a linux-based os, most believe that it is not susceptible to viruses and that anti-virus software can in the long run, cause problems to your phone.  i use lookout, but i have disabled my anti-virus protection.