APUS Security Review 2024: Is It Worth the Money?

APUS Security is a simple and free antivirus app for Android. It offers a virus scanner, a system junk cleanup tool, a notification manager, a battery status reporter, and a process manager. Each of these tools works smoothly from the app’s main dashboard.

However, none of these features improve on Android’s existing capabilities. Your Android already has a malware scanner (Google Play Protect), a storage optimizer, a battery and notification manager, and a process manager.

Some of APUS Security’s features hide what changes they’re making. For example, the Clean feature operates automatically without displaying a list of files it plans to remove. You need to use the advanced junk cleaner buried in another menu to find that out — which is pretty annoying.

Despite this, APUS can be helpful if you want a simple, all-in-one solution for managing your Android device. However, I recommend considering alternatives like Norton 360 for more comprehensive protection and features.

APUS Security Full Review — Simple Android Antivirus for Beginners

At first glance, APUS appears to be a decent antivirus app, but after looking at it more closely, I realized it doesn’t deliver anything valuable. There are far better antivirus apps that offer more functionality, like real-time protection and web protection, Wi-Fi and SMS security, and more. That said, if you’re new to the antivirus market and want a free Android app to get you started, APUS is worth checking out.

Plans & Pricing — Free (Upgrade Available to Remove Ads)

APUS Security is free, though the free version allegedly includes ads. I say “allegedly” because I never encountered any ads while using the free app. You can subscribe to remove ads by picking among a weekly ($1.29), monthly ($2.59), and annual ($12.99) subscription. However, since you may not see any ads on the free plan (and there’s no money-back guarantee outside of Google’s usual 48-hour window), I recommend sticking with the free tier.

APUS Security Features — Decent Range of Features (But Not All of Them Are Good)

APUS Security offers 5 main features:

• Clean (clears junk files).
• Notification Manager.
• Full Scan.
• Battery Status.
• Process Manage.

The full device scan checks your entire device for harmful apps. It’ll show you the files and folders it’s currently scanning; however, you can’t read the entire file path. The scan also happens so quickly that it’s pretty much impossible to find out what exactly is being scanned. In all honesty, there are Android apps with much better malware scanners, such as Bitdefender, which has perfect malware detection rates and operates in the cloud, so it doesn’t slow down your device.

Real-time app protection scans newly installed apps for malware. If APUS Security detects an app containing malware, it blocks the app from running. Unlike McAfee’s Scam Protection, it won’t scan or block malicious text messages, and unlike Norton, it won’t stop you from downloading a malicious app — just from opening it.

What’s more, the button to enable real-time protection is buried deep within the Settings menu. First, tap the “More apps” icon at the bottom left of the main screen. Then, tap the settings cogwheel icon at the top right. Under Virus Scan Settings, tap Open virus-scan settings. Finally, toggle Enable real-time protection on. Given that real-time protection is one of the most important features of any antivirus app, enabling it should be simpler.

It’s unclear what the Clean feature does. It claims to clean “Cache Garbage” and “Residual Garbage” and offers to “Clean More” without explaining what any of this means. The process is automatic and doesn’t show a list of files or confirm whether you want to delete them. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to trust the app’s functionality. If system optimization tools for Android are a priority for you, I strongly suggest you check out TotalAV’s mobile app instead: it comes with many more cleaning and optimization options, and it’s much more user-friendly.

The Notification Manager feature doesn’t add much value, either. It allows you to snooze or dismiss notifications, reply to messages or emails, and accept phone calls. It also lets the app turn Do Not Disturb mode on or off and change related settings. These are all functions that your Android device can already perform.

Battery Status is another feature that your Android already includes. It provides information on whether your battery is “healthy,” the type of battery, its temperature, voltage, and total remaining capacity. However, it does allow you to access helpful battery management features on one screen. These include reducing your screen brightness, changing the screen auto-lock duration, and changing your screen orientation — although how changing your screen orientation improves battery life is unclear.

Process Manage, too, is something your Android can already do on its own. It lets you quickly see a list of running processes and stop them. The question is, why would you want to? Android automatically puts unused apps to sleep, so there’s generally no need to manage processes manually.

APUS Security includes some additional features, but these are hidden within a different menu that can be accessed by tapping the “More Features” button.

Message Security lets you hide the previews for messages. This includes messages from WhatsApp, your Android’s regular messages app, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Gmail, and any other app that supports messaging. To view your message, you’ll have to tap on it and unlock your phone (if necessary).

With the advanced junk cleaner, you can select individual apps for which you want to clear junk files or all apps simultaneously. It looks like you’ll mostly be clearing cached files, but there’s no way to confirm this for sure.

Finally, WhatsApp Cleaner and Facebook Cleaner do the same on their respective apps. When you first open either tool, it shows you what will be cleaned, but this list is only visible for a second or less. The tool then immediately starts “cleaning” files. These tools should delete attachments you’ve received in WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, but when I tested it on my Samsung Galaxy S23, the tool didn’t delete any attachments — leaving me unsure of its exact function. Still, I wouldn’t recommend using it if you don’t want to risk losing photos and videos received on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

APUS Ease of Use & Setup — Super Easy to Install (No Sign up Required)

APUS Security is really easy to use. Simply download and install it from the Google Play Store, and you can begin using it — you’re not required to sign up or enter any personal information, which I’m a massive fan of.

Most of the features are on the main screen. However, some — like the Advanced junk cleaner, WhatsApp, and Facebook cleaners — are buried deeper in the menu, which can be slightly annoying.

Another tricky thing about using this app is granting permissions. Each feature requires you to grant various permissions, which can be tedious, but this is no different from most Android apps. Unfortunately, this is necessary if you want to use all of the features.

Finally, I have to mention all the spelling and grammar mistakes this app’s interface is riddled with. While phrases like “X Resistant Apps Found,” “Prevent malicious App from stealing personal privacy and money,” and “Clean need your permissions to work” don’t hinder functionality, they were frustrating to see. They reduced some of the confidence I have in the app.

APUS Customer Support — It Doesn’t Work

APUS Security provides an email address you can contact for support, but it doesn’t work. When I tried to send an email with some questions, my email bounced and was “returned to sender.” Not a good thing. I would not recommend paying for this app because you won’t be able to contact anyone for help or disputes.

If you want an app with proper customer service (and many more features), check out Norton 360 instead. Norton offers live chat and phone support, with agents available 24/7 — and it comes with a generous 60-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee that instills confidence.

Is APUS Security a Good Antivirus App for Android?

After extensive testing, I would say no. The app barely does anything more than what Android can already do. However, if you appreciate having various functions available on one simple screen, it could be worth it for you. These functions include malware scanning, notification management, cleaning system junk files, checking your device’s battery status, and managing processes.

That said, if you want a far better antivirus app with tons more features, I recommend one of the apps from our list of the best apps for Android. I use Norton: its Android app offers much more functionality like real-time and web protection, Wi-Fi security, a VPN, SMS security, and many additional features. And unlike APUS Security, it provides customer support and backs its plans with a money-back guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the APUS app used for?

With APUS Security, you can scan for malware, clean junk files, manage notifications, check the status of your device’s battery, and manage processes. It’s pretty simple to use and allows you to manage everything from a single screen.

The app is available on Android from the Google Play Store. You can use the free version (which I recommend) or pay weekly, monthly, or annually to remove ads. However, I haven’t seen any ads while testing the free version.

What are the cons of APUS?

APUS Security doesn’t do anything your Android device can already do. Additionally, some functions, like the Clean feature, will automatically delete cached files without first showing you the files or asking you to confirm.

This poses several problems. The first is that you never know exactly what files are being deleted, and the second is that you don’t know how thorough the “cleaning” procedure is.

What is special about APUS?

Realistically, nothing. APUS Security is an antivirus app that helps you perform various functions on your Android device from one simple screen. These functions are things your device can already do natively. However, some people might appreciate the convenience factor here.