Free App Stores For Android

The functionality of mobile devices running the Android operating system, the most used mobile operating system globally, can be extended using 'apps' – specialized software designed to offer users the means to use their devices for certain additional purposes. Such apps are compiled in the Android-native APK file format which allows easy redistribution of apps to end-users.

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Most apps are distributed through Google's Play Store but many alternative software repositories, or app stores, exist. Alternative app stores use the 'Unknown Sources' option of Android devices to install APK files directly via the Android Package Manager.

Google Play Store[edit]

The Google Play Store (originally the Android Market), operated and developed by Google, serves as the official app store for the Android, allowing users to download apps developed with the Android software development kit (SDK) and published through Google. The store offers both free and paid apps. Apps exploiting hardware capabilities of a device can be targeted to users of devices with specific hardware components, such as a motion sensor (for motion-dependent games) or a front-facing camera (for online video calling). The Google Play store had over 50 billion app downloads in 2013 and has reached over 2.96 million apps published in 2020.

Although bundled with most Android devices, the Play Store is only available on devices that are certified within the 'Android Compatibility Program'. As a result, manufacturers of so-called 'custom ROMs', i .e. modified versions of Android, are not allowed to bundle Google apps, including the Play Store, with their software. Compatibility can be restored by installing the Google apps from another source, such as OpenGApps, or using alternative app stores.

Manufacturer app stores[edit]

In addition to some manufacturers not creating certified compatible versions of Android, some manufacturers have decided to bundle their own app stores, either in addition to the Play Store or as a replacement.

Such app stores include:

Samsung Galaxy Store, which is installed on Samsung mobile devices alongside the Play Store. In India, the Samsung Galaxy store is being powered by Indus App Bazaar and is offering a localized experience in 12 Indian languages to all its users.^[1]
Amazon Appstore, which is installed instead of the Play Store on Amazon'sFire Phone and Kindle Fire. The Amazon Appstore can also be installed on other Android devices by downloading it from the Amazon website.
Xiaomi Mi GetApps
OPPO App Market
VIVO App Store

Third-party app stores[edit]

App stores that do not rely on pre-installation by the manufacturer are an alternate option for finding Android applications. Apps offered through third-party app stores or websites, created by parties not affiliated with the device or operating system (OS), are also third-party apps.

Such stores include:

HappyMod^[2]
Uptodown.^[3]^[4]^[5]

This form of app store is often used by web developers to distribute apps that are not allowed in the Google Play Store; this may be due to an app allowing users wider access to the app-system, or offering apps for 'niche users' who choose to use only free and open-source software (F-Droid) or prefer to play indie games (Itch.io). Moreover, there are alternative stores that serve to distribute 'hacked' versions of paid apps, for no cost.^[3]

Reasons to use alternative app stores[edit]

Some users prefer using alternative app stores to avoid using Google services as part of their philosophy.^[6] Alternative app stores may also be easier to navigate for users, allowing them to find specific apps quicker, due to different search algorithms or the user interface design implemented for displaying available apps.^[7] However, users preferring to utilize either, third-party app stores or the Google Play store, cannot be certain that the apps they are installing have been checked for malware or computer viruses.^[3]

In addition, alternative app stores may be used for downloading android applications due to limited availability of full–Google Play functionality. For example, users in China are not able to purchase apps from the Google Play Store, in turn, limiting their options for app purchasing to alternative app stores, such as, AppChina and Wandoujia.^[8]

References[edit]

^Khan, Danish (2019-03-15). 'Samsung steps up software localisation game; inks app store deal with IndusOS'. Economic Times.Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
^Agarwal, Nitin (2020-03-14). 'How to download HappyMod App on your Android device'. PC-Tablet. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
^ ^a^b^cHill, Simon (September 24, 2016). 'Tired of Google Play? Check out these alternative Android app stores'. Yahoo! Tech. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
^Gordon, Scott Adam (2017-03-31). 'Alternative app store Uptodown launches its Android client'. Android Authority. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
^Favre, Loie (June 26, 2015). 'Best Google Play Store alternative app stores - AndroidPIT'. AndroidPIT. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
^Schiwy, Nick (2016-04-13). 'How to survive Android without Google'. AndroidGuys. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
^Chiles, David (2013). Apps: Everything You Need To Know.
^Miller, Paul D.; Matviyenko, Svitlana (2014). The Imaginary App. MIT Press. p. 184. ISBN9780262027489.

Why go for an Alternative App Store?

We’d be lying if we said, every app store alternative can offer as profitable of a revenue share model as Google Play Store or the App Store. But third-party app stores do pay for downloads and often have more lucrative app deals than the two popular app stores.

Advantages of choosing an alternative to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store:

Besides rarely charging an app listing fee, alternative app stores can promote your app better by featuring it as an app of the day or offering advertising discounts to app owners.
Android app store alternatives can offer apps the coveted spot in the recommended apps list, which doesn’t make it to Google Play top ten charts.
Apple App Store alternatives are more profitable than Google and Apple app stores if app owners are offering localized apps that target specific countries.

Having explained the potential opportunities and benefits of third party apps stores in this list of app stores for app owners, we’ll take you through the best alternatives for iOS app stores, Android app stores, Chinese app stores, and many more different app stores.

Best iOS App Store Alternatives

Apple may have you fooled that its App Store is a one-stop destination for iOS apps, but iOS app owners have more options than they might think. These alternative iOS app stores not only charge lesser app store submission fees but also invest more in advertising your app than the Apple app store.

1. GetJar: App Stores for iphones

Founded in the year 2004 by Ilja Laurs, GetJar is an independent app store created by app developers for app developers as an app beta testing platform. The iOS app store alternative has over 0.85M apps available on the platform and bags investor backing from Accel Partners and Tiger Global Management.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

2. Appland: App Store for iOS Devices

Appland is the perfect iOS app store alternative if you’re trying to target end-users in international markets including Indonesia, Mexico, Oman, USA, Iran, El Salvador, Malaysia, Iraq, Bangladesh, Panama, Myanmar, Cambodia, Egypt, etc.

Appland lags a little with conceptual clarity in terms of distribution and revenue model but the app store support is extremely responsive, making it worthy of your consideration.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

3. TutuApp: iOS App Store Alternative

Who says App Stores can’t be an app? The alternative app store TutuApp boasts of over 300+ million users and multiple language support. The iOS app store alternative includes the cooperated SDK, easy app submission process, and support for different payment methods.

Looks interesting, right? Well, you can always check out our short guide on how you can install TutuApp on your device.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

4. AppValley: Best Alternative to Playstore

Just like TutuApp, we have AppValley next on our list of best iOS app store alternatives. AppValley provides its users with one of the largest selection of free content along with modified and unofficial content for iOS devices like iPhone and iPad. You can also go ahead and explore what else AppValley has to offer to its users.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

Best Android App Store Alternatives

Google Play store alone hosts millions of apps, which means app owners submitting an app on the Play Store have to compete with hundreds and thousands of competitor mobile apps released on an annual basis. Even then, not all Android apps are approved upon their first app submission.

But since Google follows the approach of an open app marketplace, Android app owners can use the policy to their benefit by submitting their app to the next best alternatives of Android app stores, as mentioned in the list below.

1. Amazon App Store: Android App Store Alternative

Everyone reeling from the industry buzz knows of Amazon’s e-commerce disruptions, including the latest expansion of its famous Cashierless AmazonGo stores. But what most (including app owners) forget is that this e-commerce giant also has an App Store that’s just as good as Google Play Store.

Released on March 22, 2011, the Amazon app store offers plenty of free and paid apps and exclusive gaming apps with a clean and easy to navigate interface. In fact, the Amazon app store even offers its own currency system to buy games and in-app purchases, making it a perfect alternative to the Google Play Store.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

App Stores For Android Free Download

2. SlideMe: An App Store for Android

SlideMe, a US-based Android mobile app store alternative, first made its debut in the year 2008 as a marketplace catering to different types of audience preferences. As SlideMe rightly puts it, 'one app store alone can't reach everyone and everywhere with the apps they want'.

It quickly rose to fame as the 2nd best app store alternative to the Google Play Store. The Android app store alternative also makes app security a priority as all applications on SlideME are scanned for viruses and exploits, including the Master-Key exploit before they are reviewed and approved by their editors.

To top it all, SlideMe has a robust community of app developers and advisors that help developers with code snippets, bug fixes, etc. and app owners with how to target, price and sell your application.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

3. 1Mobile: Alternative Android App Stores

Besides hosting a free marketplace of multiple mobile games, web apps, and even videos, 1Mobile makes app search for end users extremely simple. Meanwhile, developers can test out betas and free versions of paid apps on this Play Store alternative.

Once they meet the security criteria, they can publish their apps. And app owners need not worry about app promotions, 1Mobile has a built-in recommendation system that helps apps attract an audience as soon as they hit the marketplace.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

4. Aptoide: Google Play Alternate

Aptoide is one of those earliest Android app store alternatives that hosts 4-star and 5-star rated apps. Being an independent and open-source platform, Aptoide, an alternative to Play Store allows its users to discover a variety of Android apps with categories such as Local Top Downloads, Aptoide recommends, utility-based apps with separate categories such as Candy Day, Emoji Day, etc.

This makes it easier for end-users to search for category-based apps and offers app owners a more customized recommendation platform.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

5. AppBrain: Free App Stores for Android

Founded in the year 2009 by Mathijs Vogelzang in collaboration with a Zürich-based company called AppTornado, AppBrain is one of the most reliable Android app store alternatives for app owners. It has over 100 million monthly active users and 2 million daily installs. Its end-user demographic sprawls across 236 countries with over 70,000+ apps in their SDK.

The Google Play Store alternative adopts a very transparent app promotion model, offering Cost per install (CPI) pricing, non-incentivized user traffic, fraud detection algorithms, limits per app promotion campaign and per day, and user targeting by increasing or decreasing your CPI bid for maximum conversion.

Apart from this, app users are also offered the option to use various filters to find the specific apps they are looking for in AppBrain.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

Best Chinese App Store Alternatives

Ever since Google Play Store was banned in China, Chinese tech giants Tencent and Xiaomi, came up with their own Chinese app stores. This led to the rise of a third big app marketplace that caters to the world's biggest population and fastest-growing economy.

For app owners, this presents a whole new audience that’s yet untapped. The list below includes some of the top Chinese app stores that app owners can utilize.

1. MyApp: Chinese Android Apps Store

Holding about a quarter of the entire Chinese Android apps market, MyApp by Tencent is currently one of the biggest online app stores. The Chinese app store hosts a variety of certified apps and offers a unique customized experience to app developers, making it a booming platform for app owners.

Unlike other Western mobile app stores where the developers may not receive certifications, apps on MyApp are reviewed by the Copyright Protection Center of China after the app owners and app developers submit a Software Copyright Certificate.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

2. Baidu: Popular Chinese App Store

Baidu is China’s primary and the world's second-largest search engine right after Google. And just like Google, Baidu also has an app store along with various app development tools. One such great tool includes advertising the available apps in search engine results. The company has also launched an English version to draw English speaking app users.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

3. 360 Market: Top Chinese App Stores

360 Market has over 270 million mobile users, 455 million desktop users, 600 APK app files and more than 30 billion app downloads. And if that wasn’t enough, the Chinese app store has its own development program that offers anti-piracy protection to its developers. This way 360 Market isn’t just offering a huge app user audience to app owners/developers but also a robust firewall against app piracy.

List Of Free App Stores For Android

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

4. Oppo Software Store: Chinese App Stores Alternative

The Oppo Software Store, designed and developed by BBK Electronics, offers both mobile hardware as well as software to its users. The Chinese app store even has a dedicated OPPO Game Center that offers secure game downloads and massive game benefits.

The basic mobile app submission procedure in the Oppo app store signifies the submission process done via Software Copyright Certification.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

5. 91 Market: Alternative App Store

You may know Oppo as the selfie camera smartphone giant, but did you know they have a thriving app store marketplace too? As per the recent stats, 91 Market has over 50M+ app downloads, indicating its robust community of end-users. The Chinese app store hosts both iOS as well as Android applications, making it a stronger contender against Apple and Google app stores.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

Best Cross-Platform App Stores

A cross-platform alternative app store is a wholesome app ecosystem where app users can find applications for various operating systems such as Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, etc.

Considering that app stores for Windows and Amazon cover a significant portion of the market (400,000 and 340,000 mobile apps), this list of alternative app stores can help app owners tap on that unexplored user base.

Download All Android Apps Free

1. Opera Mobile Store: Cross-platform App Store Alternative

It’s been over two decades since Opera Mobile was launched and following its huge success, the company launched the Opera Mobile Store in 2011. Ever since the cross-platform app store alternative has hosted, more than 170,000 mobile apps supported by both Android and iOS devices. With over 105,000,000 visitors per month and 7500 devices supported, the Opera Mobile Store is a great choice for app developers to branch out to a broader user base.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

2. NexVa: Mobile App Store

NexVa is yet another applause-worthy multi-platform application store that provides various white label products and services for mobile operators, OEMs, and organizations from different business verticals. this is the perfect mobile app store.

Many users favor this third-party app store working with affiliates to drive traffic through CPI and advertising practices. Every mobile application mentioned in this online store provides information like ratings, screenshots, app descriptions, reviews, and supported platforms.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

3. Appszoom: Top Cross-platform App store

Appszoom, another app store that is almost decade-old and is known to test thousands of apps on a yearly basis and deliver an improved UX (User Experience) while making sure the apps are protected from different types of malware. As for the statistics, the cross-platform app store alternative has over 4M+ monthly users active on its platform, a community of over 25K iOS and Android app developers, and thousands of app reviews.

To know more about this alternative app store click HERE

Which App Store is Best Among All?

If you’re developing regional apps, country-specific app stores such as Airtel Sri Lanka, TIM Store (Italy), Turkcell T-Market (Turkey), MTN Play (South Africa), T-Store (South Korea), etc. go a long way harnessing organic user base.

It’s no surprise that Apple App Store and Google Play Store are the most popular in the world but developers and app owners can often benefit more (especially in the case of regional solution) by also considering alternate app stores. Exploring other app stores also gives you lucrative options for app promotion and building a wider audience.

Speaking of options, a great way to promote your app is to get a leading mobile app review platform to review your iOS or Android application. With app reviews and lucrative deals sprawled across the above mentioned alternate app store, your app is a sure hit.

App Store Download For Android

What is the difference between the Apple App Store and Google Play Store?
App stores are built to fulfill the same purpose. However, the key difference between a Google Play Store and the Apple App Store is that for downloading Android smartphones users can install apps from Play Store. And on the other hand, for iPhones and other iOS-based devices, users can opt for the Apple App Store.

Free Paid App Stores For Android

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