Google Play is the official app for Android which serves as the devices store and with over 1 million apps and 50 billion downloads Google Play is not the only option for you when it comes to downloading the latest apps. In fact there are actually quite a lot of choices for Android users and what you’re probably thinking right now is why would I need an alternative? For one, you may find some interesting apps which are not available on the Play Store because of Google’s strict policies. But for whatever reason, having an alternative is always a good thing, so check out the list below to see which one you like best.
SlideMe
SlideMe is one of the most trusted apps which is frequently shipped with devices that are not authorised to use the Google Play Store. The SlideMe Application Manager makes sure that you see high quality apps, this is because each and every app is tested by its quality assurance team. The downside is that there are only 20,000 apps on its store, which is no where near how many Google Play has, but SlideMe does offer great functionality and provides you with the most popular apps rather than ones that are suggested based on your device.
GetJar
GetJar is one of the oldest app providers for different platforms, GetJar divides its apps into categories and subcategories which is makes it very easy when it comes to searching for a particular app which may be niche. Every app also has a like, dislike and a comments feature which helps you know whether the app is worthy of a download or not. The good thing about GetJar though is that it gives you premium apps for free, but to make up for the lost revenue, they do have in app advertising which is most of the time no problem at all.
Amazon Appstore
For most people, the Amazon Appstore is probably the most memorable app which comes to mind when alternatives are talked about. Amazon actually launched its own app store along with its Kindle tablets and is the main app store for all those devices, but even though Amazon’s app store is a lot smaller than Google’s, every single app is tested by their quality control much like SlideMe to make sure its on par with Amazons standards. And along with the quality control, you can also test out the app before you download it within your browser to make sure it will work on your device.
App Brain
App Brain is probably the most interesting addition to this list mainly because of its search functionality which will let you search using geolocation,m device type and your interests. App Brain also lets you install the apps directly from your PC and you can also share your favourite apps with your friends and family, so now you can annoy them all by forcing them into downloading Flappy Bird. The App Brain staff also make reviews about the apps which makes it quite useful when it comes to downloading an app.
F-Droid
F-Droid is the final Google Play alternative on this list. Its primary focus is hosting free and open source apps, and there are a lot of people who support both of these, so if you’re one of them then F-Droid is the alternative you’ve always been looking for. All of the apps are free and they promise no tracking, no malware and no advertising, the only downside is the fact that the selection of apps is very limited due to the strict policies and the fact they make no profit from anything on the app.
