With thousand of different Android Devices and millions of users it is impossible to create an operation system we all like, this is why being able to customize your device using custom ROM’s is great. All mayor ROM’s have some unique features that make them stand out from the crowd but with the huge amount of variety it is understandable that it is sometimes hard to oversee.
The list bellow features the most popular and best ROM’s for Android each with the list of features that make them unique.
List of Best Android ROM
CyanogenMod
Cyanogenmod is worlds most popular ROM with more than 10 million users. The ROM is currently available on more then a 100 devices (more being added every month). CM isn’t a ROM that has too many unique features, instead the team tries to allow the user to customize just the right amount of things without making it differ too much from stock Android version. You can check out the official CM website here
Cyanogenmod is so popular that it even comes pre-installed on some Android devices like the OnePlus One which run Cyanogenmod 11S. You can learn more about cyanogenmod here. Here are some CM11 features that make the ROM stand out from the rest of custom ROM’s:
- The Theme Engine
- Lockscreen
- Privacy Guard
- Profiles
- HomeScreen
- Quick Settings
Paranoid Android
Paranoid Android is the second most popular custom ROM for Android. This ROM is in a certain way the opposite of CM, as it has introduced a bunch of unique features that completely change the user experience when using Android. One of the mayor downsides of this ROM is the small amount of devices it supports (mainly the Nexus lineup of devices) and other flagship smartphones. You can check out the official website here. Here is a list of features that make PA stand out from the crowd:
- Hybrid mode
- PIE
- Halo
- Floating Mode
- Theme Engine
AOKP (Android Open Kang Project)
AOKP can be seen as a more feature rich ROM and is really one you should check out if Cyanogenmod doesn’t meet your needs. There are really an insane amount of features and a ton of options to customize any aspect of the OS. Another great thing about AOKP is that it is available on a lot of device (more then 50+). Check out the official website here
The features mentioned bellow are some more of the exclusive AOKP features, but there is almost nothing you can’t do with this ROM.
- ROM control menu
- UI mode
- Dark AOKP
- Notification menu
PacMan ROM
While many of us know PacMan as a little yellow ball that eats ghosts it is also an Android ROM. PacMan ROM isn’t known for being the most stable but just like AOKP it packs a ton of features and it is a mix of Cyanogenmod, Paranoid Android and AOKP all in one ( ParanoidAokpCyanogenmod). You can check out the official website here.
Similar to AOKP there are no real unique features that make this ROM stand out except for the fact that it combines almost all features of every ROM.
- All Mayor cyanogenmod features
- All Mayor OAKP features
- All Mayor PA Features
OmniROM
Launched just a year ago in 2013 and is developed by 3 well known developers in the community. The ROM features some cool unique features however there is a huge lack of support for devices as you can only install it on 21 devices (of which most Samsung and Nexus devices). You can check out the official website here
- Roadrunner mode
- Multi-window
- Daydream enhancements
- Integrated Performance Control
- Multi-workspace
SlimBean
Like cyanogenmod, SlimBean isn’t a ROM that will change all too much to the stock version of Android. Like the name already says what the purpose of this ROM is (Slim) as it offers a more minimalist design then the stock android version. The ROM is also known to give little performance boosts and improve battery life due to its little resource consumption.
The ROM does have a small issue as it lacks support for most devices, only most Nexus and high end Samsung devices can run SlimBean. You can check out the official website here
- one-hand-friendly UI
- Update center
- Expanded desktop
- SlimCenter
- SlimePIE
Carbon
Carbon is a very stock AOSP ROM with some additional features, many of the features ROM has can be found in Paranoid Android and AOKP. The ROM is for people who want a lot of features and are ok with using the Xposed Framework instead of the hybrid engine or don’t use it at all. You can check out the official website here .
The ROM is supported on more devices then SlimBean but it is still somewhat limited. Similar as other ROMs, Carbon supports a lot of popular features from other ROMs like:
- HALO
- Carbon Fiber Apps
- Quick Setting Toggle
- Torch
- Quicklaunch
- HomeScreen
- LockScreen
CyanFox
Cyanfox is a ROM based on Cyanogenmod. The ROM combines the best of Cyanogenmod with features from other ROM’s and allows for a little bit of more customization then CM. One of the mayor downsides of CyanFox is the lack of support for devices, it appears that it is still only available for the Nexus 5 (the team promised to add support to more devices a year ago, more on this here). You can check out the official website here
- Screen Recorder
- Halo
- NavBar
- Dark UI
