Top 9 Best Google Play Android App Store Alternatives – Malware Free!
Google has improved its Android app Store a lot in the past few years, but let’s face it:
Sometimes you need an alternative. And for those times, here are 9 great Google Play Store alternatives that you should know about right now. While these Android app store alternatives may not provide you all of Play Store’s apps, they can come in handy in a number of ways.
Here’s the thing:
Have you ever experienced searching for an app on Play Store only to find out that the app is not available for download in your country or region? Well, you’re not alone!
Many people have experienced the same thing and there are a number of reasons behind this. The worst case is, your country might’ve blocked all of Google services, which includes the Google Play Store.
Now, relax!
This is where the Android app store alternatives come into play.
Are you asking how?
Benefits of Android App Store Alternatives
Well, thankfully, these alternatives do not classify their audiences based on the country or region they live on. Hence, making it possible to provide all the apps for us!
Amazing, right?!
For developers, these alternate app stores offer another stream of revenue. If you’ve developed an Android app, you’d absolutely want to get extra eyeballs from these alternate app stores.
Another benefit of using Android app store alternatives is…
You can store APK files upon downloading an app.
Look, some people also like to keep backups of apps in the form of APK files for later usage. And, the Google Play Store doesn’t allow us to download a backup of an app, instead, it automatically installs the app on your phone after downloading. So if you want to have a healthy collection of apps that are ready to be installed on any device you want, it is advisable to download them from one of these great PlayStore alternatives.
Note: While these Storefronts are well-maintained and have a healthy collection of Android apps, there might be some malicious apps lurking on them.
To be honest, Google also doesn’t have a fail-proof method of detecting harmful apps on their Store but at least they take them down immediately after discovery. Yikes!
Must Read: Google Play Store has 85 adware-infested apps that may harm users
Best Google Play Store Alternatives
Here’s the thing:
It is highly advisable that you download the apps you need and not go exploring these PlayStore alternatives. Only download the apps you trust and from the developers that are well known.
Now:
We have personally scanned several downloaded apps from these websites and found nothing wrong with them so at least the mainstream apps are clean. However, we recommend that you use common sense and only interact with the apps that you deem essential.
This list will show you websites of the respective Play Store alternatives, some of them may have Android apps that you can download to your PC and install by copying it to your smartphone or tablet.
Note: The list is not in any particular order because all of them provide the same functionality with very minor tweaks to the delivery system.
1. Amazon App Store
You’ve probably already heard of Amazon. However, besides being the most popular shopping site, Amazon is also involved in creating sources like Amazon Music, Videos and Prime, for movies. It is only natural that recently, Amazon has developed its own alternative application marketplace. In the Amazon App Store, there are many apps and games that are available for free, up for the grabs for anyone worldwide.
Perhaps the best thing about the Amazon App Store is that it is available for both Android and iOS users. Another cool thing is that you can install bundles of apps. There are also available a great number of eBooks, movies and even music on the Amazon App Store, just like in the Google Play Store.
2. Aptoide
In the market for a simple to use and easily accessible Play Store alternative? This is perhaps the app just made for you. You’ll need to download the APK file from the website and transfer it to your Android device. From there you just have to install and run the alternative app store. After that, you will be able to see a ton of apps ready to be downloaded and played around with.
It is a very well designed app with some fairly advanced features. It also houses a very large library of apps that are free of any malicious code or viruses. Although it is not as big as some of the websites we have listed, it still is one of the best ones to have.
3. GetJar
This particular app Store has been around for a very long time. Perhaps you might remember using their website to download apps on your Nokia phone almost a decade ago, or getting .jar video games for your Sony music edition phone almost 12 years ago.
This PlayStore alternative is now perhaps the world’s biggest open app Store for Android, and that is saying a lot. There are a ton of apps available here, and some of them are not even available on the Google PlayStore. This Store is expanding at a rapid rate and provides a ton of content for absolutely nothing. The website also comes with advanced filters that can help you locate a certain app with ease.
4. F-Droid
F-Droid is a free and open-source software that allows you to get apps for your Android smartphone or tablet. This is not a traditional app Store and only houses some apps that are made for free. However, if you are into these apps and trends, this is one of the best places to get them.
The repository of FOSS apps available here can be kept updated by using an Android client which can be installed on the device. It is a clean and hassles way to make sure the apps stay updated and supplied with fresh content. This Store can be considered somewhat underground because of its niche user base. Normal Android users may not find any use for these apps.
5. AppBrain
This Play Store alternative has helped me a lot in my research and is still going very strong. This App Store alternative allows you access to some details that are not given at any other place. It is an easy way to know how much space an app will occupy on your Android device. If you’re worried about permissions, this amazing Play Store alternative has them listed right on the app page.
There are a lot of apps you can search and download from this Store. We especially like how detailed the search feature is on this website. The filter system is also very well implemented and advanced features make this a unique experience for someone who is looking for depth in functionality.
6. Apk Mirror
Apk Mirror can be proclaimed the biggest website and App Store for Apk files today. Lots of apps that are premium on Google Play Store have their Apk file uploaded here, up for grabs. All you have to do is download the apk file and install it on your phone – and voila! You got a premium app for free.
Apk Mirror comprises of a massive list of apps and games that are completely free. Even though they don’t have an app yet, you can visit their webpage, download the apk files directly on your device or, perhaps, on your laptop and then transfer them on your Android device.
7. Uptodown
On Uptodown there are over 2.5 million apps uploaded that are tested for Malware. A cool feature that they have is being available in 12 languages, which is pretty useful if you’re not exactly comfortable with English. This is a place where you can mostly get tweaked or hacked software, as compared to other app marketplaces.
If you are generally worried about security, you can rest your mind with this one. They use VirusTotal, having reports on all files, based on results from more than 50 antiviruses in total. This means that you are less probable to download malware from this marketplace, compared to most of the Google Play Store alternatives.
8. SlideME
Sometimes you don’t want to sift through hundreds of apps to find the one that suits you best. Sometimes you’re in a hurry to get a perfect app for a certain task. This application manager app provides you access to a well-curated list of Android apps. Unlike other Play Store alternatives, this one handpicks the best of the best apps and brings them to the forefront.
This allows you to get the best experience possible on your preferred device without having to rummage through thousands of apps. The app can be installed on your smartphone as well and from there it is fairly easy to download and install other apps.
9. Bemobi Opera Mobile Store
Opera has been around for a very long time and by now they have made a name for themselves with amazing browsers. The Opera browser also made it to our best Internet browsers for Android list. So naturally we also tried their mobile Store, and it was pleasantly stocked.
Make no mistake, though; there are a ton of apps there, but they are not at the level we expect from a fully-featured Play Store alternative. However, if you are worried about your security and only want to download apps from reliable sources, this is as reliable as it can get.
FAQs
What are Google Play Store alternatives?
Google Play Store is the go-to place to get trusted apps and games, but it isn’t always available. Or, perhaps the app you desire isn’t available in your country yet. While there are some workarounds for this, they are a lot of work and not worth the effort. This is where Android Marketplace alternatives come into place! You can find their premium apps for free, to try and use until they are available where you are.
What are the benefits of these third-party app stores?
As mentioned above, they are a great place where you can get restricted or unavailable apps for free. Sometimes, you can even find apps that are tweaked with or hacked, especially games, to help you see another side to them or enjoy them more.
What alternative Android marketplace is the best?
While each f those presented is different and has various strength points, we’d go with Uptodown for being the best. This is mainly due to the huge list of hacked games that you can get there, all of them being thoroughly verified for malware.
Google Play Store Alternatives – Discover an Underground World
These were a few Play Store alternatives that are not straight up scams. These apps will not try to fraud you or obtain your personal information just to give you one measly app. While they are not as reliable as the official Google Play Store, they do provide a pretty good service.
So which ones did you try? What was your experience? Tell us in the comments down below!
Also, check out AppCrawlr.com – great search/discovery platform for apps
Thank you for your valuable feedback. We will consider during our next update.
thanks for the survival information on how to get the best of my Samsung, I am a very big fan of those nearly all of your own stuff that you are not able to get to see after you have sent it out into your phone. the entire directory under the surface is amazing. I have no idea how it will become the most important part of my life. I am hardly ever using the laptop these days simply because the phone is just a simple and easy to get out.
Hi Denise,
Even though I love my phone, I just can’t manage to put my laptop to one side. I love it too much. Thanks for commenting. =-)
This android application is very hot and is shared by many people. I have also had experience and found it to be very similar to the gb instagram apk
Thank you for your valuable feedback. We will consider during our next update.
Another warning (often not heard of but useful for fans of alternative Android stores): Not all marketplaces have all the Android apps currently extant and not all marketplaces have the same version of an app on their respective databases.
Nice one, Hazuz. I see that this app lists quite a lot of market place. However one has to be very careful in using the market places. Loads of market places that are unverified would inject malware/spyware apps.
I know a lot of appstores.like mobogenie,mobomarket,bazaar,myket,kandoo.But some of them are iranian.
Do you have the contacts info of Myket market? I can’t read the local language and can’t fund a way to upload our apps. Please help. Thanks.
Thats a Good list. But i had a hard time figuring out the URL to submit my apps. If you had given submit url for each of the app store it would have been a great help for developers like me. Thanks.
These apps are intended for end users who are looking to download apps from different markets. Hence we didn’t give importance to submit URL. Hope you were able to find them all; thanks for the tips.
Hi
this list is almost unfamiliar for me ……thanks. But appask.com is also a good reliable alternate for play store. Thank god you noticed LG store, its been a great help for me as I’m a LG made android user for 3 yrs.
ONE thing I’d like to say, cnet mostly sends you to play store if you want to download app from the link provided, its annoying.
Ranjan,
Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Hi Billa,
Congratulations for your Google Play alternatives article.
I’m co-founder of Aptoide the App Store that you mention in number 6. Aptoide is a marketplace where anyone can create an Android Apps Store and we have an official store inside the marketplace called Aptoide Apps. So, could you change the name to “Aptoide” or “Aptoide Apps”?
Thanks.
Best,
Álvaro
My reason to use multiple app stores…because I’m CHEAP!
Comparing Google to Amazon to Slide etc., you can often find the same app for a lower price.
Especially true if your device maker has an app store (that’s LG for me.)
Bubba, you are right. Many apps are cheap when compared to Google play store. So which app did you purchase for cheap?
http://www.m9apps.com is a good market for apps as well
Dear ,
Greetings from FirstouchMobile,Mumbai !
Thanks for giving us opportunity to introduce Firstouch and App Bazaar to your company App Face.We have recently launched a new smartphone brand in India, called Firstouch, with its own App Store called App Bazaar. Please find below a brief introduction of Firstouch:
Firstouch, a new and innovative Brand is set to revolutionize the mobile industry by introducing World’s first Regional Smartphone. With committed focus on innovation, Firstouch’s technology team has developed a customized Android Operating System for the language passionate people of India. Hundreds of millions of people would prefer to use a Smartphone in their native language,and Firstouch’s vision is to delight these people.
Firstouch is founded by first generation entrepreneurs from IIT’s with a strong Management team. Firstouch is a part of 5 year old mobile technology group with recognition from Red Herring as Top 100 Asia company.
We have launched Firstouch’s first smartphone in Gujarati language and phone is currently available in the retail stores in Gujarat. We are getting amazing response on the phone and people are excited about a Gujarati phone with its own Gujarati App Bazaar. We are already in the process of launching Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil phones.
For more details please see below our company’s website:
http://www.firstouchmobile.com/
Please also see our coverage in the News:
1) http://j.mp/PZPs2F
2) bit.ly/1qN677H
3) bit.ly/1z4PhFX
Firstouch aims to develop a complete Regional Mobile Ecosystem, and thus one of the major offering of Firstouch Smartphones is App Bazaar, India’s first regional App Store. Targeted for semi urban and rural market App Bazaar is the first App Store in country to have its own payment gateway, which allows user to buy application without use of any credit card. Consumers can now download applications and content in their languages, using App Bazaar, with just a click.
Major mobile publishing companies like Disney, Gameloft ,EA Games, Nazara, Times Mobile, Hungama and main regional application developers are already part of Firstouch App Bazaar Ecosystem.
We would like to invite you to upload your applications on our App Bazaar and reach to the real Indian consumers and we are expecting to have 50 million consumers by short time.
Upload your apps at developer.firstouchmobile.com
Looking for your early and positive revert..
Thanks &Regards
Somashekharan.P
Associate Vice President
Firstouch
M: +91-8692049187 | L: +91-22-29206400 | Skype: somashekharan.p1 | Web:www.firstouchmobile.com
How can we upload our apps to BAZAAR?
Maggie,
You should email the guys on BAZAAR for more accurate instructions. Cheers
Hi Dani, thank you for the useful list. I like and use http://appzuma.com for my app needs. It is very simple and fast place where I can find only really top rated apps.
Hi..
Mostly, I have finished all anroid app store in our company. so i request you all here with my pleasure.. give me another android store link if it possible
waiting for your reply
Thanks
These are the reliable ones. We do not recommend crappy app stores.
If you are going for finest contents like myself, simply visit this website everyday because it offers quality contents, thanks
Hi There,
Thank you so much for your kind words and our goal will always be to give readers the finest content.
Just want to say your article is as surprising.
The clearness to your put up is just excellent and that i could suppose
you’re an expert in this subject. Well together with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated with approaching post.
Thanks 1,000,000 and please continue the
gratifying work.
that’s nice but i want an android market more amazing than play store because i try many apps market and i don’t find app market like play store, i mean play store is perfect but it’s not open
it’s a pity,this site has concise reviews.I have 2000 PC software and 3 smart phones.CNET used to be good in around 2010 or be fore,,it’s full of spyware etc.Had 1mobile on my phone and it was Ok for a year then it took control over all my apps constantly updating them and attempted bit by bit to take over my phone etc.had to uninstall all the apps.It was just crazy,People just don’t get it,do good get good,do bad get bad.I’m suspect of a couple others.Best Google anything u use.I scan everything I download.Even though I’m running 2 Avasts& 1 McAfee some get through 2 my PC on occasion.I use superantispyware#1 ;and for deep search Malwarebytes Reg,&Cameleon.&another+[[mssstol {was free from microsoft it wipes all malware {IT’S STORED OUT SIDE,out on disc,or flash]][[get it from a friend a real lifesaver when your PC is locked up with extorsion ware.]If something looks suspicious Google it & ask for malware feedback. some site do 12-16 different malware programs that scan every piece of software out there around the Globe,so they can show you Yaaa we scanned such and such 12-16 times & what the fed back was for all the scans quick like.Most are OK some a little dubious some it;s a no go.Have a nice day. P>S> Never had aprob. except 1 I mentioned with my phones running esp since installing avast and malwrebytes. to protect them and I’ve a lot of 3rd party apps
Hey Farce,
Yeah, most of the Android sites are fast becoming sellouts. Its partially the reason why I joined the JOA team. I try to recommend apps which are spyware and malware free, I also test each app before recommendations 🙂 Stick with us as we will be launching new recommended sections soon.
Do you have any video of that? I’d want to find out more details.
hi , i need some help , if my application uploaded on google play store and i want to upload my same application on other third party stores , what kind of changes needed my application thanks.
Hi khawar msibah,
I think that each site has their own conditions for uploading and they would be the best choice in giving you the right information as to what changes you need to make. It really depends on what third party stores you want to upload your app. Hope you app is a success! Good Luck. =-)
I happened to notice that nobody has gave any feedback about the blackmart apk I’ve used the app in alternative to the Google play store and its never given me any negative output
Hi James,
That is good to hear that you have not had any problems. What is it about the store that makes you like it so much? =-)
Hello pretty. I stuck. With a o13 element LCD TV.it has USB. 5v HDMI,Ga and rca port I have a LG 5.1.1 software.m1533010e version .is there a way I could connect my phone to this TV (has no cast or pair). Thank you for listening. I am a student at Trade Tech downtown LA .to become a Pastry Chef….
Hi Darryl,
The link below gives you instructions on how to connect your phone to your TV. Please let me know if you have any question. Thanks for commenting. =-)
https://joyofandroid.com/unlock-android-device-with-dead-screen/
Great fan of the moborobo family myself.
@
Mobo app market
+
Mobogenie app market
(Also contains free music/ebooks/video/image download markets & Some good phone essential tools in settings including download and APK managers
Also available
Desktop/iphone launchers & phone backup/sync manager
Video/TV player
Reader
Games Booster
Music player
& load of other useful addons/extensions
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for sharing where you download your apps. How long have you been using it?
Hi there, I would like to subscribe for this website to take most
recent updates, sso where can i do it please help out.
Hi There,
That’ s great news! To subscribe just scroll back up and on the upper right/hand corner of the page just enter your Email addy and you will receive either daily or weekly updates. Thanks for reading. =-)
greate stores
thanks for sharing that
Hi There,
You are most welcome. Which one did you like the most? =-)
Hi there, and thank you for the useful list. I like and use a new app store at http://appmart.uk for testing out some of the latest apps and games. It is very simple to register and publish both Android and iOS apps and games.
Hi Lee,
How long have you been downloading apps here? =-)
Wow, what a great list. Slide Me and GetJar really stand out, especially GetJar as this site is one of the earliest app stores (java stores) on the web.
If you have a hardcore game for gamers you can also try NVIDIA’s.
Hi Carl,
I am glad that you liked the list and thanks for your suggestion. =-)
Hi to all, the contents existing at this web site are actually awesome
for people experience, well, keep up the nice work
fellows.
Hi There,
Thank you for your kind words and I am glad that you liked the information. Don´t forget to keep coming back for more useful tips and tricks. Thanks for commenting. =-)
iranapps is also very good
I love Mobogenie because I’m in China and it’s not blocked here, nor is it in Chinese. You really can’t underestimate how great it is to have an English-language version of an app store here unimpeded. There seems to be one problem with Mobogenie, though: the desktop app triggers my computer’s antivirus program.
Hi Johnenry,
When it triggers it what happens exactly? Sometimes antivirus can be really sensitive, for example, when I scan my phone it says it´s found threats and when I see what it is, it´s Google app that I know is not a threat. =-)
If i wann to upload my apps on alternative app store rather then google play store so I need to change package name of app . Is that violation google play store policy ?
Hi Somish,
This should answer your questions. Thanks for commenting. =-)
https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy/
admin, am using galaxy Samsung s4, and I have been wondering what other galaxy s4 performs, e.g swiping airtime digits on the screen to recharge, throwing apps on the wall and many more. would you assist me with some amazing applications I could find useful to make my galaxy more interesting. thank you
Hi Anthony,
I would be happy to help you find some great apps. Are there any specific apps you are looking for such as for taking notes? For example? =-)
Top Apps Store on Google Play is my recommendation for you https://goo.gl/I6Eojn
Aptoide is one of the best alternatives so far but without doubt play store is the best
thank a lot
Emerging markets are very important today. Specially a raw market like MENA. in this region there are very good players in the field like IranApps and Cafe Bazaar.
there are English versions of these android markets and those are easy to access.
I will be using your advice to search for reviews. Google Play Store is nearly useless for me in that regard, as I I like to use negative reviews to identify flaws I am unwilling to tolerate. For example, I don’t like apps that gather my information at will, or read my contacts. Google Play Store DEFINITELY does not want me to have that information (Their phony “Do no evil” slogan is now “(We) do know evil”). Google tries to hide low ratings with privacy and adware concerns by suppressing availability of low ratings. Perhaps other app stores do not. I hope to find out. Thank you for the article!
Glad you found the article to be so useful! Let us know if you have any questions about these app stores or any suggestions for posts you’d like to see in the future.
very good
Thanks for the feedback! We’re glad you found the post helpful.
Interesting info. This post is amazing. Thanks a lot
Glad you liked it! Have you tried any of these app stores yet? I’d love to know about your experience.
pls help
Hi! What exactly seems to be the problem?
Great
Thanks for offer us more site where we can search apps.
Nice post
thank you so much for sharing.
good post
Thank you
Thanks for sharing such an awesome content. I am your regular blog reader.
Hi Emma,
We are glad to hear it from you. Thanks for your support!
Great post. Btw, I think you should update your list of alternative app stores. Now there’re lots of new sites providing malware-free APK files, including but not limited to apktovi, apkpure, or appnaz.
Hi Luke,
Thank you for that suggestion.
you can also check for AC Market maybe you like it.
Thanks for suggesting this we will check it out!
movies123. rented so the result should look like this:
Thanks for sharing such an awesome content.
Anytime!
Maam you forgot to add the gbplus in this list. This site provides whatsapp and also Malavida and Apkpure thankss
We will definitely check this out! Thanks for your suggestion.
Thanks for the post. I really use these websites since they all provide all the released versions of apps.
No problem!
thank you so much for sharing.
Hi There,
Thank you so much for your kind words and our goal will always be to give readers the finest content. https://nepmod.com/among-us/