Best Custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3

10 Best Custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3 to Modify Your Mobile

Best Custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3

The Samsung Galaxy S3 was at one time, the king of all Android smartphones. Now, fast forward a few years and the smartphone is still holding some ground. The smartphone also has the honor of becoming a beloved device for developers as well, this is why we see so many great custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3.

For latest tips, tricks and hacks check out our dedicated section for Android Tricks.

Having used the smartphone myself for a year, I can fully attest that the ROMs for this smartphone are simply magnificent. I would still have the Samsung Galaxy S3 if it wasn’t crushed under a truck.

Going back to the forums for Samsung Galaxy S3 ROMs was a trip down memory lane for me, but I instantly remembered some of the ROMs that I absolutely adored during my usage. Thankfully most of the ROMs I tested were still sticking around and some of them were even being supported by the developers.

It is always a pleasure to see so many thriving ROMs for a smartphone, it is a rare sight indeed. So, if you still happen to own a Samsung Galaxy S3, this list will introduce you to some of the best ROMs on offer.

Now, I will assume that you know how to root your smartphone as well as flash custom ROMs on it, so if you don’t know any of that stuff, make sure you are prepared. Check out the how to root Samsung Galaxy S3 article if you need any guidance .The ROMs in this list are not in any particular order so feel free to check them all out before deciding on the one that suits you. So without further ado, let’s start with the 10 best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3.


1. Omega ROM

Omega ROM

Omega ROM is the most used Samsung Galaxy S3 ROM worldwide. It has been downloaded thousands of times, and there is a very good reason behind it. I have personally used it for more than six months, and it ran beautifully on the hardware. There were no glitches or problems faced during my extensive usage.

There are several versions of the ROM available on the landing page, but I recommended going with the Jelly Bean 4.3 version because it is highly stable and fleshed out. The ROM is based on the stock Samsung TouchWiz ROM, but there are several great features included.

From boot animations to shut down animations and from Kit Kat based wallpapers to superuser access, everything is available in this ROM. One of the best things about this ROM is the installer, the installation is fully customizable and allows you to choose what you want even before the ROM is ready to be used.


2. Unofficial CyanogenMod 11

UnoffiicalCyanogenMod 11

Any ROM list is incomplete without CyanogenMod simply because it is one of the best ROMs available for Android. The team behind the ROM works around the clock to provide amazing experiences to Android users. While the Samsung Galaxy S3 received a lot of updates officially back in the days, the latest versions of the ROM are sadly not available.

Thankfully, there were a lot of people who love porting CM ROM to older smartphones, and this ROM is one of those. It’s an unofficial build that bakes in several different features into the stock CM ROM. It’s fairly close to stock Android but also exhibits some unique features like deep customization.


3. Android Revolution HD

Android Revolution HD

Android Revolution HD is one of the best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3. It is a highly popular ROM that has a lot of fan following. I’ve also use this ROM for around four months back in the days, and it worked perfectly. The ROM was able to squeeze an extra 30 minutes on my device and impressed me with its speed.

If I have to recommend one ROM from this list, I will highlight Android Revolution HD as my personal recommendation. Smooth, fast and stable is what this ROM provides. You will feel the smoothness while using the interface yourself. It is an Android 4.3 Jelly Bean based firmware and is almost identical to the stock firmware available on the Samsung Galaxy S3.

There are no visual changes, so if you’re a fan of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, this ROM will feel the same. We even have a complete guide on how to install Android Revolution HD on your device.


4. ArchiDroid

ArchiDroid

ArchiDroid is a ROM that is not based on Samsung’s TouchWiz but CyanogenMod. This is a clean, flexible, optimized and stable ROM for Samsung Galaxy S3. One of the best things about this ROM is that it is built upon the base, so you won’t be losing any feature that you liked in this ROM.

As there is no need for tradeoffs, the ROM delivers a robust experience on the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone. It comes with a customizable AROMA installer, uses its flasher,

Backend Control and a ton of new exclusive features. If you want to get the fastest ROM for your smartphone, this one is a solid contender.


5. UltimaROM

UltimaROM (no images)

UltimaROM is one of the most popular ROMs available for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone. However, not many people know that it is based on ArchiPort. That being said, there are a ton of different things this ROM brings to the table.

For example, it comes with an easy to use AROMA installer. The ROM also has OTA updates available so you can easily update the ROM without the need of a PC. The ROM aims to bring a good battery life to your aging smartphone, and it does succeed in that regard.

Having used the ROM for around 3 weeks myself, I attest that the ROM provides extra battery life. However, back in the days, the ROM was prone to crashes while recording a video for some reason. Still, this is one of the best ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3.


6. WanamLite ROM

WanamLite ROM

If you are in the market for a light ROM that runs fast, WanamLite is the one you should seriously consider. It is based on the latest stock firmware so you can be assured that all the new goodies and features will be present here. The ROM is rooted and comes with Busybox.

One great feature of this ROM is the ability to have unlimited SMS recipients list, if you text a lot, you may have been familiar with this problem. Some of the bloatware is removed but is readily available in the form of a patch is you are inclined to use it.

Another great feature of this ROM is the support for multiple languages, and even the keyboard comes with multi-language support.


7. NeatROM

NeatROM

Unlike other popular custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3, the NeatROM was released fairly recently. This is a fully deodexed ROM and is also rooted as well as zip-aligned. It comes with SuperSU pre-installed for easy superuser access.

One good thing about this ROM is that it has disabled boot sounds on the device, I know this is a minor change, but people who don’t want to wake others will appreciate it.

A lot of features from the Galaxy Note 3 are also ported over in this ROM including the browser, calculator, widget active apps as well as video player. The camera app is also modified to remove the annoying battery warnings that hinder the camera usage.


8. FoxHound ROM

FoxHound ROM

FoxHound, apart from having an awesome name, is a capable ROM. It is based on the latest firmware and comes deodexed as well as zip aligned. The ROM features multiple languages, battery tweaks and RAM optimizations. You will also get GPU acceleration, black themed apps as well as performance settings.

Overall, FoxHound is a great ROM that will keep your Samsung Galaxy S3 running like a charm. One of the best things about this ROM is that it can be installed without wiping the data off your smartphone. Sure you will still need to wipe the cache and davilk cache, but that is almost inconsequential when compared with data wiping.


9. Resurrection Remix ROM

Resurrection Remix ROM

Resurrection Remix is one of those popular ROMs that are available for a ton of smartphones. There are some compelling reasons for its popularity, though, but one of them is how it combines different ROMs into one package. To say that Resurrection Remix is a child of multiple ROMs won’t be wrong.

The ROM mixes CyanogenMod, Slim ROM, Omni Rom and creates a powerful amalgam of features and utility. With this ROM in your Samsung Galaxy S3, you will be able to customize a ton of different stuff. From the status bar to notification counts and from removing carrier label to clock customizations, the ROM will allow you to make the smartphone truly your own.


10. Sotmax Ultimate Stock

Sotmax Ultimate Stock

If you are a fan of the stock look and feel of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, you will like this ROM. However, before we go ahead, I would like to point out that the ROM is prone to crashes. I installed in on a friend’s device, and he had to change back to Omega thanks to fairly frequent crashes.

Maybe it was just his device because the forums have a lot of happy users. That being said, the ROM is a fairly standard affair. You get almost every feature you can find on the stock ROM of Samsung Galaxy S3 but with the added benefit of a pre-rooted ROM.

There are a lot of additional features available on the ROM like Xperia Z launcher and keyboard.


Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has started to show its age but despite being outdated, the smartphone has a lot offer. Combine that hardware with a nice ROM and you practically have a great new smartphone. These were some of the best custom ROMs for Samsung Galaxy S3 available on the XDA forums. I really hope that they will help you take the most out of the smartphone.

If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to me in the comments below and I’ll try to answer them.

Feature Image Credits

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127 Comments

    1. Cyanogen has not impressed us when we compared with the ones that we listed here. Opinion differs. Let us know your experience with cyanogen. Do install some best custom ROM we have listed here. Let us see which one is really the BEST. Cheers!

      1. I have tested all of this ROMS. I need to say that all of them are just hopeless except LiquidSmooth. Maybe design of all this ROMS is really good but the fluence of the systems is just hopeless. Android Revolution HD is just a normal touchWiz and work a little bit faster than normal 4.3 for Galaxy s3. I think you really should consider adding CyanogenMod because this system has much better performence than all of this systems. As i said only LiquidSmooth is good enough 🙂

        1. Hi There,
          Thanks for you feedback and suggestion and I am glad that you liked at least one. What are you looking for in a custom ROM?

          1. I am looking for a good performance at first. The seccond thing i am looking for is design. 3 or 4 ROMS were so slow that i was launching facebook after 40 secconds of waiting. I understand that sometimes pretty design couses decrease of device fluence. But that was just to bad.

            Btw i would not look for a custom ROM if touchWiz wasn’t so slow. I like the features of touchWiz but this ROM always eat so much RAM 🙂

          2. Hi John,
            Welcome back! I hear you on having to wait forever for something to launch. I have a rooted Samsung Galaxy Spica with CyanogenMod. So far it has been working great for me. Can´t complain. =-) Thanks for commenting.

    2. I mean, i like seeing these ROMs as options but when you are not specifying which variant these ROMs work with, people just assume they work on all Galaxy S3 variants. But since I know better than to just believe that is the case, I have to say this is a complete waste of time for alot of people searching for the ROMs that work with their specific variant. Posting articles like this without that information aggravates alot of people and is almost a worthless read

      1. Hi There,
        Thank you for your feedback. It´s greatly appreciated and we will continue to improve. =-)

  1. hey can u please give me the working download link of flashingdroid v2.2 because from xda developers website its outdated or not working.

    1. Shawez, I can see that the Mega.co.nz link that you mentioned perfectly works for me. May be you have to try using someone else’s computer to download this.

      1. *** No ***. The ROMs do not necessarily work for SGH-T999 or any other variant. Or you can brick your phone – consider this warning. Most of these are for the international version.

  2. If I install any one of these roms will my s3 works normally and will it work all the apps and specifications like smart stay and wifi ????

    1. Features like WiFi will work because they’re standard. Features like smart stay depend on the ROM you’re installing. You can head over to the XDA forums through the links below each ROM to check the list of features.

    2. If you’re looking to keep smartstay and such ‘samsung’ functions then aim for touchwiz based Roms and steer away from AOSP Based such as Carbon Rom , otherwise you will haved to use a 3rd party App to make these function. Of course standard stuff like Wifi is across the board , you’ll also find things in AOSP roms that Touchwiz based Roms don’t have , you take your own preference after finding what suits you.

  3. Can you expound on “Viper4Android sound mod”. Does that help call sound quality or just music? This would be very interesting if it helped call quality, especially when in weaker signal areas. Also, would that mod be available if you went with a different rom than #2?

  4. Can you please give your thoughts about imperium kitkat v.3?
    It’s similar to android revolution and i can not decide which one is better.

    1. In my opinion, both are great. Custom roms’ are more like personal preference. So, I would suggest trying both these and select the one that’s best for your taste. Do read XDA forums on reviews for these roms’ and make up your mind.

  5. When installing most of these roms, if you are not using touchwiz you will lose the ability to move apps to the sd card and that is a big loss,

      1. Craigy

        Did you find anyother advantage of using Liquidsmooth when compared with other custom ROM. Did you try any other custom ROM?

  6. Hi, newbie here. What should i get for my Samsung S3 (4.3) : I9300DXUGNB1.

    Im seeking for a best custom rom for internet performance.

    Thank you.

    1. Hey it is for you we have written this post. There isn’t any specific ROM that’s developed for best internet performance. All the ROMs’ in this list do have a good internet performance; Feel free to test them out yourself.

  7. Hi there,

    im very new for this topic. Can u pls. give me points, that i can compare all the rom here with the factory rom easier? I still cannot image the difference.
    Thx.

    1. Lert,

      We are in process to create a comparision points of each ROM. We will get back to you when it is ready.

  8. If install a custom ROM on my S3 will the radio app be installed? I rooted my old S2 and custom ROMed it and lost the radio.
    Thanks Graham.

    1. Graham,
      It could and it depends on which custom ROM you are choosing. THe ideal way choose the custom ROM that you arte interested in and get the feedback directly from the developer using the link we have posted against each custom ROM.

  9. I have tried both Android Revolution HD and FlashingDriod on my Samsung S3 (SGH-T999) using TWRP Recovery and they both bricked my phone. is this because these are for the i9300??

    1. Mostly likely. Did you check XDA forum ROM thread for supported devices? If you install a ROM on an unsupported device, the it is most likely that your phone will get bricked.

  10. Running SlimKat on sgs3 d2lte (i747)
    Android version 4.4.4
    Runs great I used cwm to flash it right from my phone.
    Used towel root.

    1. Thanks Omni. Let me whats the specific advantages of using SlimKat when compared to custom ROM thats listed in this article. This should help all of us.

  11. HI there SIR’S,can i install flashing droid in my SG3 shv-e210s/E210SKSMJB?made in korea?im having trouble choosing roms because i didnt see post in youtube or google saying that they succesfully change there rom.TIA

    1. Ofcourse you can! but always remember there is an element of risk. Some ROM work well for others and may not work for you.
      We have listed the ones that is reliable and worked for most of the users.

  12. i tried to flash it sir but i failed.. :(.it says that
    E:signature verifacation failed.and im stuck on boot now sir..pls help me what to do.

    1. Rowell,
      The ideal way is to contact the developer in XDA forum (We have given the link in the post). Give your device details and they should fix this issue.

  13. I have a galaxy s3 sch535.10

    I’m looking for the fastest vanilla Rom, I don’t really like the Samsung ui that much.

    Any speciFic recommendations? Thank you very Much

      1. I looked at Beanstock and LiquidSmooth. Neither lists the sch i535 model only the i9300. Does anyone have a recommendation for an i535 ROM, even an old one? Phone is currently F’d up

        Thanks Very Much

        Ron

  14. I’ve been using Cyanogenmod cm11 for more than 6 months with some issue (camera, Bluetooth mainly) and now I came back to stock using the Revolution HD because CM doesn’t support Android Wear for my Moto 360 watch. CM11 are quite good in terms of performance and battery life but is something you cannot live with if you want you smartphone working without any issues.

    1. Of course I’m open to evaluate any Rom also AOSP roms that will support Android Wear without any issues. Any good experience?

  15. I appreciate the all the information.. Hard choice.. I have a Galaxy3 verizon that I rooted.. Not sure what would be the proper for what I want.

  16. Android Revolution HD is terrible. It eats 750MB RAM after first reboot and only few basic apps added during installation. Way slower than stock S3 ROM, how can you recommend this crap?

    1. Elbori,
      Some ROMs support multiple models so you’ll find download links in the xda thread. If your model is not listed, then it is not supported.

    1. Muhd Asyraf
      All ROMs should be stable. I haven’t tested them so I don’t know for sure but I’ve made this list of ROMs that you can use as your daily driver.

  17. Hello, first of all sory for my bad english
    I used many roms that listed above, some of them are really good, but i think archidroid 1.7.18 is the best. stable, fast, bettery life is v.good, and after using greenify app you will got more than 400 free ram.

    1. Shahin,
      Great to know this. So can you come up with a comparison table between each ROMs. Should be very helpful to all of us.

  18. hi, if i flash touchwiz custom base rom (like glamours5 or android revolution HD) will i lose all my data?

    1. Michael,
      To my knowledge, you don’t lose data if you flash custom firmwares without wiping data. However, there can be many problems if you don’t wipe data before flashing a new firmware. and if you still want to flash without wiping data, I would suggest making a backup in case anything goes wrong.

  19. I have discovered CyanogenMod, many years ago when i was looking for something different to install on my HTC wildfire Buzz. Well, ever since, CyanogenMod was my daily driver rom. Reliable, really low on bugs, developed and updated. After trying many rom’s on my S3 i9300 intl. the conclusion was that CyanogenMod11 is by far the best rom for this phone. I hope this will help you to get the best out of your S3’s. This is just my opinion!

  20. As I look at these Roms I’m wondering if there might be a variant for use on AT&T i747 . Also I’m wondering what Roms can be used on s3 with firmware 4.4.2 this update has made it hard to find a good Rom that doesn’t try and write a new Boot loader since the 4.4.2 update has locked the Boot loader and will Brick your s3 if you try and write it. Maybe an New 10 Best Roms for new Firmware and on different Carriers like At&T T-mobile Sprint would be nice to see.

  21. Hi, I have a sprint Samsung Galaxy S3 running Android 4.4.2.

    I want to root it, and (I guess) flash a custom ROM.

    My main objective is to utilize my unlimited data plan to tether to my Macbook Pro, and force roam to make calls on Verizon.

    I am not tech savvy at all, and have only an Apple computer.

    Would love to find someone to pay to do all thias in the L.A. area, but don’t trust Craigslist.

    Can an absolute noob like myself do this. If so, could you point me in the direction of step-by-step tutorials to achieve these mods. But, as I mentioned I’m not tach savvy and need step-by-step instructions that advise me as if I were a 7 year old.

    Thank you and be well!

  22. I want to install Custom rom of Android 5.1 for my samsung s3 I9300 which is on android jellybean.

    Pls tell me to go with which one…

    Also, If any problem happens, Can I revert back to Official android jellybean.

    Thanks,
    Jiya

  23. I have never had a good experience with CM ROMs. Never stable. Running jelly am right now. Stable. Other good experiences Crdroid anc C-Rom.

    1. Hi Alkmst,
      How sad to hear about your past experiences, but happy that you found one that is working for you. What is it about the ones that you are using that you like the most?

    1. Hi Ishan
      The customs rom´s mentioned here have great designs, but not sure which one would be almost identical to kitkat. If you take a look I am sure you are going to find one that you will like. Thanks for commenting.

  24. I m using S3….. and I installed Android revelution hd rom in my s3.nothing changes in my phone. Only some bad application help me out…. is there anything that I can do??!!!

    1. Hi Skully,
      How unfortunate to hear that you are having problems. First of all what is the model number of your phone and what is going on with a bad application?

  25. Howdy. I’m about to inherit an old S3 from my partner. It’s an international I9300 (UK-bought) model. As this article is a year old I was wondering if there were any new developments? There doesn’t seem to be one “best” ROM for this phone, as there sometimes is with budget phones.

    Key things I’m interested in:
    -Stability: It must be a tried-and-tested ROM.

    -Speed / memory / performance: Phone will be used for games my Alcatel Pop C1 won’t run. I’m looking for advanced tweaks, or perhaps the ability to use my usual tweak the “V6 Supercharger” from XDA.

    -Interface: I’ve only had a ZTE Blade with custom ROM and a Sony Xperia Tipo. I’m not familiar with TouchWiz and I HATE the default “cartoony” font on the S3.

    -Battery Life: My partner gets awful battery life from her S3 (with a brand new battery) but I suspect she has millions of apps running. Still, I know ROM choice makes a difference and I would favour battery life over fancy features.

    Thanks for reading, hopefully someone can help! I’m liking the look of Android Revolution but I fear it may be a bit MORE bloated than stock ROM from some of the comments I’ve read.

    1. Hi There,
      I have never used it but I have read some positive comments on it. You could try SlimKat 4.4 build 9.0. I have read that this is the lightest and most stable ROM for some users and that your phone will be good with this ROM and you’ll have zero issues. That is what I have read about it. Let me know if it was what you were looking for. Thanks for commenting!

  26. Hey there, that’s a nice confusing list
    My s3 is just really slow it’s international version so less ram sadly i just want to know which is the fastest one i don’t care if it’s touchwiz any kind would work but want to know fastest one, pleas??

    1. Hi Yasser,
      Apologies if you found the list confusing, but what was it about the post that you found confusing? What variant of the S3 do you have? ROMs are device specific, and I wouldn´t want to recommend a ROM that was made for another variant. That would only bring problems. =-)

  27. Hi, I can recommend Resurrection Remix ROM, I am using it, it is based on CM kernel, but developed independently. Now it is based on Android 5.1 version. I am using it on my S3 i9300, but there are versins for some other brands of phones. It supports new updatad versions from developers, you are informed by the system when new version is available and what are changes from previous ROMs. Everything is working very good, have only few bugs considering Bluetooth voice calls and some earpiece low sound level, everything other works great and been updated and improved through regular ROM updates.

    1. Hi Aleksandar,
      Thanks for your suggestion I am sure other will find it useful. How long have you been using it? =-)

      1. Hi Judy,

        First I want to say that I use my phone for important business and communication purposes, it must work stable and reliable.
        I have been using this ROM for maybe about 6 months, before that I was using CyanogenMod for S3 i9300, but they stopped development for this phone at KitKat 4.4.2 (something like that) version, I was looking for Lollypop versions and by searching net I found Resurrection Remix project and organisation, I tried their ROM and it was success for me. It gets maximum from now quite old S3 model with slow quad CPU and only 1GB of RAM. There are few bugs (as I mentioned before) that I don’t like, they are result of some problems in CyanogenMod kernel base, but all other things are great, so I had to make few compromise … 🙂

        Regards,
        Aleksandar Radovanovic
        Belgrade, Serbia, Europe.

        1. Hi Aleksandar,
          Sound like you are very happy with the ROM you have and that is definitely a good thing. I hope it keeps giving you what you need so you can get work done.Thanks for reading and don´t forget to keep coming back for more useful tips and tricks. =-)

  28. What about AOKP ? has anyone tried. I’m still looking for some stable and decent ROM without bloatware.

    Thanks

  29. Hi,
    my s3’s baseband version is I9300XXUGNA8 and the build number is JSS15J.I9300XXUGND5. How do I know which rom is suitable for me? which number do I have to look for? thank you

    1. Hi Jonathan,
      When choosing a custom ROM, you have to make sure that it was made for your specific device, variant and Android version. Over at XDA, you will find the right ROM for your phone. Thanks for commenting. =-)

  30. I recommend slimkat 4.4.4 i believe this is the best rom for s3 and blisspop if u want android 5 but it has some glitches.
    Now I have blisspop, awesome interface and looks but is a little slow on internet and the memory is a little low.
    Overall slimkat 9/10 blisspop 8/10.
    Make no mistake and choose one of two.

    1. Hi There,
      I was able to access the link to XDA, could it be your antivirus that is blocking for some reason. =-)

  31. Hi there.
    Nice info. I gave my wife a SIII long time ago and its a survivor. I think with a ROM change from stock i can juice up ram usage and battery life. Can u recomend from the above the one that will be stable, and release the most RAM for apps?

  32. Hello can u pls tell me which one is working on android nougat to port it in that device, I mean I9300 . Do you have any idea ?

    1. None of the ROMs mentioned here will work for Nougat. Since Nougat was just released. looks like we might have to wait a little longer for a reliable one. Do you have Nougat on your device?

    1. Glad you liked the list, Shahid. Do you have any favorite custom ROMs for the Galaxy S3 that we didn’t include here?

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