Best Google Play Store alternative app stores

There are many countries that ban Google and therefore the Google Play Store. There are also countries that can access it, but are limited to free apps and games. In another scenario, some devices don’t have it pre-installed, like Kindle tablets. Finally, many users are simply opposed to the use of Google products, including the Play Store. Today we are going to talk about alternative app stores for if you can’t access the Google Play Store, or just choose not to.

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Please note: If you have an Android device and wish to install apps outside of the Play Store, click the previous link to access the tutorial.

GetJar

GetJar is an alternate app store app that has a huge array of free apps to download. These can be filtered with the categories (and subcategories), which are mostly the same as in the Google Play Store, such as Productivity, Finance, Photos, among other choices. GetJar isn’t just for Android phones either, it has cross-platform support (iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile etc). To be able to get the GetJar app on your device, you must first go to the mobile website in a browser app and install it. GetJar also has user comments (likes and dislikes, and Facebook support). There is also a Getjar Gold system and rewards app which provides tailored apps and lets you win rewards to then get premium apps and upgrades, free of charge.

GetJar offers a large selection of apps for Android and other operating systems. © GetJar

SlideMe

Another alternative app market is SlideMe, which offers free and paid Android apps, which are also rated by users from the site’s large community. What's more, all apps in the database have been manually approved after testing. The apps can be filtered, with options such as newest, updated, ratings, as well as other categories, like education, lifestyle, languages etc. The app is available in multiple languages and many currencies are accepted. The SlideMe app can be installed for free from their website.

Thanks to the rigorous manual testing of each app, you are sure to discover some great new applications for your Android device.

Amazon Appstore for Android

Amazon also has an Appstore for Android, where you can get thousands of both free and paid apps....and sometimes paid apps for free. The apps are divided into various categories, including new releases from the last 30 or 90 days, and they are also rated by users. In order to get the app store on your Android device, you must first ensure that apps from Unknown sources is accepted like mentioned in the linked tutorial above. Then you need to install the App Store or scan the QR code. Another way is to have a link sent to your mobile number or email. When the download is complete, tap on the AmazonApps-release.apk, press install and then open. If you don't have an account, you will be asked to set one up. Kindle Fire users will already have this store pre installed.

The Amazon App Store offers paid apps for free every day...and they are mostly good ones. © Amazon

F-Droid

Another app store is F-Droid, which you can install from their website. This app in particular offers apps which are free and have open source software (FOSS), which allows anyone to use or copy the freely licensed software in any way. Unlike other app stores, F-Droid is funded by donations. The apps themselves don’t have reviews or ratings.

If you like to support indie organizations, look no further than F-Droid. © F-Droid 

AppsLib

Appslib is a bit different from the others in that it offers apps for Android tablets only. You can install the AppsLib app from the website and onto your tablet, where you must then create an account. Apps are approved to ensure that they are optimized for tablets, and are split up into categories. Payments are done via Paypal and you can also get some information from other users with ratings and comments. To create an account, you must choose a device from the list, and unfortunately, there aren't that many brands, mainly Archos, Arnova, iMuz, Lazer, Naxa, TouchTablets and Lenco tablets, among other ones.

I wasn't able to install this app on my Nexus 7 2013, only a select amount of Android tablets are supported. © AppLibs

AndroidPIT App Center App

In addition to our fabulour AndroidPIT: News, Forum and Apps app, we also have an App Center app where you can install free and paid apps on your Android smartphone or tablet. You need to install the AndroidPIT App Center App, and are able to discover tons of great apps.

Don't forget the AndroidPIT App Center app © 

 

 

 

Do you know of any others?

Mobogenie (http://www.mobogenie.com/)
MoboMarket (http://www.moborobo.com/products/mobomarket.html)
Yandex.Store (http://store.yandex.ru/#download)