Play market or something else. What alternatives does Google Play Store have? How to get rid of the Play Store and other Google components
Not everything can be found on Google Play, then the question arises: is there an alternative to Google Play? The answer to this question has long been known: he who seeks will always find! Below we will look at what other options there are besides Google Play.
Many applications are not available on Google Play Market. First of all, this applies to applications that violate company policy. You will not be able to install or purchase applications that allow you to download . This category also includes applications that are banned in certain countries or regions due to sanctions; at the moment this happens often.
If you don’t want to lose important content, you should think about replacing Google Play or combining it with other application directories. As an alternative to Google Play, let's look at 5 (five) options from which you can download mobile applications on your devices.
1 Yandex Store – Russian application store for Android
An alternative to Google Play Market in Russian is Yandex.Store, which is an application store for Android smartphones with more than 100,000 applications.
This store features many applications created by Russian publishers, but also popular mobile games. Yandex.Store is perfect for Russian-speaking buyers.
There are 4 options to pay for purchases on Yandex.Store:
- bank card,
- via mobile phone balance,
- Yandex money,
- bonus points (Yandex.Store returns 10% of each purchase to the bonus account).
The service guarantees complete buyer protection.
2 Amazon AppStore - application store for Android
It belongs to the American online store Amazon.com.
Why might it be interesting as an alternative to Google Play? The store constantly hosts various types of promotions that allow you to cheaply purchase a high-quality game or something else interesting.
The store is entirely in English. But you can understand the application if, for example, you go to the store through a browser that offers page translation.
Amazon AppStore does not support all types of bank cards. This may be a problem for some users.
3 APKPure – service for installing applications
APK (English Android PacKage) - this format is used in the Android operating system for executable files. One such archived executable file contains everything that is needed to install the application.
4 F-Droid – directory of applications with free software
Official site:
f-droid.org.
You should NOT visit the service to install new games. F-Droid is designed to search for programs that are convenient for you, not games. The F-Droid store provides open source code for absolutely any application. Open source allows developers to modify it to suit their needs and make the necessary changes.
If you decide to add your application to F-Droid, you will need to provide the application code.
5 BlackMart – “black market” of applications
Every product in the catalog is hacked, i.e. any user will be able to play their favorite game absolutely free, even if the game initially cost money. The service for “pirates” (or the service for pirated applications) has frequent failures in its operation.
Conclusion: Google Play is universal in its kind, it is difficult to replace it completely. It is best to combine different catalogs and look for what suits you.
How many times has the Android system warned us about “Unknown Sources”?
Agree, constant notifications inspire confidence that there is no good alternative to Google Play.
Is it so?
Aptoide
Aptoide home page The variety of applications is what users love. And developers like the unpretentious platform. Aptoide was able to please everyone.
The administration practically does not interfere with anyone in the development of their products.
At the same time, the site’s policy does not neglect safety. The result is an excellent field for software development, and users have the opportunity to install unique applications.
Haven't you been annoyed by Google's services and programs constantly interfering with your device?
No matter how convenient they are, sometimes it goes beyond all limits.
Unlike Google Play, Aptoide is independent from smartphone manufacturers, so it does not highlight “favorites”.
Large developers are reluctant to cooperate with free sites.
But in this case, in the open spaces of the store you can meet developers from Microsoft, Google, and so on.
Aptoide is considered one of the main replacements for the Play Store.
Is it really an ideal alternative? You decide.
Amazon AppStore
Amazon AppStore Amazon is the largest online store in the United States. Naturally, it is not difficult for such an organization to afford its own application store.
First of all, the emphasis is on paid products (for example, books). But there are plenty of free options.
More than 300 thousand items, and they are growing steadily.
Every day they give away any paid product.
A very convenient and versatile search will help you find the application you need.
Of course, the site has its downsides. It is not easy for a simple developer to present his application.
The long filtering process and involuntary price reductions discourage authors.
On the other hand, the user will use applications from large and trusted organizations.
Amazon does not hide its bias towards Google Play. They even released a tablet, which completely lacks services from a competitor.
The sensational site attracted many people. Maybe you are next?
Bemodi Mobile Store
Bemodi first page Developers from Opera Software have retrained and created a cross-platform platform for mobile devices.
Previously it was called Opera Mobile Store.
A huge number of applications, many categories and a pleasant interface will make the search easier and clearer.
The main thing is that you don’t need to download a separate client, as is the case with the Play Market. It is enough to have the Opera browser. No annoying services and applications!
Currently, two million applications have been registered and have been fully scanned for viruses and spam.
Over 7,500 devices are supported – even the oldest device is not left out.
An excellent option for those who do not want to load the device with a bunch of unnecessary add-ons.
And for app creators, Bemodi is simply paradise. Powerful developer support and device optimization are a great start for beginners.
Yandex.Store
Yandex.Store title page The largest search engine in RuNet, Yandex, offers many services. One of them is the application directory.
No matter what they say, Yandex knows how to do things conveniently. After downloading the program, you can easily begin installing the necessary applications.
The simplest interface will be understood by everyone. A simple search menu and quick work by category will ensure accurate query output.
The main thing is that Yandex.Store is designed for the Russian-speaking population. This is confirmed by the complete Russification of the application.
You can pay with anything, including Yandex.Money.
The developers did not stand aside. All you need to do is register on the Developer portal and follow all the rules of the service.
Thanks to this, the list of available applications is growing steadily. The number has already exceeded 100 thousand.
Slide.me
Home page Slide.Me A very interesting platform, especially for users.
Unfortunately, Slide.me doesn't have a huge number of apps.
But what the creators of the platform really constantly boast about is their strict selection of products. It is not so easy for a program or game to get into the Slide.me catalog.
Perhaps this is what attracted users - the chance of downloading an application that is dangerous for the device is very small.
The interface is entirely in English.
The design is simple and convenient, so even those who do not know the language will easily understand it.
F-Droid
F-Droid website The number of applications in the F-Droid catalog is very small, about two thousand. But this is so little! In fact, everything is much more interesting.
The applications available for download are open source. What does it mean?
Such software can be viewed from the inside, studied and even changed by anyone. Therefore, it is difficult to hide a virus or advertising in such a program.
Usually free software is primitive in terms of design, but the functionality is simply amazing.
Think about it: do you need a beautiful wrapper or real benefits?
AppsLib
AppsLib How difficult it is sometimes for owners of budget smartphones! Unfortunately, Google does not allow every manufacturer to install Android.
The output is a stripped-down version that lacks many programs and functions. AppsLib aims to fix this.
There are not many applications, but almost all of them can be installed on weak devices without any problems.
Under each name it is written which devices are supported.
The interface is inhospitable, entirely in English.
But what can’t you do for your smartphone? Owners of old or budget devices who are tired of Google Play freezing - welcome to AppsLib.
ApkPure
Apkpure title page One of the main problems of Google Play is the difficulty of transferring applications.
In turn, Apkpure downloads apk files to the phone. This means you can easily share the software with others.
You can download both from the website and from the application (which is also downloaded from the website). The interface is entirely in Russian.
Apkpure is similar to Google Play in its variety of applications. But this is more likely just a site with files rather than a full-fledged application directory.
Mobile9
Mobile9 application It's hard to find good wallpapers on Google Play, especially free music and videos.
But Mobile9, in addition to a large number of applications, did not forget about entertainment content.
The catalog can only be used through the application. It is completely Russified and easy to use.
If you need books, music or high-quality wallpapers, feel free to download Mobile9.
Mobogenie
Mobogenie program A very high quality alternative to Google Play. The developers tried to create the catalog at a high level.
In addition to a large number of applications, Mobogenie provides music, images and books.
The interface is completely Russified.
One of the problems with Google Play was the inability to download applications via a computer.
"Mobogeny" solved this problem - just connect the device, and the smartphone is fully accessible on the PC.
Ninestore
Ninestore website Another good alternative to the Play Market with a simple interface and a large number of applications.
Applications are distributed in apk, which makes it easy to transfer data to other devices.
Some products are not available on Google Play at all, which makes Ninestore especially stand out.
The service is developed independently, so the software is distributed according to real user ratings.
1 Mobile Market
Application 1 Mobile Market All applications in the 1 Mobile catalog are free. Everything. No pro versions (only in-game purchases).
Some applications are completely unique. A huge number of wallpapers, stickers and other interesting ways to change your smartphone.
Let’s not forget about the interesting top applications, thanks to which you won’t miss out on great software.
The catalog is in Russian, the interface is convenient and does not contain unnecessary items. The files are downloaded to the apk.
Blackmart
Blackmart interface The site was created by the developers out of pure enthusiasm.
The main feature is that paid applications from Google Play are completely free in Blackmart.
The interface is very simple and painfully similar to the Play Market. The catalog has a number of interesting features.
For example, customizing the program for yourself. Interesting and convenient search both by words and categories.
The user can also download applications that are not available on the Blackmart platform. All of them are carefully checked by the project administration.
Samsung Galaxy App
Samsung Galaxy App The app store pre-installed on Samsung smartphones has a huge user base.
Support is provided by a major equipment manufacturer, so there is no reason to complain.
A large selection of software, simple search and auto-update of installed products lure many users from the Play Market.
Galaxy App competes strongly with Google and Amazon without losing any ground.
Strict selection of applications will not allow viruses and advertising to penetrate your device.
Trashbox
Home page of the Trashbox website First of all, this is a site with news from the world of technology. But from it you can download absolutely any application of the latest version. Each file is checked for viruses.
It is possible to download the earliest versions. The description under each product will help when choosing software.
The site is completely Russified and has many categories, which simplifies the search.
One of the simplest alternatives to Google Play, since you don't need to download the application.
conclusions
So what is the best replacement for Google Play? We would recommend Aptoide if you are looking for Android TV apps.
And for smartphones, APKPure is the best choice.
More than four years have passed since the Google Play service appeared, replacing another application store called Android Market. It is the most important source of applications running on mobile devices on the Google platform. But few people know that there are other services similar to Play Market, which are in no way connected with this company. They also allow you to download a variety of applications. Google is not a monopolist in this market.
By default, the device settings are set to install applications only from Google Play, but this is easy to fix. Many people do not know about this possibility.
Of course, in alternative stores there are not as many applications as in the official service from Google, but here you can find very good, albeit insufficiently promoted programs, which are simply lost among a large number of others.
The first alternative is the Amazon app store. Most likely, this is the largest analogue of the Play Market for Android. On electronic readers this store is installed by default, but on other devices you need to add it yourself. The interface here is very easy to master. There is a search and various methods for sorting found programs. Here, when you go into each app, you can also see user reviews and other recommended apps.
Store from Yandex
This is another free analogue of the Play Market with a large number of applications, numbering more than 100 thousand. This store is most valuable because it was developed by Russian programmers, it has a completely Russian-language interface, and you can pay for purchases directly from your mobile phone through Yandex Money. The publication of programs here is similar to the competitor from Google: creators upload their applications themselves, which are then scanned by Kaspersky antivirus. The interface here is quite standard. It contains all the necessary elements: a showcase for each program with its description, user ratings and recommended similar applications. In order to download, you need an account on Yandex itself.
F-Droid
The library of this service contains only free applications whose source code is open. Here, unlike Google Play, they guarantee the complete absence of virus threats and other harmful elements in downloaded programs. According to the terms of use of this store, each developer undertakes to upload to the site the complete source code of each application posted. Service employees can fully study these sources before compiling them. This way they make sure that there are no threats and everything works as stated by the creator. Thus, Play Market analogues take care of user safety. The application itself, with which you can download programs, is also open source, and it is not necessary to install it. The site can also be used through a browser. The application has a very simple interface, but this is not an advantage here, since there are no filters and categories that would make it much easier to find the desired program. The range here is small due to the fact that the requirements are very high.
SlideME Store
This service is very often installed by the manufacturer on those devices that do not have access to Google Play. This program is an analogue of the Play Market. Most often, such devices are inexpensive electronic readers, tablets for children and other gadgets that have a customized version of the operating system installed. The main page states that each hosted application is scanned for malicious software and then tested by service employees. The application itself for working with the store is called SAM, but, as in the previous case, it is not necessary to install it, since you can also use it through the web interface. The appearance of the application is very clear. In order to go to categories, you need to move the start screen to any side. Each application card contains a description, user rating and other programs for recommendation. And although there are few applications here (only a few tens of thousands), their quality is very high, since each program is passed through a large number of testers.
Mobogenie Store
This is not just a store with applications, but at the same time also a desktop manager, a contact editor and much more. The client is easy to use. It has good category search, and the application cards contain descriptions as well as ratings. Here, recommendations from various testers and publications are noted in the program descriptions.
Service AlternativeTo
There are not only programs for Android here, since from the very beginning this project was dedicated only to software for personal computers. Currently, you can find applications for any mobile operating system, as well as plugins for various browsers. Analogues of the Play Market are in some ways even better than this store.
Antiroid
This site is not a library or store. This is a whole search system that allows you to find free alternatives to expensive programs in any store. You just need to enter the name of the paid application, and its free alternatives will appear. If you cannot find an exact analogue, a list of paid programs will be displayed. When you click on installation, you will be redirected to Google Play. The interface contains a convenient grouping of games and applications into categories.
As you can see, you can’t get by with Google Play alone, as there are other worthy options that provide users with less choice, but also less garbage. Analogues of the Play Market may well replace it. Indeed, in some countries there is no access to it at all. And people there also need applications. Google is not the only company that can satisfy people's demand for them.
Reading time: 4 minutes.
Google Play is a store of applications, books, music, films and other entertainment content, abundantly available to owners of portable equipment with the Android operating system. And although the service has long turned into a limitless source of great mood, it is still far from achieving the status of “An ideal that knows no competitors.” Therefore, many people use the so-called analogues of the Play Market (Google Play). And there are several reasons for this:
- Restrictions. Google Play prohibits developers from adding applications related to casinos and ad blocking to the store; there are also regional blocks imposed on certain countries (in the CIS countries, for example, it is difficult to reach Spotify), and other troubles that greatly interfere with the consumption of content. Therefore, you have to look for entertainment on the side;
- Bonuses and offers. And although you can download any application to your Android smartphone for free, you will have to pay for some services, and even in the form of a monthly subscription fee. And in alternative stores, prices are sometimes much lower than on Google Play;
- Problems with "diversity". It is probably not possible to find a store where it is more difficult to find the information you need than in the Play Market (Google Play). Once you enter a suitable name into the search, you can get lost in the million options that appear. In the first positions, of course, there will be some applications promoted through advertising, and in the middle there will also be things with inflated ratings. In a word, the search will have to be long and tedious, and therefore...
Is it time for a change? There are already some good alternatives to the play market (Google Play) on the web, it’s worth experimenting a little:
Amazon Appstore
A powerful alternative to Google Play, rapidly growing in audience, and for many reasons at once. Firstly, due to the disabled regional blocking and the always-on Early Access system, when access to games being developed and tested is opened ahead of schedule for everyone. Secondly, due to the moderate pricing policy and the ability to download services related to casinos, bets and bookmakers (there will be no problems with making deposits or receiving earned winnings).
And one more thing - every day on the Amazon Appstore website you can get some new product completely free of charge; you should visit the main page and agree to the addition of new content to your smartphone.
Aptoide
An alternative service that is gaining popularity, not yet able to beat its competitors, but clearly claiming to be an “ambitious newcomer.” The Aptoide store has long been reminiscent of a warehouse with the highest quality resources, and all because of a competent system for checking the work of various authors.
Here you won’t find second-rate content, unnecessary tools, or long-outdated and non-working tools; truly useful gizmos that will happily take their rightful place on the internal memory. There are no original features like the Amazon store here yet, but the developers are soon planning to introduce special paid subscriptions that will provide access to various games every month.
Bemobi Mobile Store
A beautiful, but not fully developed analogue of the Play Market (Google Play), with easy navigation, a good interface, but too specific content. New items are added for unknown reasons - a sea of advertising, constant crashes and technical shortcomings, and the developers field includes some unknown team that has made it to the only release.
However, it is also wrong to judge Bemobi’s policy in this way - perhaps this is the only way for young developers to see the light and potential audience of the Play Market (Google Play).
Yandex.Store
A secure and well-organized analogue store, which, unfortunately, is focused not on the quality and quantity of content, but on adaptation and interaction with Yandex services. So, for example, in the Store you can pay and receive cashback, enter data from cards and not worry about losing confidential data, and at the same time receive all kinds of financial recommendations. Overall, we’re off to a good start, but there’s still room for improvement...
Slideme
And finally, a symbiosis from a store with personal recommendations for an active audience (you can download applications and then receive advice from the community) and a repository of new entertainment for beginning studios and developers (everyone can get tested, and then upload a new product to the store and earn money, like on advertising and depending on user demand).
It’s easy to find interesting alternatives to Google Play (Play Market) online, but it’s impossible to guess which service will not disappear in a few years and will withstand competition with the famous giant, even with a strong desire.
What is the largest application store for gadgets with the Android operating system? Naturally, this is the Google Play Market, which is the official resource from the developers of this OS. In it, various companies and private developers publish games and applications, and gadget owners have the opportunity to download the desired program for free or for money. However, what to do if the application you need is not in the Google Play database? You'll have to look for an alternative to Google Play Market.
The first alternative is Amazon AppStore
Amazon AppStore is one of the greatest competitors of Google Play Market. And if Google has its own smartphones, then Amazon also has them. This is a Kindle Fire or Fire Phone. They work on a modification of Android OS, namely Fire OS. Despite the fact that the gadgets run on its own Fire OS operating system, many Android applications are supported quite normally.
Therefore, among 240,000 programs and games, you can choose an application that is not on Google Play and install it on your smartphone. If the program does not work, then we are looking for the next alternative to Google Play Market.
Second alternative – SlideME
Owners of the first smartphones probably still remember a site like SlideME. This is the first resource that appeared long before the advent of Google Play. There are many applications published here, which are divided into categories.
This resource is often used to quickly sell or distribute applications for free. SlideME charges 20% of your profits and offers a wide range of payment systems such as WebMoney, PayPal, which Google Play does not support.
Third alternative – 1Mobile Market
1Mobile Market is a resource for downloading only free applications on Android. The site is not suitable for those who want to sell their program. The initially published application must undergo a lengthy review and only after validation will appear on the site.
Today, 1Mobile Market has already generated over 100 million downloads and over 1,600,000 apps published. The site has a high-quality review system, as well as recommendations that are selected based on the user’s preferences and interests.
Fourth Alternative – Samsung Galaxy Apps
Each manufacturer of modern gadgets has its own application store, which are adapted specifically for branded smartphone models. Such an application store is Samsung Galaxy Apps. It is installed by default on all Samsung phones and therefore has huge popularity and a decent number of downloads.
Such stores are also available in Meizu, Nomi, Sony Ericson and other manufacturers of smartphones running Android OS.
Fifth alternative – Mobile9
Another alternative to Google Play Market is Mobile9. This resource works on the following principle: users download an application under their account and share it online. Such publication of the program is free. Therefore, here you can often find a paid program that was previously purchased by one of the users of this resource.
Naturally, such distribution is illegal, and therefore the service developers themselves prohibit such publications. However, Google Play's policies make no mention of what the user can do with the purchased product. That's why Mobile9 is still working.
Sixth alternative – Opera Mobile Store
According to statistics, the Opera Mobile Store resource is visited by more than 100,000,000 users every month. There are about 200 thousand applications published in this store, and therefore the number of downloads exceeds 2,000,000 per day.
Opera has an agreement with Yandex, one of the largest Russian search engines, which maps queries from Opera to the Yandex App Store and vice versa. Therefore, the number of downloads on both services is growing every day.
In the Opera Mobile Store, as well as in Google Play, developers publish applications and games that are supported by various versions of Android and smartphone models.
Seventh alternative – MOBANGO
The MOBANGO service is also an alternative to the Google Application Store. Currently, this site has published more than 100,000 applications that can be downloaded both for free and for money.
To upload a program to MOBANGO you need to register, accept the terms of the license agreement and only then download the software.
Eighth alternative – Soc.io Mall
The slogan of the Soc.io Mall store is an Android store that loves developers. This indicates that the software developer who publishes his application on this site receives 80% of the profit from the sale. Only 20% goes to the store.
Today, the Soc.io Mall database contains slightly less than 10,000 applications. However, this is only an application. In addition to programs, games, e-books, music, videos and audiobooks are published here.
Ninth alternative – F-droid
The F-droid app store for Android contains only free developments. By clicking on the link, the smartphone user has the opportunity to download the game or program through the official website of the developer (by redirecting the client to the link) or a special F-droid application. The F-droid application itself automatically updates all installed programs on Android, which, in fact, is what Google Play does.
The store is run by volunteers and relies on donations. Each application on F-Droid must be licensed under an Apache or GNU license, and therefore user safety is guaranteed.
Tenth alternative – GetJar
The GetJar store has more than 70,000 applications in its database, a recommendation service, and its own virtual currency, GetJar Gold, which is used to pay for purchasing applications.
Conclusion
Google Play Market has many alternative services where you can both download and sell your application. Each Android store is different from the Play Market we are used to. However, if the latter for some reason does not work or the application is not needed, then the ten presented above will help you find the best program for your needs.