The Google Play Store is the largest app marketplace in the world. As of June 2018, it had over 2 billion monthly active users and over 800 million monthly active users in India alone. That said, there’s no beating Google when it comes to app marketplaces. But what if you don’t want to use Google Play on your device or you can’t because of business or personal reasons? That’s where alternative app marketplaces come in handy. Many of them also offer Android apps but with a different twist than what you get from the Google Play Store. Here are some of the best alternatives to the Google Play Store that you should consider using if you have any reason not to use the giant app marketplace.
Google Play Store Alternatives
1. Amazon Appstore
If you’re living in the US and are an Amazon Prime subscriber, then you can use Amazon’s dedicated app marketplace. This app store offers a range of apps and games just like the Google Play Store but with a different design. What’s more, Amazon lets you try apps and games for free for a specific amount of time so you can test them without paying for them. Amazon’s app store also serves as a one-stop shop for other content like books, music, and movies. The Amazon Appstore also lets you rate and review apps, games, and in-app purchases just like the Google Play Store, so you can help other users make informed decisions. There are also parental controls that let you disable in-app purchases and manage your kids’ activities on the device. Another notable feature of Amazon’s app store is that it lets you log into your account on any device, and the apps and games you own on any device are available on all of your devices.
2. Aptoids
Aptoids is a non-profit app market that lets you download and install apps for free on your device. The only catch is that you have to donate to the organization to get access to the apps. You can donate any amount of your choice, and you’ll get a download link for the apps you want. You can choose the app you want to donate to by clicking the drop-down menu. Aptoids lets you search for apps in a variety of languages including English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese. You can also use filters to narrow down your search results. What’s more, you can also support local businesses by using Aptoids to download apps and games created by local businesses in your area.
3. BlackBerry World
BlackBerry’s app store is still going strong even though the company itself is not. The BlackBerry World app store has more than 1 million apps and games on offer. You can access the BlackBerry World app store from any Android device or the BlackBerry Hub Desktop Manager. BlackBerry World has a wide range of categories you can browse, including business, health and fitness, lifestyle, music and audio, productivity, social networking, travel, and more. You can also filter your search based on languages, dates when the app/game was published, or price. BlackBerry World also has parental controls to keep your kids safe from inappropriate content.
4. Dolphin Store
Dolphin is another alternative app store for Android devices. The app store has a wide range of apps and games on offer, and you can even download paid apps for free. Dolphin also has a dedicated section for apps and games built by users. Dolphin lets you browse apps by categories, featured apps, or search for a specific app. You can also filter your results based on price, user ratings, or language. Dolphin also has a dedicated section for in-app purchases so you can easily buy items or subscriptions for apps even if they’re free.
5. F-Cold
F-Cold is a Chinese app market that lets you download apps and games for free. The catch is that you have to install a Chinese search engine called Baidu on your device to use the app market. Baidu comes with its own set of privacy terms that you should read carefully if you decide to use F-Cold. F-Cold lets you search for apps by category or by entering the name of the app/game you want to download. You can also filter your results by price, category, or release date. You can also use F-Cold to download wallpapers, ringtones, and other media for your device. There’s also a dedicated section for children where you can find apps and games that are safe for kids.
6. Fire OS Apps Store
Amazon’s Fire OS app store only lets you download and install apps on Fire-branded devices. But there’s a way to download the apps and use them on other devices. If you have an Android device, you can download the Fire OS Apps Store app from the Google Play Store. The Fire OS Apps Store has more than 1 million apps and games on offer, and you can search for apps by name or category. What’s more, you can also filter your search results by price, release date, or compatibility. You can also browse apps by user ratings and reviews. Another notable feature of the Fire OS Apps Store is that it lets you download paid apps for free.
7. Installous
Installous is an alternative to the Google Play Store that lets you download apps from third-party sources. You might want to use this app if you’re a developer who wants to test and use your own apps without publishing them in the Google Play Store. You can log in to Installous with your Google account and use it to download apps and games for free. The app store has a wide range of apps and games on offer. You can also filter your search results based on categories, user ratings, or release dates. What’s more, you can also log in to Installous with your Facebook or Twitter account to let other users know what apps you like.
8. Windows Phone Store
The Windows Phone Store app is the one-stop shop for all things related to Windows Phones and Windows PCs. You can use the app store to download and install apps on your phone and also PC apps on your Windows 10 PC. You can search for apps, games, and in-app purchases by name or category in the Windows Phone Store. You can also filter your results based on user ratings, price, release date, or category. What’s more, you can also use the Windows Phone Store app to manage your account and purchase items from the Windows Store. You can also use the app to find people near you and invite them to a game.
Summing up
The Google Play Store is the biggest app marketplace in the world, but it’s not the only one. There are several alternative app marketplaces you can use to download and install apps on your device. These include Amazon’s app store, which is available only to Prime subscribers in the US, Aptoids, which lets you download apps for free, BlackBerry World, which is available for both BlackBerry and Android devices, Dolphin Store, F-Cold, which lets you download apps for free from a Chinese app store, Installous, which lets you download apps from third-party sources, and the Windows Phone Store, which is available for Windows Phones and Windows PCs.
