Almost all owners of Android smartphones and tablets download applications from the Google service - Google Play by default. Unfortunately, it is not without its drawbacks - a large amount of low-quality content or clones of popular applications, and frequent problems with installing programs. But Android users have a choice - Google Play is not a monopolist in this market. Let's take a look at the best alternatives to this app store.
- Amazon Appstore
- APKPure
- slideME
- Aptoide
- Yandex.Store
- Mobile9
- Samsung Galaxy Store
- GetJar
- F-Droid
- Uptodown
Why look for an alternative to Google Play
To begin with, why abandon the standard app store at all? There are several reasons for this:
- not always favorable conditions. Smaller stores often organize discounts, promotions, and app sales to attract users. This allows you to save a lot of money if you use paid applications;
- The number of applications on Google Play is growing at a breakneck pace. Now there are already more than 2.5 million. And the sorting in this store does not always work as it should - among the huge number of already popular applications, it can be difficult to find the new program you need;
- restrictions on access to content. Google Play does not allow you to download applications from other regions, and also imposes serious restrictions on ad blockers;
- low quality content. Checking applications on Google Play is quite superficial - a huge number of dubious, useless, low-quality, and sometimes even harmful applications spoil this store.
The main disadvantages of Google Play stem from the huge number of applications presented on the site
ApkMirror
ApkMirror is popular among people who want to try out the latest releases of their favorite apps that appear on Google Play from time to time after downloading them here. However, this App Store does not have an official app and users need to visit the website to download the apps. The site claims that all of their offerings are free of malware. You will not find paid applications in this store.
The site is well designed and the process of searching and downloading apps is also noticeable. You can view recent downloads or search for specific apps using the search bar. When you search for a specific application, you are presented with a list of versions of the application, arranged in chronological order.
You can visit the download page of the version you want to download and click on the download button to start downloading the .apk file for the application.
Visit website
Amazon Appstore
The app store from the largest department store is deservedly popular. There are more than 300,000 different applications here - both paid and free. On Amazon, every developer can post their creation for free, so you can find many interesting indie projects here. Of course, before publication, the application is reviewed by store administrators. The risk of catching the virus here is extremely low.
The Amazon Appstore was created for buyers of the Kindle reader and other devices from this company, but the service is open to owners of any Android devices.
Amazon has implemented a very interesting mechanic - every day a random paid application is selected and made available to everyone for free within 24 hours. Sometimes this way you can snag very expensive applications, the total cost of which exceeds 1,000 rubles.
Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting the same average low level of content quality (application moderation here is quite loyal to developers), as well as a small number of applications in Russian. After all, Amazon was never aimed at Russia.
The store has both a desktop website and an app version
APKPure
As the name of this resource suggests, it provides clean APK files to its users. The range of applications here is not limited by regional restrictions. APKPure can be used if you really need an application that for some reason is not available on the Russian Google Play. Installing from a clean APK file is now faster than dancing with a tambourine to change the region. Russian language support on the site is a nice feature of this service.
On the site you can find a huge archive of applications from Google Play
APKPure offers to download a utility for Windows 10 to install applications in .apk format via a cable in two clicks on your computer.
The site also has a service for checking APK authenticity. You can upload a previously downloaded file to the site, and APKPure will check its officiality and the presence of third-party modifications in it. This is not a panacea, but it can save you from the risk of catching unnecessary viruses.
This method allows you to reduce the risk of installing applications modified by unknown persons.
The main advantage of APKPure is open access to any application, without regional restrictions. You can also find several useful utilities on the site. Among the disadvantages - like Google Play, there is a rather low level of moderation of applications, especially free ones. Anyone can send their creation to the site administrators, and if there are no viruses in it, the application will most likely be published and available for download.
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