Alternative Android Markets

• Tweet

• Tweet

I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this by now, but one of Android’s greatest strengths is the fact that it’s open-source and the underlying philosophy behind it is open; one of the many benefits this entails is the almost polar-opposite approach it takes to Apple’s walled-garden strategy. On Android, everything is open; from alternative app markets to home-rolled APKs that you wrote yourself, nothing is off-limits when it comes to the alternative ways to install apps on Android.

The downside to this, however, is that not all app stores are created equal. Some are truly helpful and trying to bring you new, alternative apps; others are thinly-veiled attempts to pirate paid apps, often with a significant amount of malware attached. How to tell the difference? Let’s take the plunge and find out!

1. Amazon Appstore

URL: http://www.amazon.com/mobile-apps/b?ie=UTF8&node=2350149011

In the arena of App Stores, Amazon’s is the most polished, most funded store out there. With a slick Amazon UI and a direct link to your Amazon account, this app repository definitely might rise to be the 800-pound gorilla in the alternative market gig; it’s smooth, fast, sleek, and has a great user experience, much as the real market does.

That said, it’s very new: Many of the other alternative app markets have been out for some time, and they have the loyal Android base that Amazon doesn’t have. With its gimmick of giving out a free paid app every day, however, and its huge name brand and marketing budget behind it, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the only alternative app store the general public knows.

2. AndAppStore

URL: http://www.andappstore.com/

AndAppStore is one of the older alternative app stores out there, dating back to ’08. Nevertheless, it is still relevant and boasts a very simple but useful UI; I had no issues finding things in AndAppStore, and in some cases it’s less confusing than the new Market layout that shipped with Gingerbread.

AndAppStore also has some awesome philosophy behind it; it gives 100% of app profit to developers, and it aims to bring the market to devices that are not officially Android sanctioned. That said, however, it suffers still from a lack of apps compared to the real Market; as of this writing, it has only 3910 apps. The official market has over 80000 and the Amazon App Store, which opened very recently, has 3800. AndAppStore, however, is very usable and the apps they have are useful, and it’s definitely a keeper on anybody’s Android!

3. Applanet

URL: http://www.applanet.net/

Applanet’s download is free, and they have a large amount of apps; around 14000 or so as of this publication. Their UI is very good, and it mimics the Android market almost identically; users of the regular Market should have no problems here.

That said, however, Applanet’s main purpose seems to be to pirate apps; whether by intent or through its users, Applanet is a haven for pirated apps, and many of those pirated apps hide malware in them- a great deal of users have reported malware that came from one of their Applanet downloads, and based on this I recommend steering clear of this one!

4. AndroLib

URL: http://www.androlib.com/

AndroLib isn’t an app store in the sense of the rest of the app stores on this list, but it’s well worth mentioning simply because it’s an innovative and refreshing way to view apps- in your PC’s browser as opposed to on your device itself.

This isn’t to say that the Android Market is cumbersome, but sometimes the advantage of having a full-sized reading space and facebook integration is too much to pass over. AndroLib fulfills a great need in the app listing space, and though it’s not an app market in and of itself I heartily recommend its use in finding your next latest and greatest app!

5. AppsLib

URL: http://www.appslib.com/

AppsLib started its life for almost the same reason AndAppStore did; Archos, AppsLib’s developer, was creating Android tablets that were not officially sanctioned by Google and thus could not run the official Android Market. In response, Archos developed their own market for their tablets and started shipping it.

Despite the purported intent, AppsLib works as well on most phones as it does on tablets, and its UI is slick and uses a similar layout and color scheme to the official Market. Though the selection of apps is still a little on the small side, it’s growing every day and is certainly a worthy alternative app store to consider!

6. Handango

URL: http://www.handango.com/

Handango is a little different than the rest of the app markets here in that it’s not an application that you download onto your device. Rather, you browse apps on the website and download them using a barcode that displays on the screen (though they do have a mobile site that you can use directly from your device itself).

The website is clear and easily navigable, and the downloads are quick and easy using the barcodes provided. I wasn’t a huge fan of the mobile site, so that might be a downside for those of you who want to browse from your handset; it’s functional but kind of noisy. It’s not necessary for using the site, however, and I preferred to download from the web anyway. Overall I found Handango quite good and I recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative app store!

7. SlideMe

URL: http://slideme.org/

SlideMe might be one of the slickest UIs on this list; it’s smooth and feels very optimized for a mobile touchscreen. It’s very friendly and easy to use, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that many people prefer its UI to even the official Android market.

It also doesn’t suffer as much from the lack of apps; aside from Applanet, SlideMe has the highest number of available apps on its site. It still pales in comparison to the number on the official Market, but it has just shy of 8000 apps, most of which look legitimate and malware-free from a cursory glance at its database. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative app market!