Updated 7 August 2026
Best overall for almost everyone is the Google Play Store: preinstalled, free with in-app purchases, and the only store here whose Play Protect also scans what the others install. Best free pick is F-Droid, no account, no ads, every app built from source. Niche pick is Obtainium, free, open source and ad free, at v1.6.10 since 19 July 2026, updating apps straight from the developer. Verified against the stores' own listings on 7 August 2026. Full breakdown below.
That trio covers most needs without a Google account. Keep Play Protect on either way.
The five things worth filtering on before you add a second store. Every row was read from that store's own listing or site.
| Store | How you get it | Price and ads | Signature or build check | Best for | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play Store | Preinstalled | Free, in-app purchases | Play Protect | Almost everyone | 7 Aug 2026 |
| F-Droid | f-droid.org | Free, no ads | Built from source | Privacy, open source | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Aurora Store | via F-Droid | Free, no ads | F-Droid build, GPL v3 | Play apps, no account | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Aptoide | aptoide.com | Free, ads | None published | Older builds | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Amazon Appstore | Discontinued | n/a | n/a | Fire tablets only | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Samsung Galaxy Store | Preinstalled | Free | None published | Good Lock, watch faces | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Uptodown | uptodown.com | Free, ads | VirusTotal, per Uptodown | Rolling an app back | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Obtainium | GitHub | Free, no ads | Developer release direct | Open source projects | 7 Aug 2026 |
| APKMirror Installer | Google Play | Free, ads, in-app purchases | Developer signature | Split APK bundles | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Droid-ify | via F-Droid | Free, no ads | Same F-Droid repo | A faster F-Droid | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Huawei AppGallery | Huawei site | Free | Huawei multi-layer checks | Huawei owners | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Xiaomi GetApps | Preinstalled | Free | None published | Xiaomi themes | 7 Aug 2026 |
Almost everyone
Play is the right answer for almost everyone: preinstalled, free with in-app purchases, and the only store here whose Play Protect also scans what the others install. The blunt con is discovery, because the charts bury the lesser known gems.
Skip this if you want a Google-free phone. Choose Play over F-Droid for commercial apps, banking and big-name games.
↑ Back to the comparisonPrivacy
F-Droid is the best free pick here: no account, no ads, no payment, every app built from source. The blunt con is lag, because a rebuild can trail the developer's own release, and there are no commercial apps at all. Its about page now banners "F-Droid is under threat. Google is changing the way you install apps on your device."
Skip this if you need mainstream commercial apps. Choose F-Droid over Aurora Store for independently built binaries rather than Google's own files.
↑ Back to the comparisonPlay w/o Google
Aurora Store fetches the real Play catalogue with no Google account, free and with no ads. The blunt con comes from its own F-Droid listing, which flags it as tracking and reporting your activity: by default your app list and device details still reach Google.
Skip this if you are happy signing into Play. Choose Aurora over Obtainium when the app you want exists only on Play.
↑ Back to the comparisonTinkerers
Aptoide is the tinkerer's store: free, ad supported, useful for an older build or a regional release Play dropped. The blunt con is verification: on 7 August 2026 its own English site published no security page and /security returned 404, so treat the Trusted badge as unconfirmed. Our Aptoide walkthrough has the detail.
Skip this if you will not check who uploaded a file. Choose Uptodown over Aptoide for an older version, because Uptodown at least names its scanner.
↑ Back to the comparisonFire tablets only
The entry stays because so many guides still list Amazon Appstore as a live Android option. It is not. On a Fire tablet it is still the built-in store, still free, and still the place to manage anything bought there before the phone app closed.
Skip this unless you own a Fire device. Choose Uptodown over Amazon Appstore on a phone, since Amazon no longer distributes there.
↑ Back to the comparisonGalaxy owners
Galaxy Store is already on your Samsung, it is free, and it is the only home for Good Lock modules, Samsung themes and watch faces. The blunt con is that Samsung publishes no listing for it, so no rating, install count or vetting policy can be checked.
Skip this if you do not own a Samsung. Choose Galaxy Store over Play only for Samsung-specific extras, because Play carries none of them.
↑ Back to the comparisonApp rollbacks
Uptodown is the rollback store: free, ad supported, usable with no account. The blunt con is that every figure it publishes is its own. The 4.4 from 28,543 reviews below is Uptodown's number on Uptodown's site, not a Google Play rating.
Skip this if you never need an older build. Choose Uptodown over APKMirror Installer to browse versions rather than install a file you already have.
↑ Back to the comparisonPower users
Obtainium is the niche pick: free, open source, no ads, pulling each update straight from the developer's own release page instead of a store. Its GitHub repository sums it up as "Get Android app updates straight from the source." The blunt con is setup, because you add and maintain every source yourself.
Skip this if you do not already know which apps you want. Choose Obtainium over Droid-ify when a project ships on GitHub faster than F-Droid rebuilds it.
↑ Back to the comparisonSplit APKs
APKMirror Installer is an installer, not a store: it opens the apkm, xapk and apks bundles a plain file manager refuses. It is free, but it contains ads and in-app purchases from 1.99 to 99.99 USD per item, and the blunt con is that it browses nothing, so you supply the file.
Skip this if you never download APK files yourself. Choose APKMirror Installer over Uptodown when you already have a bundle and just need it installed.
↑ Back to the comparisonF-Droid client
Droid-ify is a faster front end for the same F-Droid network: free, open source, ad free. The blunt con is that it changes the interface, not the catalogue, so out of the box it offers nothing F-Droid does not already carry.
Skip this if the official F-Droid client feels fast enough. Choose Droid-ify over F-Droid for speed, and F-Droid over Droid-ify for the fewest moving parts.
↑ Back to the comparisonHuawei owners
AppGallery is the default store on Huawei phones and it is free. Huawei's own page lists developer identity verification, malicious behaviour detection and security vulnerability scanning, more than most stores here publish. The blunt con is coverage: the catalogue leans on Huawei Mobile Services, so plenty of apps are absent.
Skip this if you do not carry a Huawei device. Choose AppGallery over Aurora Store on a Huawei, because Aurora still needs Google servers it cannot reach there.
↑ Back to the comparisonXiaomi extras
GetApps ships on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones running MIUI and HyperOS, and it is free. It earns its place for Xiaomi themes and the occasional regional app. The blunt con is that Xiaomi publishes no listing, so no rating, install count or vetting policy can be checked.
Skip this if you do not own a Xiaomi. Choose Play over GetApps as your main store and keep GetApps for the themes.
↑ Back to the comparisonIt can be, as long as you stick to reputable sources. Stores like F-Droid, the Samsung Galaxy Store, and Aurora vet, sign, or build what they host, so the risk is low. The danger comes from random APK sites with no checks. Whenever a store shows the developer signature, confirm it matches the official app. If you are cautious by nature, F-Droid and the Galaxy Store are two of the easiest to trust.
A few real reasons. You might want open source apps with no tracking, an older version of something an update broke, a regional release Play does not offer, or simply more privacy. Independent stores also surface apps the big charts bury. If discovery is your goal, our roundup of rare Android finds is a great place to start hunting beyond the obvious.
You download its APK from the official website, then allow your browser or files app to install from unknown sources when Android prompts you. The system walks you through granting that one permission. A trustworthy Android browser helps you reach the genuine site, and a good file manager makes locating the downloaded file painless. Turn that permission back off once the store is installed.
Yes, but the store you installed from handles them, not Play. Each store checks for and pushes its own updates, so keep that app around rather than installing once and deleting it. Tools like Obtainium and Aurora are especially good at this, often delivering new versions faster than Play does. For more storage and maintenance helpers, browse our wider tools and utilities guides.
Play Protect is Google's built in scanner that checks apps for malware before and after you install them, including apps that did not come from the Play Store. You will find it in the Play Store under your profile picture. We would always keep it on, especially if you ever sideload an APK or use a second store, because it acts as a quiet safety net that does not slow your phone down.
It can be, and it is the most common way phones pick up malware, which is why Android restricts it behind a warning. The risk is not the APK format itself but where the file came from. Only install APKs from sources you genuinely trust, such as a developer's own site or a signature checking mirror, and never one sent by message, email, or an ad. Confirm the developer signature where you can, and leave Play Protect on to scan it.
The stores themselves keep working, but starting September 2026 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, certified Android devices will only install apps whose developers have verified their identity with Google. Google set that timeline out in its Android Developers Blog post Elevating Android security, which says the requirements go into effect in those four countries in September 2026 and that it will keep rolling them out globally in 2027 and beyond. Big projects will comply; some small open-source and hobbyist apps may stop installing the normal way. F-Droid now carries a banner on its own about page saying it is under threat because Google is changing the way you install apps on your device. Full timeline and preparation steps: see our explainer on the Android sideloading changes in 2026. Checked 7 August 2026.
Amazon discontinued it for Android phones and tablets on August 20, 2025. It continues only on Fire TV and Fire tablets. Apps installed from it on a regular Android phone are no longer guaranteed to run or update, and the Coins program ended the same day. For its old niche, Uptodown and Aurora Store are the practical replacements today.