Between them, the iOS and Android app stores are immense, with more than 5 million apps and games between them. Not all of them are free apps, though; often, the best ones require you to purchase them or make in-app purchases, and this can add up. One thing that both Android and iOS users are increasingly looking for is premium apps and games for free, something that neither official app store will ever offer, along with a different platform – not everyone wants to be tied to the two biggest app stores in the world. And developers are also looking for alternative platforms to distribute their anime apps and, luckily, there are alternative app stores for both platforms offering everything users and developers could possibly want.
We’re going to look at four alternatives each for the iOS and Android app stores, and two that work on both platforms.
Why Choose an Alternative App Store?
That’s easy to answer – For app users, they offer a huge choice of apps and games, some premium, for free. But that’s not all they offer. You can also download ++ apps, which are modified versions of stock apps, given tons of extra, cool features. And you can download unlocked games, with all the in-app features and purchases free, and all in-app bonuses, gems, coins, etc., all unlimited, right from the start. There are even some Cydia tweaks that don’t require a jailbreak or rooting to work, such as fully featured screen recorders, game emulators, unlimited streaming apps, and more.
And all of these offer developers a great choice of platforms to upload their own games and apps, allowing the public access to them and potentially increasing their own revenue streams.
What Are The Advantages?
These alternative app stores provide plenty of advantages:
For developers, there is rarely a fee for listing an app, and you get much better app promotion than you do with official stores because the app stores can advertise your app as a top-rated app or an app of the day. That gets it seen by a much wider audience.
Many official apps rarely make it into the Recommended apps list – with an alternative store, they’ll get that chance, again, widening their audience.
For users, well, you get a huge choice of modified apps and games, Cydia tweaks, unlocked games, and a whole lot more besides, and it’s all free.
Top iOS App Store Alternatives
Apply may have you believing that their store is the top store for developers and users alike, but that simply isn’t true. Here we look at some alternatives that offer free or much-reduced app submission fees, advertise your app better than the official stores, and give users a great choice of content.
1.CokerNutX
CokerNutX has been in existence since 2017 when it was created and released by its developer. An independent store, it was originally created as a beta testing platform for iOS app developers, and now there are almost 1 million apps and games available. The store is backed by large investors and offers developers and app users a cool platform for their apps and games.
Some of the most popular game mods on the platform are Fortnite, Roblox, The Sims 4, and PuBG.
2.AppLand
AppLand is an excellent alternative to the iOS store, especially for developers looking to target their apps at the international markets, such as Egypt, Panama, Iraq, Bangladesh, Iran, Mexico, and so on. It is one of the best solutions for developers to upload their apps and set up their own app store or distribute those apps to their chosen platform. The revenue and distribution model for developers is a little behind others in terms of clarity, but the app store is one of the most responsive, making it well worth a look for developers and for users alike.
3.TutuApp
TutuApp is right up there with the most popular alternative app stores for iOS users, and more than 300 million users can’t be wrong. TutuApp offers thousands of apps and games, most for free, along with some tweaks and modified content. It supports several languages and is also the ideal platform for developers to submit their apps. The app store makes it easy to submit apps and offers a choice of payment methods too.
4.AppValley
Up there with TutuApp is AppValley, another alternative app store that offers thousands of free apps and games, including modified and tweaked content. Everything here is unofficial and will never be found in the official iOS store; downloading it is simple, and it provides a fantastic app store for both users and developers alike.
Top Android App Store Alternatives
With almost 3 million apps and games, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Android app store has more than enough content for users and is the best platform for Android developers. That isn’t the case, and there are plenty of alternatives that make it easier for developers to submit their apps and for users to download them.
1.Amazon App Store
Everyone has heard of Amazon, but it’s more than just a huge marketplace for goods and books. Amazon also has its own app store that offers a great rival to the official Play Store. Released in March 2011, the Amazon app store has thousands of apps and games, some free, some paid, and plenty of exclusive gaming apps. It has a clean interface, is user-friendly, and has its own currency for purchasing apps and making in-app purchases, making it the best alternative to the official Play Store.
2.SlideMe
SlideMe is an app store based in the USA and was first released in 2008. Originally, it was a marketplace that catered to all kinds of preferences and soon became so popular, and it was second only the official Play Store. One of the top priorities for the SlideMe developers was ensuring apps were secure and, to that end, every app submitted to the store is scanned for viruses and checked for any exploits, including the Master-Key exploit, before it is accepted for review and inclusion into the store.
On top of that, it has one the largest, most robust communities of advisors and developers, providing help with bug fixes, code snippets, and help on targeting, pricing, and selling applications.
3.ACMarket
ACMarket was one of the first alternatives to the Google Play Store and remains popular to this day, Full of both 4 and 5-star apps, it is an independent platform and is open source. All the content is categorized for users to easily find what they want, including categories such as Local Top Downloads, Recommended Apps, Utilities, Games, and so on. This also makes it easier for developers to upload their apps, making sure they go in the right place.
4.AppBrain
Developed in 2009, AppBrain is a collaboration between Mathijs Vogelzang and a company called App Tornado, based in Zurich. It is incredibly reliable and has more than 100 million users every month. Each day, more than 2 million apps are downloaded and installed, and it is available across 236 countries. AppBrain contains more than 70,000 apps and games. In terms of app promotion for developers, AppBrain offers a CPI (Cost per Install) pricing model, user traffic with no incentives, algorithms for fraud detection, limits on daily and campaign app promotions, and easy user targeting through an increase or decrease in the CPI bid. And users will find several filters to make it easy to find the app or game they are looking for.
5.Cross-Platform Alternatives
Cross-platform alternatives are robust app store alternatives that offer applications for multiple mobile operating systems. These are great alternatives for developers to tap into an otherwise unexplored user-base.
6.Opera Mobile Store
Opera Mobile was first released more than 20 years ago and has long shown itself to be one of the most successful of all time. In 2011, the Opera Mobile app store was released and now hosts over 170,000 apps or Android and iOS mobile devices. Every month, the store enjoys more than 105,000 visitors, and it supports 7500 mobile devices. That makes it a great choice for users and for developers alike.
7.AppsZoom
Another older app store, AppsZoom, has been around for at least 10 years. Every year, they test thousands of different apps, each checked for viruses, malware, exploits, or anything else that could harm the end-user’s device or data. The apps themselves are protected from malware, too, making them safe to download. More than 4 million people use AppsZoom every month, and over 25,000 developers, for both iOS and Android, are part of the massive community. App reviews also make it easy for people to see which apps are worth downloading and which have glitches that need fixing.
Which Is the Best Alternative?
That’s not an easy question to answer because it will all depend on what you want. It’s no secret that the official app stores are top of the list for downloading apps and games, but developers and users alike don’t have to stick to them. The alternative stores offer huge benefits, particularly for regional users, and also offer a fantastic choice of apps and games or users to download.
And for the developers, exploring other app stores is a great way of maximizing app promotion and revenue streams, giving them the option of a much wider audience base. Get your apps reviewed by leading review platforms, and you stand a much better chance of your app or game being a hit.
As app stores for users, these are all free to download and use, so there really isn’t anything to lose by trying them. Let us know which one you found best for your requirements and share this with others to let them know about the alternatives too.
If you like the articles then follow Techdee on social media!