Because the use of mobile applications in lieu of utilizing the web browser is preferred, vendors have provided more options to users for how and where they get their favorite application downloads. Users are no longer tied to the platforms’ app stores. They have numerous venues to choose when looking for mobile apps to add to their smart devices. Companies such as IBM and other entities utilizing MDM solutions have instituted their own mobile app stores to ensure that their employees are only installing company-approved, malware-free applications on their corporate devices. This corporate app store model allowed them to move away from the requirement that every employee be required to have the same smart device.

The following list makes up only a small fraction of the alternative apps stores:1

Corporate Stores: This is an attractive option for companies that have proprietary apps and do not want them hosted publicly. Large corporations may have their own store (Ex: IBM Whirlwind), and smaller businesses can use a service like digital.ai to host enterprise apps on an internal network. In each case, this helps to keep the app and its data secure and is less prone to reversing since it’s not publicly available.2

Cross Platform Stores:1

  •  Appland app store and manager for iOS and Android

  •  Bemobi (formerly Opera Mobile) Established in 2011 and gets more than 100 million monthly visits

  •  Mobile9 supports apps, wallpapers, games, ringtones, etc. for iPhones up through iPhone X and multiple Android Oreo (8.x) firwmares

  •  NexVa is geared towards developers who want to control distribution of their apps

  •  TutuApp free iOS and Android apps

Country-Specific Stores:

  •  FtOS Store – iOS alternative (Vietnam) 1

  •  360 Mobile Assistant, Oppo, VIVO, V-Appstore, Tencent (China)3

Manufacturer-Specific: Usually come pre-installed on devices1

iOS Alternatives:1

  •  Cydia Appstore alternative for jailbroken devices

  •  Sileo iOS 11+ apps and jailbreak support

  •  AppCake ad-free apps

  •  AppValley modified/tweaked apps

  •  iNoJB doesn’t require a jailbreak or a Mac for install, Apps can be downloaded via Safari

Android Alternatives:1

  •  Amazon.com: Appstore for Android gives away one free paid app a day.

  •  Slide ME offers multiple payment options, such as PayPal, and puts apps through a rigorous platform test prior to making them available.

  •  Cnet download is already famous for its software offerings. Apps are thoroughly scanned for malware, so downloads are worry-free from this trusted site.

  •  F-Droid offers free apps that do not come packaged with tracking or ads.

  •  Aptoide is getting a following from new application developers. The community allows posting and sharing links to most-loved apps.

  •  CodeNgo (formerly AppsLib) offers apps for tablets and mobile devices

  •  GetJar offers (some) apps that aren’t even available on Google Playstore

  •  91 mobile is geared toward students.

  •  Uptodown is available worldwide and always you to revert to previous versions at any time

  •  Mobango 8 million+ users download from this platform, which has offerings from 40,000+ developers.

References:

[1] https://for585.com/altappstores https://orangesoft.co/blog/alternative-app-stores

[2] https://for585.com/digitalai

[3] https://for585.com/altappschina