5 Ways to find new Android Apps (Other than Google Play)

Google Play is awesome. It is installed in every Android phone and is very simple to use. Go to it and the plethora of apps are at your disposal arranged by most famous, new and of course free and paid ones separately.

All this and add to that Google search flitting through to find the apps you want and it is pretty much what you will or might need. But Android is all about freedom and choice. Therefore there are many parallel appstores on the web that supplement the need of this choice. While some are equivalent to Google Play in functionality and add little more to the already well equipped system, some are really good and might steal Google Play’s thunder.

1. Getjar

It is the appstore to go in my opinion after Google play. Considered the largest mobile app platform with over 2 Billion downloads it is in the app game before these were called apps. The name itself signifies the old age and experience of the website. (.jar files are the mobile java applications.) There are many apps that are paid in Google Play that can be found in
Getjar for free like I found Cut the Rope.

2. AppBrain

AppBrain is another app market that is similar to Google play. In the times of Android Market it was a much superior product in keeping out the so-so apps and featuring the best in the best. Now too, it is a good search engine to find quality apps.

3. Appolicious

It is associated with Yahoo and what I like about it is its categorisation. Large number of categories are really helpful in finding the apps that are useful for a person. Also, Appolicious has both iOS apps and Android apps so it is also a good option for people who own an iProduct.

4. Mobile9–

I like the interface of Mobile9 a lot. It seems quite clutterless compared to the above two sites. Also, in my experience the apps that are mentioned in Mobile9 are different than the other sites. Maybe there review system is different or something. It too has the option to search for iOS.

5. Best App Martket (BAM)-

This is my personal favourite in them all. It is an app installed on your phone which works seamlessly by checking what apps you have and what other apps are in the same category which are better than that or by the same author. All in all, it can give an immense pleasurable and personal experience in app searching.

Special Mention-

1. Zedge

This does not contain apps but for wallpapers and ringtones, it is an awesome source resource though which you might want to look at…

2. Freapp

It shows which app has recently become free or on which there is a limited offer for some time. Not often, but sometimes it throws up a gem of an app to download.

I hope these app search engines help you find a more curated experience for your Android phones.

Tell me which one you like best.

[About the Author: This post has been written by Kunal Prakash, a graduate from IIT-Roorkee. His love for technology was at first sight and everlasting. He is currently enjoying the first stint as a professional after leaving over 20 years of schooling. You can follow him on facebook or visit his blog for his other musings. ]