arunkc
Novice
The Play store is full of garbage where even basic apps have a ton of ads or even malware, one of the best things that Android has is the support for FOSS apps, free, open source, no shady malware or ads, just apps that do exactly what is on the tin. I've compiled a list but open to your suggestions too!
These are all open source, the code is available to analyse and extremely safe. I would recommend installing the first one and search the apps but have also provided github links to the rest.
1: Droid-Ify : This is the place to start, it is like a Play Store alternative but for FOSS apps, lets you install and update apps from github repos and even search the popular ones, recommended for sure!
https://github.com/Droid-ify/client You can build the source or just download the APK from their releases page https://github.com/Droid-ify/client/releases
2: Mindful : Wellbeing app made by an Indian dev, stops you from mindlessly scrolling youtube shorts and insta reels after a time limit, no ads, no nonsense just pure functionality and a gorgeous UI design! https://github.com/akaMrNagar/Mindful app is available on the play store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mindful.android
3: OuterTune : Material Design 3 based Youtube Music alternative, no ads, lyrics work, great smooth interface and just all around fantastic https://github.com/DD3Boh/OuterTune
4: Aegis : 2 Factor Authentication app similar to Authy / Google Authenticator, save your 2fa codes but also securely export them and restore if you switch phones, honestly a must have imo https://getaegis.app/
5: Aves : Really fast gallery app that has built in video player https://github.com/deckerst/aves
6. Seal : Fantastic app to download videos from fb / insta / reddit / etc https://github.com/JunkFood02/Seal
7. NewPipe : Alternative to YouTube, no ads https://newpipe.net/
8. MJ PDF : Fast free foss pdf reader so you dont need that shitty adobe bloat just to open a bloody pdf doc! https://gitlab.com/mudlej_android/mj_pdf_reader
9: TrackerControl : Lets you block apps from sending receiving tracking data, also ads blocked, very robust but takes a long time to configure https://trackercontrol.org/
10: Unchained : Real Debrid client, for downloading or streaming your RD content https://github.com/LivingWithHippos/unchained-android
11: Tasks.org : Task List with widget support, can use Dav5x to sync to Next cloud for great note syncing https://tasks.org/
Please add yours too!
These are all open source, the code is available to analyse and extremely safe. I would recommend installing the first one and search the apps but have also provided github links to the rest.
1: Droid-Ify : This is the place to start, it is like a Play Store alternative but for FOSS apps, lets you install and update apps from github repos and even search the popular ones, recommended for sure!
https://github.com/Droid-ify/client You can build the source or just download the APK from their releases page https://github.com/Droid-ify/client/releases
2: Mindful : Wellbeing app made by an Indian dev, stops you from mindlessly scrolling youtube shorts and insta reels after a time limit, no ads, no nonsense just pure functionality and a gorgeous UI design! https://github.com/akaMrNagar/Mindful app is available on the play store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mindful.android
3: OuterTune : Material Design 3 based Youtube Music alternative, no ads, lyrics work, great smooth interface and just all around fantastic https://github.com/DD3Boh/OuterTune
4: Aegis : 2 Factor Authentication app similar to Authy / Google Authenticator, save your 2fa codes but also securely export them and restore if you switch phones, honestly a must have imo https://getaegis.app/
5: Aves : Really fast gallery app that has built in video player https://github.com/deckerst/aves
6. Seal : Fantastic app to download videos from fb / insta / reddit / etc https://github.com/JunkFood02/Seal
7. NewPipe : Alternative to YouTube, no ads https://newpipe.net/
8. MJ PDF : Fast free foss pdf reader so you dont need that shitty adobe bloat just to open a bloody pdf doc! https://gitlab.com/mudlej_android/mj_pdf_reader
9: TrackerControl : Lets you block apps from sending receiving tracking data, also ads blocked, very robust but takes a long time to configure https://trackercontrol.org/
10: Unchained : Real Debrid client, for downloading or streaming your RD content https://github.com/LivingWithHippos/unchained-android
11: Tasks.org : Task List with widget support, can use Dav5x to sync to Next cloud for great note syncing https://tasks.org/
Please add yours too!
