5 Best Android Apps I’ve Used That Are Not on the Play Store

For most Android users, the Play Store is the only place they look for apps, and to be honest, I’ve been using Android for years. But over time, I realized that some of the most interesting Android apps aren’t actually available in the Play Store at all. Some are not listed because they violate Google policies, while others are simply too niche or developed by small open-source communities that don’t care about Play Store distribution.

For the longest time I stuck with the pre-installed weather app on my phone. Sure, it worked, but it was never something I enjoyed using. But then, I encountered Windy Weather. It is a free and open source software that puts privacy at the forefront.

Unlike most mainstream weather apps, Breezy Weather has no ads or junk news feeds. One of its greatest points is flexibility. It lets me choose from 50 different weather data sources, so I have plenty of options, including some region-specific servers. The app looks fantastic too. It follows Google’s Material You design language, and it feels right at home on me Pixel 10.

What I love most is the sheer amount of customization it offers. From the settings menu, I can change themes, hide data blocks I don’t care about, change the icon pack, and even turn off animations to save battery. Its widgets also deserve a special mention. Breezy Weather offers 13 resizable widgets, including clock and forecast combinations, hourly trend widgets, multi-city maps, and compact options.

Seal is one of those apps that is almost too useful to be free. It’s a simple app that allows me to grab audio and video files from almost anywhere on the web – which explains why it’s not available on the Play Store.

The app is powered by yt-dlp under the hood, which means it supports a large number of websites and services. It’s also ridiculously easy to use; I just need to paste the audio or video link into the app and hit the download button. Seal also gives me full control over these downloads. I can choose to save the full video or just extract the audio. And if it’s a YouTube video, I can even upload it with subtitles and thumbnails.

Of course, it’s not an app I need every day, but it’s incredibly useful when I want to save something in a pinch.

Ever since news of Nova Launcher slowing down development, I’ve been looking for alternatives like everyone else. And when did this search end? my colleague Andy Kwaesisto wrote about last year.

One of my favorite things about Kwaesisto is its search-first approach. The search bar isn’t just for finding apps and settings. I can use it to search contacts, files, calendar events and even do some calculations. I also like that the launcher keeps the home screen minimal and shows my most used apps in a pinned section in the app drawer. In the same section, it even lets you add custom shortcuts for specific things like navigating to your home in Maps, creating a new document in Docs, launching one of my routines, or accessing Google Drive’s scan tool.

The entire interface is built around vertical scrolling, which can honestly take some getting used to. Swiping down opens the app drawer and swiping up opens the widgets page. Another unique thing about Kvaesisto is that it allows me to assign tags to apps, so I don’t just have to rely on folders to group related apps.

And of course, Kvaesitso offers all the usual customization features you’d expect from a typical Android launcher. There are customizable gestures, icon packs, widgets, and tons of appearance tweaks. Best of all, no features are locked behind a paywall and it’s completely ad-free.

While there’s no shortage of Play Store alternatives for Android, Aurora Store is easily my favorite because it doesn’t try to be different. It’s essentially a front end to the Play Store, where I can browse, download and update apps from Google Play’s huge catalog. The main advantage is that I don’t need to sign in with a Google account at all. This means I can browse freely without Google tying every search and download to my account. I’d say this is the closest thing to a proper Play Store replacement for anyone who’s tried it remove their Android phone from Google.

One feature I particularly love is Manual Download, which allows me to download older versions of software. This is very useful anytime I need to install a custom version of a program for one of my articles. Instead of searching for APK files on random websites, I can get it directly from the Aurora Store.

Another handy feature is Spoof Manager, which actually allows me to spoof my phone’s model and region. So if the app I want to download isn’t available on my device or region, I can still get it with this feature. The only real downside is that the Aurora Store doesn’t support paid apps or in-app purchases. I still have to rely on the Play Store for them.

Like most people, the keyboard is probably the app I use the most on my phone, so it’s not something I can really compromise on. I have tried popular keyboard apps it’s been years, but I keep coming back to the HeliBoard. It’s a free, open-source Android keyboard built around privacy. What I love most is that it works completely offline.

But the focus on privacy doesn’t mean it lacks features. HeliBoard has everything I need from a keyboard app, including typing suggestions, themes, customizable layouts, and even clipboard history. At the same time, there are no AI bloat or random cheat features.

The biggest reason I use it is the convenience it gives me. Since it works completely offline, I don’t have to worry about sensitive information like passwords, messages, notes, or search queries that I type when I’m away from my phone.

Here is my list. To be honest, I could have added a few more like Obtainium and Smart Dock, but I wanted to focus on the apps I absolutely couldn’t live without. If you have any favorite apps that are not in the Play Store, don’t forget to let us know in the comments below.