The Google Play Store for Android and the Apple App Store for iOS are the two most popular app stores, with nearly universal coverage and a massive potential audience. Developers have found it increasingly challenging to obtain awareness for their apps on the two big stores as competition has increased.

Simultaneously, a slew of other alternative app shops has sprung up, fueled by the openness of the Android platform (which permits third-party software distribution) and the rise of the Chinese app market, where Google Play isn’t officially available but can still be found.

The Google Play Store and the Apple App Store are no longer the exclusive options for app developers and users. There is a slew of additional alternatives, and because they’re smaller than the Big Two, these platforms make apps considerably more discoverable.

If you want more app downloads and awareness, you should pay attention to mobile app shops that cater to specific niches, sectors, or markets. You want users to use your app and connect with your brand, regardless of its purpose.

If you want to reach a specialized audience, launching your app through these distinct app stores may be a good fit for your go-to-market strategy.

Knowing who an app store’s target audience is allowed developers to submit their app with confidence, knowing that there will be customers who are interested in that sort of software. An alternative app shop, for example, may specialize in a certain software genre (e.g. games, utilities, business, or one type of user segment).

Android and iOS Users:

The Android operating system has a market share of a little over 54%. For another, it’s a lot more open platform, with Samsung and LG phones as well as the Google Pixel Motorola phones using it.

Furthermore, Google Play has several constraints and restrictions that the other app stores do not, making the alternatives more enticing to some customers. Cydia, an online mobile app market for jailbroken iOS devices, is one of the exceptions.

Android App Stores List

Below we discuss the most used android app stores.

1. Google Play Store:

Google Play – Google’s first Android app store, with over 3.3 million apps, numerous categories, top charts, a parent’s guide, and more.

One of the earliest mobile app shops was Google Play, which includes movies and other content in addition to apps. It began operations in 2008 and focuses solely on the Android market. As of December 2018, the platform had 2.6 million applications.

While the Google Play Store has a powerful search engine that makes it easy for customers to locate apps, companies may discover that their apps are buried in the results. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t submit your app here; you should, but you should also look at other Android-specific app shops.

2. App Brain:

AppBrain is an online Android market browser shop that allows users to download apps straight to their phones. In 2009, Mathijs Vogelzang and the Zürich-based startup AppTornado launched the shop.

The firm has released 35 Android applications with a combined total of 50 million downloads, all of which are published by Swiss Codemonkeys. The store displays Android apps through search, categories, and rankings, as well as sections such as hot today, all-time popular, top-rated, and popularity in a specific country, which help users find Android apps more quickly – there are 1036815 apps available on the Android market at the time of writing.

3. 1Mobile:

1Mobile is a mobile app shop that offers a diverse selection of apps, games, and movies. The website caters to a variety of mobile formats, although Google’s Android version has the greatest selection of applications.

The apps are displayed in a variety of ways on the website, including a “Games of the Week” feature at the top that lists the best new apps and games that have appeared on Google Play in the previous week, an editor’s choice section where the editors list their top 50 games and apps, recent trends, and more.

The 1Mobile Market APK– the specialized 1Mobile store software for mobile devices that allows users to browse, download, and install over 60,000 apps wherever they are– is also available in a part of the website.

Before they can start publishing apps on 1Mobile, developers must first complete a normal registration process. Developers submit their app to 1Mobile for an “AppReview” after registering for an account; if the developer’s app is determined to be of sufficient quality to be published, it will appear on 1Mobile within two business days.

If the app fails to satisfy the standards, the developer will be required to reply to the comments and correct any existing issues – this is part of 1Mobile’s commitment to offering high-quality apps to its customers. The revenue split for 1Mobile is a normal 70/30 split; however, for in-app charging, a specific SDK is required.

1Mobile is positioned as an app store that aspires to be the most popular alternative for app store sales and distribution.

4. SlideME:

SlideMe is a Seattle-based alternative software shop that was launched in 2008. It acts as a marketplace (with a burgeoning community) for a range of Android apps targeted at certain demographics.

SlideMe allows developers to sell their new app globally by providing an “on-device” Application Store for device vendors and delivering the apps themselves to niche markets based on variables such as geographical location. The device is used, the payment method, and apps that users can’t find more traditionally.

In essence, SlideMe is positioned as a platform for distributing developer apps to consumers who do not have access to Google Play-enabled devices — many of these devices come preinstalled with SlideMe. They also provide unique distribution channels, have no nation limitations across various Android device kinds, and do not charge developers a startup fee.

5. Amazon App Store:

In 2011, the Amazon team created their alternative app store for Android developers, and the company’s well-known brand has helped it garner a lot of attention. The app store has a lower selection of apps than some of its competitors.

This is due in part to their moderation procedure, which must adhere to specific quality guidelines. They provide a free paid app or game every day, which may provide the app developer a lot of exposure, and customized suggestions, customer ratings, and 1-Click purchase choices make it easy for consumers to locate and install a developer’s app.

Amazon provides valuable services for app store developers, such as an app compatibility test that automatically finds difficulties for developers. A cross-platform analytics tool that analyses user engagement through active devices, sessions, and retention, the test will tell developers if their app is ready to deploy.

The business is one of the leading third-party alternative app stores, allowing developers’ programs to be distributed in over 200 countries via web and mobile store formats.

6. GetJar:

The GetJar design may appear a touch antiquated, but the website’s and mobile app store’s simplicity makes it a popular choice for both app creators and users. It’s an open app store, which means it supports Android, iOS, Windows, and other operating systems.

This distinct approach appeals to a wide range of customers, particularly those who own devices running multiple operating systems. GetJar, which is situated in California and was founded in 2004 by Ilja Laurs, has had over 2 billion applications downloaded since its start; 3 million applications are downloaded every day. In addition, the business has registered over 395,000 developers to distribute its apps.

Android, Windows Mobile, and even iOS are all supported app platforms for developers (although Android is predominant here). Users may search for a developer’s app using a range of categories, and the top and newest apps are shown on the website-home store’s page.

There is no initial fee for developers, and the prerequisites for getting an app published are modest. Developers may also target any phone or platform, allowing them a lot of freedom.

GetJar’s Offerwall system and the option of presenting App offers within an app and giving in-app discounts to re-engage existing customers or gain new ones are particularly beneficial to developers wanting to launch Android apps.

GetJar claims to have a user base of over 200 million Android users, which developers may reach via free cross-promotion and GetJar’s unique Behavioral Targeting technology. At the time of writing, they were ranked as one of the largest alternative app shops available.

7. Opera Mobile Store:

The Opera Mobile Store debuted in 2011, following the popularity of Opera Mobile, which debuted in 2000. The popular shop supports several software formats, including Android, Java, iOS, and Windows Mobile, and offers 170,000 applications and games for 6,000 distinct phone models.

The most popular programs, as well as new paid and free software that has recently been published and software that has recently been updated, are featured on the top page of the website store. Business and Finance, Games, Multimedia, Communication, and more categories are among the apps available.

The store’s wide selection of supported app formats, along with the fact that a developer’s app may be distributed in 230 countries, positions it as one of the best venues for a developer to access particular local markets – perfect for a developer who has built an app for a specific market.

8. NexVa:

NexVa is a multi-platform app store that also provides a white label solution for mobile operators, OEMs, and businesses in a variety of industries.

It also collaborates with affiliates to generate traffic through CPI and advertising solutions, as well as providing a proprietary API to allow in-app and subscription monetization of developers’ apps via mobile money transactions. Each software profile includes a description, rating, screenshots, platform support, and a place for reviews.

9. Appolicious:

Appolicious is a well-known third-party app shop that has been around since 2009. It teamed up with Yahoo in 2010 to deliver high-quality iOS software recommendations.

It controls the androidapps.com directory, which includes Android apps that are part of the same framework.

10. Kongregate:

Kongregate – the app shop is well-known for its variety of Flash-based games, and this shop continues the history of providing mobile online video games (and thus mostly cross-platform).

11. Appland:

Appland is an app store as well as an app store manager that allows you to construct your own. Uploading apps are completely free, and it will allow you to promote your apps on other developers’ shops. On operator 3 phones, it comes pre-installed.

12. Itch.io:

Itch.io is an app shop for both game creators and gamers, Itch.io is a free and paid-for independent game shop that supports all platforms.

There’s a lot to choose from, and there’s also a section for game assets, development tools, and publications.

List of App Stores for iOS:

In contrast to Google’s open Android approach, Apple Inc. has created its App Store ecosystem as a closed, regulated platform that entails having only one app store – the App Store, which has 2.2 billion iOS apps as of January 2017.

After finding them using Google / Bing search engine search, users of the app store online version may access the same library of programs that they may install via the iOS App Store app. Other distinguishing features of Apple’s iOS ecosystem include the ability to lock iOS-powered devices (iPhones and iPads) to certain cell carriers.

1. Apple App Store:

Apple Inc. established and maintains the App Store as a platform for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems.

Users may browse and download apps created with Apple’s iOS Software Development Kit from the store. The sole source of Apple’s editorial team reviewed apps for iOS operating devices such as the iPhone and iPad is Apple’s official iOS application store.

The current app approval process takes roughly a day on average. The total number of applications for iPad and iPhone combined is over 2.2 million, with over 180 billion downloads for iOS apps between July 2008 and June 2017.

2. Cydia:

Cydia is an unauthorized iOS app store that can only be accessed by those who have jailbroken their devices. The majority of applications are free, however, some are not.

Over 4.5 million people use it weekly, according to the company.

Android & IOS App Stores List (2021)