The 5 best Android apps that I use that are not in the Play Store

For most Android users, the Play Store is the only place they look for apps, and honestly, that’s how I used Android for years too. But over time, I realized that some of the most interesting Android apps are actually not available on the Play Store. Some are not listed because they violate Google policies, while others are simply too specific or developed by small open source communities that simply don’t care about Play Store distribution.

For a long time, I stuck with whatever weather app came pre-installed on my phone. It worked, sure, but it was never something I really enjoyed using. But then I came across Breezy Weather. It is a free and open source application that puts privacy at the forefront.

Unlike most conventional weather apps, Breezy Weather has no ads or unnecessary news. However, one of its biggest highlights is flexibility. It allows me to 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, making it feel perfectly at home on my Pixel 10.

What I like most is the large amount of customization it offers. From the settings menu, I can change themes, hide blocks of information that don’t interest me, 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, time trend widgets, multi-city layouts, and compact options.

Seal is one of those apps that seems too useful to be free. It’s a simple app that allows me to capture audio and video files from virtually anywhere on the Internet, which also explains why it’s not available on the Play Store.

The app is powered by yt-dlp internally, which means it supports a large number of websites and services. It’s also ridiculously easy to use; I just have to paste the audio or video link in the app and press download. Seal also gives me full control over those downloads. I can choose to save the entire video or extract only the audio. And if it’s a YouTube video, I can even download it with subtitles and a thumbnail.

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 the news of Nova Launcher slowing down development, I had been looking for alternatives like everyone else. And that search ended when my colleague Andy wrote about Kvaesisto last year.

One of my favorite things about Kvaesisto is its search-first approach. The search bar is not just for searching for applications and settings. I can use it to search for contacts, files, calendar events, and even do some calculations. I also like how the launcher keeps the home screen to a minimum and shows my most used apps in the pinned section inside the app drawer. In the same section, it even allows me to add custom shortcuts for specific things like navigating home in Maps, creating a new document in Docs, activating one of my routines, or accessing the Google Drive scanning tool.

The entire interface is based on vertical scrolling, which honestly can take a while to get used to. Swiping down opens the app drawer, while swiping up opens the widget page. Another thing that is unique about Kvaesisto is that it allows me to assign tags to applications, so I don’t have to rely only on folders to group relevant applications.

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 many appearance tweaks. Best of all, it is completely ad-free and none of the features are locked behind a paywall.

Although there is 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 an interface 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. That means I can browse freely without Google linking every search and download to my account. I’d say it’s the closest thing to a proper Play Store replacement for anyone trying Remove Google from your Android phone.

One of the features I like the most is Manual Download, which allows me to download older versions of the application. This is useful whenever I need to install a specific version of an app for one of my items. I can get it directly from the Aurora Store instead of searching for APK files on random websites.

Another useful feature is Spoof Manager, which basically allows me to spoof my phone’s model and region. So if an app I want to download is not available for 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. For those, I still have to rely on the Play Store.

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

But being privacy-focused doesn’t mean it’s lacking in features. HeliBoard has everything I really need from a keyboard app, including typing suggestions, themes, customizable layouts, and even clipboard history. At the same time, there is no excessive AI or random, gimmicky features.

The main reason I enjoy using it is the peace of mind it gives me. Since it works completely offline, I don’t have to worry about sensitive information like my passwords, messages, notes, or search queries I type from my phone.

That’s it for my list. Honestly, I could have easily added a couple more like Obtainium and Smart Dock, but I wanted to keep this focused on apps I can’t live without. If you have any favorite apps that are not on the Play Store, be sure to let us know in the comments below.