The official Android app store, Google Play, does not provide information about whether software licenses are free or not, nor does it offer the option to filter search results based on this. Nevertheless, users of open sources still have the option to bypass this issue by using the F-Droid app store, which contains only free and open source software. In this article, we will learn more about this amazing store. We have previously mentioned this store in the best 5 websites to download Android apps on the computer. For those who do not understand the meaning of free software, it is recommended to consult the Free and Open Source Software Guide for Windows and get to know more about the Gnu/Linux system. The best thing about this app is that it only contains free and open source applications, meaning that all F-DROID applications are 100% free. Additionally, many paid apps on Google Play are available for free on this app.
Features of the F-Droid Store
The unique feature of this store is that it is a completely open Android store, as the word “open” is better understood by programmers, developers, and Linux system users. Through this store, you can download many apps that are not available on Google Play Store. It contains many fantastic and free apps. The store is managed by the F-Droid organization, which is a non-profit organization. You can tell this from the fact that the store is free from any type of advertisements. Some of the most notable features include:
- All apps are open source, allowing F-Droid to provide you with the app code in addition to the download.
- The source code of all apps is reviewed by F-Droid managers to ensure security standards are met.
- Apps from the F-Droid repository respect user privacy and freedom.
- All apps, while free, are completely ad-free.
- Supports external repositories, allowing you to add your own repository to the store.
- You can download multiple versions of the same app.
- Has an easy and attractive interface.
Simple comparison with Google App Store :
There is no doubt that F-Droid is very far from being compared to Google repositories and the huge amount of apps they contain. F-Droid only contains free and open source apps. Additionally, the simple user interface of F-Droid, along with the aforementioned advantages, makes installing F-Droid on your phone a compelling choice, especially in terms of privacy and advertisements. We do not truly know what those apps are doing with our information and privacy. Most of them, even if free, ask for unnecessary permissions that sometimes make you feel foolish while trying to connect app functionality and requested permissions.
How to Download and Use F-Droid Store
In short, you can download the F-Droid store from the official website at the link and then install it on your Android device like any other app, making sure to enable the option to install external apps in your device’s security settings. You can also download apps from the F-Droid Store by directly downloading the APK apps from the website and manually installing them on your device in the known manner.
Here are some great and free apps to save time searching for the best available alternatives.
- FireFox, the famous web browser, is available for Android devices as well as for desktop.
- Lightning Browser, a modern browser that focuses on speed and lightness, priced at $1.50 in the Google Play Store and free on F-Droid.
- Tinfoil for Facebook, a Facebook client that is lightweight, ad-free, requires fewer permissions than the official app, and protects you from browser tracking when browsing Facebook.
- Twidere, a Twitter client that does not display ads, supports all platform features, and has a material design. You can also try Tweet Lanes with extended features.
- Telegram, the famous open source app, available in the store as an alternative to WhatsApp and other closed source communication apps. For voice chatting, other apps like Signal, CsipSimple, Linphone are free and use the highest encryption technologies to ensure your conversation privacy.
- VLC, the well-known media player, is also available for Android devices.
- Vanilla Music, a simple audio player with basic functions, supporting mp3, ogg, and pcm formats.
- AntennaPod, the best podcast player.
- For playing YouTube videos, you can use NewPipe or SkyTube for more features and functions.
- Writeily Pro, a great note-taking app with a material design, Markdown formatting support, password locking, and dual light and dark themes for night writing.
- Amaze File Manager, an excellent file explorer with material design, supporting a wide range of functions such as compressing and decompressing files, saving bookmarks, history, and more.
- MAPS.ME, the famous maps app with great performance, based on OpenStreetMap project and supporting offline mode.
- OwnCloud, one of the best alternatives to Dropbox, where you can host the service on a private server or subscribe to one of its providers.
