Google even seems to support these companies by torturing us with ads pointing to those useless, slow and obtrusive applications, which a normal person wouldn't even touch with a ten-foot pole.
Even though these apps wreck the charts on the Play Store, good and genuine software still exists; only that it's hidden deep underneath the mainstream trash Google has to offer, so their ad revenue can go kablooey once again.
If you're looking for good and genuine Android apps, you've come to the right place. Whether you're trying to find an alternative or looking for apps to get that shiny new phone up and running, there's everything you'll ever need on your phone.
Bold-italic apps represent free apps that may have in-app purchases for unlocking additional functionality or removing ads (that have to stay non-obtrusive, which means no pop-ups or offers!)
Bold-underline apps represent paid apps that, again, have no ads at all.
Launchers (home screen apps)
Talking about launchers, this is the stuff that takes the biggest part of the Play Store: amazing and breathtaking boost 3D launchers with data saving and built-in sweet selfie enhancers seem to be everywhere.
If you want a free and good launcher, you should look at:
Nova Launcher
If you spent some time sailing the Android boat (at least back in the ICS/JB days), you'll be aware that you simply can't find a better launcher than Nova; it's the Swiss Army Knife of launchers. Nova has tons of options, supports (almost) every icon pack and will never, EVER show you an ad. The free version lacks some features (like icon size adjusting, icon hiding, etc.) but it's worth giving 6$ for the full version; if you want the best launcher on the block, get Nova. Now.
ADW.Launcher One
ADW was kickass back when Gingerbread was the king, as it came preloaded in basically every CM7 ROM out there. It was great back then. However, I haven't used it since then, so you should check it out for yourself. Don't download version two; it seems to have ads and in-app purchases...
Holo Launcher
Now, I've used Holo (not Hola, be careful) back when I ran CM12 on the Galaxy S II, and it pretty much succeeded at replicating the stock Android launcher (Launcher2) almost every time. However, it lacks behind the competition right now and is a bit outdated (as of November 2017, it still declares itself as a Marshmallow launcher...) but is worth checking out if you need a launcher which can use that cute icon pack you found on the Interwebz.The Play Store does say this app has ads; it doesn't! There is a link to the Plus version in the Play Store, which Google interprets as an ad.
Music
Regarding the music players, first there the quirky ones; foobar2000, AIMP etc. but the really good ones are:
Shuttle
Shuttle is awesome. I've been using it for a few years right now, and it never disappointed. It works just like the stock Android player, but is a lot more appealing and easier to use. It can even use its own equalizer! (Depends on the device, it mostly works) The free version lacks some customization colors and a folder column for managing your music using filesystem folders. The Plus version costs a dollar, and is totally worth it. It's even open source now!
Phonograph
Now, Phonograph is a similar approach as Shuttle is; it's a minimal music player that plays music files. Even though it also looks cool and works almost identically as Shuttle, I've got used to Shuttle and really wouldn't go away from it.
File management
ES File Explorer is a prime example of the syndrome that the Play Store seems to suffer from; a great file manager that was bought by a big software company and turned into spyware/malware/whateveryouwant-ware.
Total Commander
While it is a veeeeery powerful tool, Total Commander is not for everyone; its clunky interface (that actually requires a bit of logic) will probably leave you confused. But after getting used to it, and obviously, catching up with it, it's a brilliant file manager, with plugins, too; these will allow you file transfering over SMB, WebDAV, FTP and so on, and what's great is that it has no ads! Again, the Play Store claims that is does have ads, but it doesn't. There is a link to the plugin downloads which is automatically (mis)interpreted as an ad by the Play Store.
OI File Manager
OI File Manager is another app that was integrated into CM7. It's far more easier to use and simpler than Total Commander (while still keeping the principle of a simple and powerful file manager) and doesn't take up tens of megabytes of space; it's still getting frequent updates by the developer, too.
Video playback
MX Player is a good video player, but it contains ads, so it doesn't qualify here.
VLC Player
VLC is absolutely the most popular third-party player you can get for the PC; it supports almost all video formats that are out there. No ads here, either. It even has an equalizer :)
Kodi
Kodi isn't precisely just a video player; it's a media center app that offers you much, much more than a "classic" video player can. It has a bunch of add-ons that allow you to watch content from YouTube or listen your music on SoundCloud; while these add-ons aren't 100% noob-proof, they definitely work. Kodi is also open-source: no ads here either!
Photography/photo management
QuickPic was a great app in 2015., but was acquired by Cheetah Mobile. Stay away from it!
As always, you can use the official Google Photos app, but you may want to look at...
Camera Roll - Gallery by Lukas Koller
This app is nothing else but a simple gallery app that looks clean and works beautifully. No ads, as always.
Simple Gallery
Same stuff here... no ads!
Open Camera
A very big spectre of options? Check. Light and fast? Check. No ads? Check. Open source? Check.
Open Camera is very powerful. It literally has a crapload of options. If you ever wanted to take full control of your camera, you should give this one a try.
Simple Camera
In the other hand, if you want a simple camera that does basic picture shooting, this is the app you should check out.
Prisma
Prisma is an app that turns your photographs into artwork; this means it's definitely not for finishing up that selfie you took for Instagram, but it yields some pretty great results when properly used. No ads, yeah!
If you do want an editor with more options and filters, check out Snapseed, Aviary or Photoshop Express; all three have no ads and are pretty powerful.
Productivity
This category contains programs like text editors and productivity applications.
Monospace
This app isn't exactly like plain old Notepad is; it does behave a bit different, regarding the file/folder organizing. Other than that, it's just an app that allows you to write stuff. It's unclear what the Pro version has to offer; there is an option for purchase.
Material Notes by Maubis App
Material Notes is just what it claims to be; a notes app that complies to the Material Design. Ad-free :)
A honorable mention is OneNote; you'll need a Microsoft account to use it. Google Keep is also a great mention, but it's separated from the rest (together with OneNote) due to relying on cloud storage.
For Office documents, it's a matter of opinion. You can use Word, Excel and PowerPoint (without an MS account) or Docs, Sheets and Slides (if you prefer the Google ecosystem). Other office suites are mostly ad-infested crap.
For PDF viewing, I recommend that you download Google's own PDF viewer. It's small and fast, and does PDF files like a boss.
Widgets
If you want a clock/weather widget, try Chronus or DashClock. While Chronus has in-app purchases, it has a lot more options than DashClock has; the latter is, however, capable of using extensions, which you can easily find on the Play Store. Both are ad-free!
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| Chronus |
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| DashClock |
4Note: Sticky Notes Reminder
Simple, small and useful. It does sticky notes like a boss.
Business Calendar 2
This widget is a good calendar app too; most importantly, it offers various widget themes.
You can also check out a similar app, Simple Calendar.
Wallpapers
You can use the official Wallpapers app by Google, or...
Backdrops
Now, I'll cheat a bit here, as Backdrops does have ads; nevertheless, it's a really great app, with thousands of high quality wallpapers for everyone, provided by the developer and the community. For $0.99, you can get rid of ads and unlock a Premium category.
Tapet
Tapet is an interesting concept; instead of using prerendered image files, it generates wallpapers using its own algorithms. The free version has a limited number of patterns, but is ad-free and you should definitely get the Pro version; possibilities are endless.
Lastly, games
Games are the most interesting part of the Play Store. There are only three good ones I've found that are ad-free and won't make you addicted.
Solitaire: Decked Out
This is the perfect Solitaire game. It's free, ad-free, looks really cute, performs cute and has some handy features (like hints and tap to move) so you should definitely check it out.
2048 by tpcstld
It's just 2048. And it's ad-free.
Breakout by Clayton Industries
Not a perfect Arkanoid clone, but definitely a time-killer. This app has no ads, but asks for phone permission; don't allow it!
OpenArena
If you're willing to get over its weird controls, OpenArena is a good gem on Android; it's a Quake3 clone. What's really great is that it's open source.
SuperTux
The popular Super Mario clone is now available on Android. Not a truly bug-free experience, but good overall.
You might wonder. where are the icon packs? Top 5 icon packs you should get coming soon!
-sys
OdgovoriIzbrišiVery useful and interesting:)