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https://github.com/lana-20/mobile-app-stores

Mobile App Stores
https://github.com/lana-20/mobile-app-stores

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Mobile App Stores

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README 

          
#  Mobile App Stores



App stores form the core of the mobile world where apps can be downloaded and reviewed. Without the app stores, smartphones wouldn’t be as intelligent

and functional as we want them to be. 



The app stores of the biggest mobile platforms — Google and Apple — contain millions of apps. Billions of app downloads have been counted. These are huge numbers that are bound to increase in the future.



 [__Google Play Store__](https://play.google.com/store/games?hl=en)

- Hosts movies and other content as well as apps, was one of the first mobile app stores.

- It opened its doors in 2008 and exclusively targets the Android market.



 [__Apple App Store__](https://www.apple.com/app-store/)

- For iOS users, the Apple Store is often the first place to look for amazing new applications. 

- According to [Lifewire](https://www.lifewire.com/how-many-apps-in-app-store-2000252), the Apple Store contains 2.1 million apps, though that number includes apps developed specifically for Apple TV and Apple Watch, among other products.



Besides the Big Two app stores from Apple and Google, there are other stores sponsored by device manufacturers and network operators. The following list is not complete but contains some other app stores for the different mobile platforms.



[__Samsung Galaxy Apps__](https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/galaxy-store/)

- Many device manufacturers have discovered that they can integrate their customers more fully under their brands by offering mobile app stores of their own.



[__KaiStore__](https://www.kaiostech.com/apps-feature-phones-everything-need-know-kaistore/)

- KaiOS has a small market share (0.08%), however, companies like Meta develop for this platform. It's an OS for button phones. 

- Despite the small share, this OS is essential enough for phones which are not yet full-blown smartphones, but are cheaper simpler button phones. 

- KaiOS has its own app store (KaiStore), from where users can download the most popular apps for this OS.



[__LG SmartWorld__](https://www.lg.com/global/lg-thinq)

- LG has a similar mobile app store, called SmartWorld, that is automatically installed on LG phones. 

- This store also offers applications that are designed for LG TVs and other devices.



[__Huawei App Store__](http://appstore.huawei.com/)

- This mobile app store is primarily targeted to the Chinese market, with most app names and descriptions written in Chinese characters. 

- Huawei is installed on many of the company’s devices and allows people in countries without access to the Play Store to download the apps they want to use.

- NOTE: US banned Huawei telecom business ☞ Google suspended EMUI/Android OS support for Huawei.



[__Sony Apps__](https://www.sony.com/apps.html)

- Like several of its competitors, the Sony Apps market is designed for people with Sony mobile devices who want to search natively on their phones or tablets without turning to Google Play. 

- It’s geared primarily toward entertainment, but you can also find plenty of brand apps that offer other functionality.



[__Amazon Appstore__](https://www.amazon.com/b?node=23972942011&ref_=cs_fdm_1000626391-23972942011)

- It’s no surprise that ecommerce giant Amazon has branched into the app space. The Amazon Appstore hosts Android apps and comes preinstalled on devices like the Fire Phone and the Kindle Fire in place of the Play Store.

- Remember that consumers take the road of least resistance to get what they want. If they already have the Amazon Appstore on their device, they’ll search for an app they want there first, before downloading another marketplace.

- When your app appears for these customers, you save them the trouble of downloading more stores to their devices, which can help not only with brand recognition but also with brand loyalty.

- Plus, consumers with any Android-powered device can download the Amazon Appstore. As we’ve seen in other areas of commerce, Amazon tends to dominate the spaces it infiltrates, so expect downloads to increase.



[__Aptoide__](https://en.aptoide.com/)

- Many Android users choose Aptoide instead of the larger mobile app stores because of the ways it displays app listings. It’s highly intuitive and easy to navigate, which makes it an appealing alternative.

- Additionally, Aptoide remains just as broad as the other mobile application stores. You can find games, productivity apps, store apps, and more. Since it isn’t niche-specific, other than catering exclusively to the Android OS, it’s a great choice for any brand with an app.



[__F-Droid__](https://f-droid.org/en/)

- Consumers who appreciate open-source software feel magnetically drawn to F-Droid, which is, as of this writing, the only Android mobile app store to offer free and open-source apps in a marketplace.

- It’s not the ideal choice for many brands because it flags any commercialized aspects of the app in the store. Additionally, the primary repository lists only apps that make their source code available.

- However, F-Droid also allows users to create their own repositories, which might include apps from brands that enable features like user tracking with no pushback from the user base. Exploring the various repositories takes time, but it’s worth the effort if you want your app available to as many people as possible.



[__GetJar__](https://www.getjar.com/)

- The GetJar interface might look a little dated, but the simplicity of its website and mobile app store makes it a popular choice for both app developers and consumers. It’s an open app store, which means that it offers apps for Android, iOS, Windows, and other OSs.

- This unique approach endears it to many consumers, especially those who own devices with different operating systems. For instance, Android phone users might have iPads or Apple TVs in their homes.

- Over the years, GetJar’s open policy has made it vulnerable to people who upload apps infected with viruses. As long as you have anti-virus software installed on your device and you investigate apps before you download, however, you should stay safe.



[__ACMarket__](https://acmarket.net/)

- Whether or not you want to host your app on ACMarket, you should be aware of this mobile app store’s existence. It’s designed specifically for cracked, hacked, or modded apps, which means that the apps found here have been altered to remove so-called “undesirable” features.

- If you’re concerned that your app appears on ACMarket, you can investigate the situation and warn your user base should the need arise.



[__SlideME__](http://slideme.org/)

- As you can see, there are lots of mobile app stores for Android, and SlideME is no exception. It’s one of the most mainstreamed alternatives to Google Play Store and hosts both free and premium apps in its listings.

- When it first launched, users complained about poor downloading and installation processes, but those quibbles have dramatically decreased. App creators can make their apps available to hundreds of thousands of users who prefer SlideME to Google Play Store.



[__Uptodown Market__](https://en.uptodown.com/mac)



- This is another Android-specific mobile app store that also hosts applications for the Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu OSs. In terms of mobile apps, it rivals Google Play in a number of apps, app descriptions, and editorial reviews.

- One of the primary unique selling propositions of Uptodown is that human beings filter all the apps submitted for listing in the marketplace, which can cut down on malware, viruses, and issues with fake descriptions.

- Uptodown only offers free apps, which might make users more likely to search for content here rather than Google Play, and it has worldwide availability. Certain countries, including China, can’t access Google Play without a workaround, so Uptodown caters beautifully to those markets.



[__Itch.io__](https://itch.io/)

- Although Itch.io caters almost exclusively to games and gamers, it’s still worth mentioning. Many brands have discovered that gamification makes their apps more appealing and more likely to be used, and incorporating gameplay into an app can make it more popular.

- The great thing about Itch.io is that it was built for both developers and consumers, so it covers both bases beautifully. The interface isn’t as intuitive as some of the other alternatives on the market, but it possesses a clarity of purpose that makes it ideal for its audience.



[__Cydia__](https://cydia.saurik.com/)

- Cydia is an alternative to Apple's App Store for "jailbroken" devices, at this time including iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches, specializing in the distribution of all that is not an "app". Cydia is not available in Apple's App Store, nor is it a website: it is installed on your device using a "jailbreaking" tool, such as [Pangu](http://en.pangu.io/) or [TaiG](https://taig-jailbreak-tools.en.lo4d.com/windows). For help with jailbreaking, see [/r/jailbreak on reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/jailbreak/).

- As mentioned above, Cydia is different from the other mobile app stores on this list. It’s designed specifically for iOS devices that have been jailbroken. Those devices can’t access apps on the Apple App Store, so consumers who purchase jailbroken phones or jailbreak their own phones often use Cydia.



[__neXva__](http://www.nexva.com/)

- Think of neXva as a mobile app stores with many different mobile app verticals that others have developed. 

- It was built specifically for developers who want to control how their content is distributed among consumers, so it’s a highly useful part of any mobile app marketing strategy.



[__Bemodi__](http://html5.oms.apps.bemobi.com/en_us/?ecid=1)

- Originally known as the Opera Mobile Store, Bemodi is browser-specific to Opera and offers mobile app downloads via the web browser rather than a self-contained app. 

- Consequently, it’s more useful to consumers who use Opera exclusively and who don’t want to load yet another app onto their devices.



[__AppBrain__](https://www.appbrain.com/)

- AppBrain is simultaneously a collection of app promotion tools and a browser-based mobile app store. 

- Brands can use AppBrain to make their apps more visible in various mobile app stores, including its own, as well as to drive more traffic to their app listings.



[__Kongregate__](https://www.kongregate.com/)

- Kongregate is one of the many mobile app stores that focuses on games and entertainment, yet has a robust selection of apps in other categories. 

- Many consumers find their way to app stores because they’re looking for games, but discover brand-associated and other useful apps along the way.



__1Mobile__

- This Android-only online app store has been around for several years and developed an almost cult-like following. 

- Although it focuses primarily on games and entertainment, it doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the types of apps it supports.



__Appolicious__

- One of the selling points of Appolicious is that this mobile app store has very strict requirements about the specific apps that make it through its gatekeepers. 

- Its goal is to provide the highest-quality free and paid apps on the marketplace, so getting your app listed here can improve visibility significantly.



__Appland__

- Appland is designed for both app launches and app downloads, which makes it an ideal part of marketing any mobile app. 

- It offers functionality for Android, Windows, and iOS.



_Why are there so many different stores?_ Especially in the Android world there is more than one app store available, such as the Amazon and Samsung stores. The answer to this question is simple: every app store provider wants tomake money out of the mobile app business!



Let’s take the Samsung store as an example. Since the launch of its Galaxy device series, Samsung has grown to become one of the biggest and most successful Android device manufacturers and has sold and continues to sell millions of devices around the world. Having its own app store preinstalled on every Samsung phone is a huge advantage because it directs potential mobile app customers straight to Samsung and away from Google. If millions of users use this store, the store generates traffic, which means it can sell ads. On top of that, app sales via the app store allow Samsung to generate additional revenues. In most of the app stores, 30% of the sale price goes to the platform provider, and the same applies to in-app purchases.



![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/70295997/213393321-138d9d45-ad9d-4f7b-a856-dc7952a69092.png)



The App Store generated over [$10 billion in revenue for developers in 2014, and $25 billion overall](https://gigazine.net/gsc_news/en/20150109-app-store-new-records-2015/).



The app industry reached [$133 billion revenue and 143 billion downloads in 2021](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-statistics/#Appdownloadkeystatistics), a 19% and 0.4% increase, respectively, on 2020. That was after the largest gains in downloads in five years in 2020, with app downloads increasing by 24%. 

This may be indicative of why there are so many different mobile app stores. If you search the Internet, you’ll certainly find even more of them.



Before a mobile team distributes an app in the biggest stores, they should think about the goals of the app. Maybe there are other stores that are better suited to their app than the big players. For example, some stores offer a better revenue share than the usual 70% (developer revenues)/30% (store provider revenues) split, or they offer better app targeting, for example, in different markets such as Africa or Asia.



Many mobile app stores have been created exclusively for the Chinese market. Although people in China and in other countries that can’t access Google Play can get mobile apps using a virtual private network, or VPN, many find it easier to use a Chinese app store instead.



If you plan to use these online mobile app stores, you’ll need to create Chinese-language versions of your app. Following are some of the most popular mobile app stores for the Chinese market:

- Tencent Myapp

- 360

- Baidu

- Oppo

- AppChina

- VIVO

- PP Assistant

- Wandoujia

- HiAPK

- Flyme

- HiMarket

- 2345

- Coolmart

- Anzhi Market

- MaoPao



[Tencent](https://android.myapp.com/) is perhaps the most well-known of these, providing its huge user base to hundreds of thousands of high-quality apps from all over the world. It’s known interchangeably as Tencent, Myapp, and Tencent Myapp.



However, many of the other app stores have consolidated over the years, and although you can still access them individually, they’re actually part of the other markets.



This is where marketing your app in online app stores gets confusing because you don’t want multiple, competing listings. When you’re researching online app stores, check to see whether the parent company owns other stores on your list. That way, you’re not doing extra work for nothing.



Most of the Chinese-market mobile app stores support Android. A few also allow iOS apps to be distributed and downloaded, as well, though most don’t support Windows phones.



However, uploading an app to one of the stores requires one thing in particular — knowledge of the store’s review and publishing process. Your app needs to fulfill the review and publishing guidelines of the various vendors and app stores; otherwise your app is very likely to be rejected.



Knowledge of the different review guidelines will allow you to better support your team while developing and releasing your app. The review and publishing guidelines of the major mobile app stores can be found on the following Web sites:

- Amazon Appstore Guidelines(https://developer.amazon.com/help/faq.html)

- Apple App Store Guidelines (https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/)

- Google Play store Guidelines (http://developer.android.com/distribute/googleplay/publish/preparing.html)

- Samsung App Store Guidelines (http://developer.samsung.com/distribute/app-submission-guide)



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[Ultimate Mobile App Stores List (2023)](https://buildfire.com/mobile-app-stores-list/)

[App Download Data (2023)](https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-statistics/)