Skip to content

Android Apps

Communication

E-mail Clients

  • FairMail - Fully featured, open source, privacy oriented email app.
  • K-9 Mail - Open source, focused on making it easy to chew through large volumes of email. (AKA Thunderbird for Android)

Real-Time Communication

  • Element - Secure and independent communication, connected via matrix.
  • Signal - Privacy oriented messaging app.
    • Consider using Signal's hardened fork - Molly.
  • Telegram - Cross platform messaging software.
  • Telegram FOSS - This is an unofficial, FOSS-friendly fork of the original Telegram App.
  • WhatsApp - Cross platform messaging software.

Reddit Clients

  • Stealth for Reddit - Stealth is an account-free, privacy-oriented, and feature-rich Reddit client.

Files & System

File Managers

  • MiXplorer - Fast, smooth, beautiful, reliable and full-featured file manager with a simple and intuitive user interface. XDA, & Play Store IMHO: Hands down, one of the bests file explorer.
  • Solid Explorer - Solid Explorer is a file management app inspired by the old school file commander applications.
  • SD Maid - It helps you manage files and apps. It works with any Android device and any storage that is accessible.
  • SD Maid 2/SE - SD Maid SE is the successor to SD Maid. A complete rewrite, optimized for newer Android versions, with a focus on SD Maid's most popular features. GitHub

File Sync

Launchers

  • Lawnchair launcher - Based on Launcher3 from AOSP, Lawnchair has all the features of the Pixel Launcher.
  • Nova Launcher - A powerful, customizable, and versatile home screen replacement. Discord

Notes

  • Joplin - Joplin is an open source note-taking app. Capture your thoughts and securely access them from any device.
  • Obsidian Notes - Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base on top of a local folder of plain text Markdown files.
  • Standard Notes - Standard Notes is a safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work.
  • NoteSnook - Open source, end-to-end encrypted, and completely private notes app. Evernote & Standard Notes alternative.

Internet

You can use these Hosts Lists on your Android phone as well.

  • AdAway - Ad Blocker using VPN or Hosts file. Root Required for best results.
  • AdGuard - Ad Blocker using VPN. No root required.
  • Blockada - Ad Blocker using VPN. BEST for rootless devices.
  • DNS66 - Ad Blocker using VPN. No root required.

Firewalls

  • AFWall+ - Control network traffic (Requires root).
  • NetGuard - NetGuard provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet - no root required.
  • ReThink - FireWall & DNS based ad blocking and privacy protection. No root required.

VPNs

  • Mullvad - Privacy oriented, fast and easy to use VPN.
  • NordVPN - Paid VPN service.
  • Orbot: Tor for Android - Enhance your privacy and break through firewalls.
  • ProtonVPN - VPN service.
  • WireGuard - Simple yet fast and modern VPN that utilizes state-of-the-art cryptography.

Web Browsers

Check this PrivacyTests Chart for indepth comparison of browsers.

  • Brave - Privacy-focused web browser with built-in ad blocking and tracking protection.
  • Bromite - Chromium fork with ad blocking and privacy enhancements (Probably Deprecated use Cromite).
  • Cromite - Bromite fork with privacy enhancements.
  • Fenecc Fox - Firefox with proprietary bits and telemetry removed, but still connects to various Mozilla and Google services that can track users.
  • Firefox - Mozilla's official release of Firefox.
  • Firefox Klar - Privacy-oriented browser with tracking protection and content blocking (Same as FireFox Focus but with less analytics).
  • Kiwi Browser - Chromium based, with much welcome extensions and Ad blocking features.
  • Mull - Firefox hardened fork.
  • Tor Browser - Experience real private browsing without tracking, surveillance, or censorship.
  • Ungoogled Chromium - It is the Android version of Ungoogle-Chromium.

Media

Anime

  • Aniyomi - Unofficial fork of Tachiyomi for anime.
  • Tachiyomi - Free and open source manga reader for Android.
    • Mihon - Free and open source manga reader (Tachiyomi successor).
  • Saikou - Saikou is crafted based on simplistic yet state-of-the-art elegance. It is an Anilist only client. Supports Steam/Download Anime & Manga.

Photos

Music and Videos

  • PowerAMP - Music player for Android.
  • ViMusic - Seamlessly stream music from YouTube Music, with beautiful UI.
    • ViTune - ViMusic Fork with additional features.
  • VLC - FOSS cross-platform multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files.

Online Streaming

Podcasts

  • AntennaPod - AnthenaPod is open-source and you can subscribe to any RSS feed, it respects your privacy while giving you full control and supports offline listening.

Passwords And Security

Passwords Managers

  • 1Password - Cross-platform password manager.
  • Bitwarden - Cross-platform password manager. (With paid subscription - can be used for 2FA too)

2FA and TOTP

  • Aegis - Free, secure and open source 2FA app.
  • andOTP - Open source two-factor authentication.
  • Authenticator Pro - Free and open source 2FA app with support for Wear OS.

Privacy & Security Tools

  • URLCheck - Intercepts clicked links to analyze them before opening in browser. Can clean URLs, skip redirects, and supports customizable filter lists.

ETC.

Keyboards

MODs and Tools

  • Franco Kernel Manager - FKM it's a complete toolbox for all devices with a rich feature set aimed for ease of use to supercharge your kernel!
  • KDE Connect - A project that enables all your devices to communicate with each other.
  • Tasker - Paid app - Total automation for Android. IMHO - totally worth it.
  • MicroG - Google Play-Services alternative.
  • Island - Sandbox environment to clone selected apps and isolate them from accessing your personal data outside the sandbox.
  • Insular - Fork of Island with removed proprietary Google Play libraries.
  • Scrcpy - Display and control your Android device On your computer.

Shizuku Apps

Shizuku allows apps to use system-level APIs directly with ADB privileges without requiring root access, keeping your device secure while granting advanced control.

  • Shizuku - Core service granting ADB privileges to other apps.
  • Canta - App uninstaller using Shizuku.
  • App Ops - Advanced permission manager.
  • aShell you - Local ADB shell.
  • Hail - App freezer/hider.
  • LogFox - Logcat reader.
  • InstallX Revived - Advanced package installer utilizing Shizuku.

Alt. Apk Sources

ROMs

  • GrapheneOS - Android-based, security-hardened, privacy focused, free and open-source, mobile operating system for selected smartphones.
  • LineageOS - A free and open-source operating system for various devices, based on the Android mobile platform.
  • Honorable Mentions: ArrowOS, CorvusOS ,DotOS, EvolutionX, POSP, Paranoid Android, Pixel Experience, SSOS, Syberia.