List of free and open-source Android applications

Android phones, like this Nexus S, allow installation of apps from the Play Store, F-Droid store or directly via APK files.

This is an incomplete list of notable applications (apps) that run on the Android platform which meet guidelines for free software and open-source software.

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
AdAwayAd blockerYesYes
GNU GPLv3L16 / 4.1+
Adblock PlusAd blockerNoNo
GNU GPLv3L7 / 2.1+No longer maintained nor supported by Eyeo GmbH
DNS66Ad blockerYesYes
GNU GPLv3L21 / 5.0+
  1. ↑ The API column is used to describe which versions of Android each individual application is compatible with. If API column shows "5.1" then the application is compatible with Android version 5.1 or higher; "L7" or "L14" mean specific Android API versions.

Browsers

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
BraveA Chromium-based web browser with an emphasis on speed, reforming ad blocking, and preventing tracking.[1]YesYesBSD4.1+Has in-built ad blocker
ChromiumWeb browser using Blink engine.YesYes4.4+Available via the GPLv3 installer app getChromium[2] (which can be found on F-Droid).[3]
Fennec F-DroidWeb browser customizable with add-ons, uses Gecko engine.YesYes[4]MPL4.1+Same with Firefox for Android, but some proprietary code removed.
Firefox for AndroidWeb browser customizable with add-ons, uses Gecko engine.Yes
No[5]MPL4.1+Removed from F-Droid
Firefox Focus/KlarPrivacy centered browser, uses the Android system webview.Yes
Yes[6]MPL5.0+
GNU IceCatGNU Project version of Firefox browser.YesYes[7]MPL 2.04.0.3+IceCat contains features not found in mainline Firefox release and eschews all usage of proprietary components.
Orfox / Tor BrowserMozilla-based browser enhanced for use on Tor anonymity networkYesYes[8]MPL4.0.3+Available in F-Droid by activating the extra Guardian Project repository[9]

Communication

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
ConnectBotSSH, telnet, and terminal emulatorYesYesApache 2.01.5+
CSipSimpleSIP & VoIP clientYes
Yes
GPLv31.6+
JitsiVideoconferencing and instant messengerYesPendingLGPLv2.1?Android version is experimental Alpha release.
K-9 MailAdvanced email clientYes
Yes
Apache 2.02.2+Supports OpenPGP integration with OpenKeychain
LinphoneVideo SIP/VoIP clientYes
YesGPLv22.2+
SipdroidSIP/VoIP clientYes
Yes
GPLv32.0+works on 1.5
WordPressOfficial WordPress clientYesYesGPLv22.3+

Privacy/security focused

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
APGOpenPGP and key managementYes
Yes
Apache 2.01.5+OpenKeychain available as more up-to-date alternative
BriarPeer-to-peer encrypted messaging and forumsYesYesGPLv34.0+
ConversationsFederated encrypted instant messaging and group chatYesYesGPLv34.0+Interoperable with any Jabber/XMPP clients. End-to-end encryption using OMEMO, OpenPGP (and OTR for versions under 2.0 and the legacy version).
Delta ChatEmail-based instant messagingYesGPLv34.0+Compatible with the existing e-mail infrastructure. Also available for iOS.
GNU RingSoftphone and messenger utilizing DHT and strong cryptographyYes[10]Yes[11]GPLv3?
I2PAnonymizing network layer?Yes
Apache 2.02.3+Alpha release; do not rely upon it for strong anonymity. I2P also maintain their own F-Droid repo.[12]
LanternPeer-to-peer internet censorship circumventionApache 2.0
OpenKeychainOpenPGP and key managementYes
Yes
GPLv3Integrates with K-9 Mail.
OrbotClient and proxy for Tor anonymity networkYes
Yes
BSD/GPL1.6+
PsiphonClient for internet censorship circumvention systemYesYesGPLv3?
SignalEncrypted instant messaging, voice and video callingYesYesGPLv32.3+Also available for iOS. The Android client is a merger of the former TextSecure and RedPhone apps.[13] Use proprietary libraries.[14]
SurespotEncrypted instant messagingYesYes/NoGPLv3+Also available for iOS. F-Droid build is based on forked repo
TelegramClient for cloud-based messaging platformYesYes/NoGPLv22.2+Also available for iOS. F-Droid build is based on forked repo.[15] Server use closed source software.
Toxpeer-to-peer instant-messagingYesRepoGPLv3+4.0+Alpha release
TutanotaClient for end-to-end encrypted email service??GPLv3[16]?
WireEncrypted instant messaging, voice and video callingYesYesGPLv3Also available for iOS, Windows and OS X. Server use closed source software.

Emulators

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
DolphinNintendo GameCube and WiiYes
Yes
GPLv2+5.0+Requires device with support for arm64-v8a ABI and OpenGL ES 3 or above
Mupen64PlusNintendo 64 emulatorYesYesGPLv32.0+Unofficial port as Mupen64 Plus AE.
openMSXMSXYesYesGPLv2+
PPSSPPPlayStation PortableYes
YesGPLv2+2.3+
RetroArchEmulates multiple platformsYesRemovedGPLv3[17]2.3+
ScummVMEmulates multiple gaming enginesYes
Yes
GPLv21.5+
VICECommodore hardwareYes
YesGPLv2

Games

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
2048Mathematics sliding block puzzleYes YesMIT2.2+ Port of 2048
AngbandText-based roguelikeYesYesGPLv2?
Battle for WesnothTurn-based strategy game in a fantasy settingPartialYesGPLv22.3+Ported to Android with SDL
BrogueRoguelikeYesYes GPLv3?
Dungeon Crawl Stone SoupRoguelikeYes
YesGPLv2+Text-based version also available
Fish Fillets NGUnderwater puzzle game.YesYesGPLv21.6+Port of Fish Fillets NG
FreecivA turn-based strategy game similar to Sid Meier's CivilizationYesYesGPLv22.0+
Frozen BubbleKnock the bubbles down by making clusters of three or more bubbles in the same color.Yes
Yes
GPLv21.6+Port of Frozen Bubble
GLtronLightcycle racing game.Yes
Yes
GPLv22.2+Port of GLtron
H-Craft ChampionshipSciFi 3D racing game.YesYes
zlib3.2+Media is proprietary, but free for personal use.
OpenArenaFirst person shooter similar to Quake 3 (see: id Tech 3)YesYesGPLv21.6+Unofficial port by "pelya" using SDL 1.2[18]
OpenTTDBusiness simulation game similar to Transport Tycoon DeluxeYesYesGPLv21.6+pelya SDL port[18]
OpenTyrianVertical shoot 'em upYesYesGPLv21.6+pelya SDL port[18]
robotfindskittenA "Zen Simulation"Yes
Yes
GPL1.6+
Simon Tatham's Puzzle CollectionCollection of puzzle gamesYes
Yes
MIT2.1+
Ur-Quan MastersSource-port for 3DO version of Star Control II??GPLv2+,
CC by 2.0,
CC by-nc-sa 2.5[19]		?Game engine is free, but Star Control art assets are released under a Creative Commons non-commercial license.[20][19] pelya SDL port[18]
WarmuxA turn-based artillery gameYesYesGPLv22.0+

General

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
DasherAccessible text-input methodYesYesGPLv3?Also available for iOS
Google IOApp for Google IO conferenceYesYesApache 2.04.0
OpenLPWorship presentation softwareYesYesGPLv2?
ownCloudClient for synchronization serverYesYesGPLv24.0+
NextcloudClient for synchronization serverYesYesGPLv24.0+
The White HouseThe official White House appYesYesMIT2.2+

Multimedia

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
AntennaPodPodcatcherYesYesMIT2.3.3+
Kodi (formerly XBMC)Media player and centerYesYesGPLv2+Multi
NewPipeYouTube and SoundCloud ClientYesYesGPLv3+?
Popcorn TimeMedia player utilizing BitTorrent protocolYesYesGPLv3+
(AGPL exception)[21]		?In Nov. of 2015 PopcornTime.io ceased operations after court order from the MPAA issued in Canada.[22]
RingdroidRingtone makerYes
Yes
Apache 2.04.1+
RockboxMedia player??GPLv2+?
TriblerDecentralized video sharingYesYesLGPL v2.1+3.0+
Tux PaintSimple drawing program for childrenNon-freeYesGPLv2?Version on Google Play is published by a 3rd-party & contains proprietary ad libraries in violation of upstream developers' license
VLCMedia playerYes
YesGPLv2+2.1+
Wikimedia CommonsClient for free media repositoryYesYes
Apache 2.02.3+Original no longer maintained.[23] Community developed fork has attempted to revive project[24]
Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
AvareGPS aviation applicationYes
YesApache 2.02.2+
MAPS.MEOffline mapping using OpenStreetMap dataYesYesApache 2.0
Mozilla StumblerData gathering for Mozilla Location ServiceYesYesMPL22.3.3+
OsmAndOffline mapping using OpenStreetMap dataYesYesGPLv32.3+Only parts of the software are available at no cost, this cause the software to get a few arbitrary limitation as limited portion maps of openstreetmap may be loaded. There is an unlimited paid version.

Reading

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
DuckDuckGoWidget for privacy focused search engineYesYesApache 2.02.2+
FBReadere-book readerYes
Yes
GPL1.5+
iFixitOfficial iFixit readerYesYesGPLv32.2+
KiwixOffline Wikipedia readerYesYesGPLv34.0+
MuPDFPDF and XPS viewerYesYesAGPL2.2+
WikipediaAccess to WikipediaYesYesGPLv22.2+
WiktionaryClient for crowd-sourced dictionaryYesYesGPLv22.2+
XOWAOffline Wikipedia readerYesYesAGPLv34.4+

Science and Education

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
BOINCParticipate in distributed grid computing initiativesYesYesLGPL/GPLv3+[25]2.3+
Galaxy ZooClassify galaxies in crowdsourced astronomy projectYesYesGPLv33.0+
GComprisEducational activity suite for children aged 2–10YesYesGPLv3?Member project of KDE
micro:bitInteract with a micro:bit device via BluetoothYes[26]No[27]Apache 2.0[28]?Developed by Samsung.[29] Depends on proprietary Google frameworks.[27]
PressureNETCrowd-sourced barometer networkYesYesGPLv3Multi
SageMathClient for mathematical softwareYesYesGPLv32.0+
Sugar environmentOne Laptop per Child learning platformYesYesApache 2.02.3.3+Ported as Sugarizer.

Security

Application nameDescription AvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
Google PlayF-Droid
HavenMonitoring system to protect against evil maid attacksYesYes[30]GPLv34.1+Developed by Edward Snowden under the auspices of The Guardian Project, and Freedom of the Press Foundation[31]
KeePassDroidPassword managerYesYesGPLv31.5+Port of KeePass
PasswdSafePassword managerYes
Yes
Artistic License 2.01.6+
PreyAnti-theft and monitoringYesYesGPLv34.0+

Utilities

Application nameDescriptionAvailabilityLicenseAPI[lower-alpha 1]Note
APKGoogle PlayF-Droid
Barcode ScannerBarcode and QR Code readerYesYesApache 2.04.0.3+
Impress RemotePresentation remote control for LibreOffice?YesPartialMPL2[32]2.3+

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The API column is used to describe which versions of Android each individual application is compatible with. If API column shows "5.1" then the application is compatible with Android version 5.1 or higher; "L7" or "L14" mean specific Android API versions.

References

  1. ↑ "Learn About Brave and Our Team - Brave Browser". brave.com.
  2. ↑ "andDevW/getChromium". GitHub.
  3. ↑ "getChromium - F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository". f-droid.org.
  4. ↑ "Fennec F-Droid". F-Droid. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ↑ "Firefox". f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Firefox Klar". f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  7. ↑ "Firefox Klar". f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "Guardian Project Fdroid repo". guardianproject.info. Guardian Project. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "F-Droid wiki page on known repositories". f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "Ring - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com.
  11. ↑ "Ring - F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository". f-droid.org.
  12. ↑ "Index of /repo/". f-droid.i2p.io.
  13. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (2 November 2015). "Signal, the Snowden-Approved Crypto App, Comes to Android". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "FOSS gradle build flavor · Issue #6568 · WhisperSystems/Signal-Android". GitHub. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  15. ↑ "Telegram-FOSS-Team/Telegram-FOSS". GitHub.
  16. ↑ mpfau (12 August 2014). "tutanota/LICENSE.txt". github.com/tutao/tutanota. Tutao GmbH. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  17. ↑ RetroArch / COPYING. github.com. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "pelya/commandergenius". GitHub.
  19. 1 2 "COPYING". sourceforge.net/p/sc2/. The Ur-Quan Masters Git Repository. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  20. ↑ The Ur-Quan Masters licensing
  21. ↑ Popcorn Time Foundation. android / LICENSE.md. git.popcorntime.io. Retrieved 19 August 2015. Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ↑ Gardner, Eriq (3 November 2015). "MPAA Touts Big Legal Success Against Popcorn Time". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  23. ↑ Hartman, Derk-Jan WikimediaMobile Pulling the Commons app lists.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  24. ↑ "Commons mobile app". commons.wikimedia.org. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  25. ↑ Anderson, David Pope (8 August 2008). "boinc / COPYING". github.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
    Rom Walton (7 November 2015). "boinc / README.md". github.com/BOINC/boinc. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "micro:bit application page on Google Play".
  27. 1 2 "Request for adding the official BBC micro:bit application". 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  28. ↑ "License text in source code repository". Retrieved 2018-07-27.
  29. ↑ "Samsung Launches the Official BBC micro:bit App". 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
  30. ↑ "Guardian Project Official App Repository". guardianproject.info.
  31. ↑ https://freedom.press/news/introducing-haven-open-source-security-system-your-pocket/
  32. ↑ F-Droid - Impress Remote. f-droid.org. Retrieved 3 September 2015.


There are a number of third-party maintained lists of open-source Android applications, including:

  • PRISM Break, curated list of security focused open-source alternatives.
  • Droid-Break, curated list of general purpose open-source alternatives. Inspired by PRISM-break.
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