Best APK Download Sites for Android Apps [Free & Safe]

Occasionally, an Android app you’d like to use is not available in the Google Play Store. It could be geo-blocked, it could feature adult content, or it could have been removed by the developer.

However, even if you can’t get an app through conventional means, there are workarounds. To sideload the APK, you’ll need a copy of the APK file.

APK files can be downloaded from a variety of websites. If you’re looking for the finest places to download APKs securely, keep reading to learn about the best of the best.

The Importance of Choosing a Safe APK Site

An APK file (short for Android Package Kit) is the primary way Android apps are distributed and installed. When you download an app from Google Play, you’re downloading and running an APK file in the background, but you have no access to the APK itself.

Because the APK files install software on your system, they constitute a major security risk. Using the APK as a Trojan horse to install and run malware could be done by someone with malevolent intentions. This means that a trustworthy website is essential. All APKs should be thoroughly vetted by it, and they should have a track record of safety and trustworthiness.

1. APKMirror

If you’re looking to download an APK for your Android device, go no further than APKMirror.Since Android Police, a popular news site for Android users, is run by the same people who own and administer this site, your trust in them should be warranted.When it comes to security, APKMirror has a number of well-defined policies in place:Before they are published, all APKs uploaded to the site are checked by the staff.

To compare new software versions with older ones, the site uses cryptographic signatures (to ensure the true developers signed them).To ensure that new apps are legitimate, they are compared to other apps from the same developer.APKMirror will not publish an APK file if it cannot validate its authenticity. Therefore, no modified APKs, pirated programs, or paid apps are available on this site. There are links to older versions of the apps, as well as information gleaned from Google Play and a list of related apps, for each of them. When a Google Play app you installed through APKMirror gets an update, it will immediately upgrade to the new version.

2. APKPure

APKMirror’s most mainstream rival is APKPure. Around the same time, both of these websites went up. APKmirror and our APK downloader adhere to stringent security procedures in order to ensure that the APKs you save are virus-free.

What makes APKPure safe? The site uses SHA1 to check that the certificate is safe before publishing any apps. There must be a match between cryptographic signatures for new versions of apps that have been released, and new software from the same developer must also be matched.

This time around, if APKPure is unsure as to the app’s safety or provenance, it won’t feature it on the site. APKPure does not have any modified APKs. APKPure’s site usability is enhanced by the fact that Google provides screenshots, app descriptions, and basic metadata.

If you wish to go back to a prior version of the program, you can find a history of its releases (either due to features or bugs.)

APKPure also has an Android app available. You need to sideload the app to install it, but once it’s up and running, it can act as a replacement for Google Play.

3. APK Downloader

We really like APKMirror and APKPure. In truth, you shouldn’t ever really have a reason to go to a different site. But let’s err on the side of caution and quickly introduce you to a few other options.

First up is APK Downloader. All the APKs are pulled from the Google Play Store so that you can be confident in their security and safety. As with the other sites on this list, there’s also plenty of metadata, meaning you can avoid Google Play entirely if you wish.

4. Aptoide

Aptoide is another giant in the APK downloading world; it has more than 200 million users and has been responsible for six billion downloads. Like APKPure, the site offers an Android APK app that lets you access the store and download APK files directly from your Android device.

In addition, it was a pioneer in the adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrency. Allowing developers to enhance their share of revenue is just one of the many uses of the site’s currency, dubbed AppCoins.

Aptoide should be higher on this list, but it isn’t. This is due to the fact that altered APKs can be uploaded to the platform because it gives users control over their own stores. If you’re not paying attention, you may download one by accident. They are clearly marked.

Yalp Store is unlike the other apps on this site—there’s no web version. Instead, you need to install the app from F-Droid, which itself is one of the best alternatives to Google Play.

Once the Yalp Store app is installed on your Android device, you can use it to download APKs directly from the Google Play Store. It means you don’t need to worry about any middlemen injecting malware into the APKs before you get hold of them.

If you have rooted your device, Yalp Store can even update apps in the background without any input from you. Best of all, you don’t need to have a Google account to download the APKs from Google Play. It will please many people who are wary of Google’s privacy practices.

5. APKMonk

One of the most popular APK download sites is APKMonk. The site’s homepage features the most popular games, with a major emphasis on mobile gaming apps. APKMonk is secure to use, according to us. All prior versions of an app, as well as metadata and photos from the Google Play Store’s initial listing, can be accessed by clicking on a listing. Malware checks are performed by the site before allowing an app to access its services.

APKMonk can also be used to download non-APK files. They’ve been divided up once again into categories based on how well they’ve been received and what’s now trending.