Where to upload apps in 2024?

Publication date: 30 Oct 2024

The mobile application market is one of the fastest growing industries in the media content niche. Major players are constantly researching competitors and consumers, studying trends and user needs to create the most useful and versatile product that can satisfy the majority of requests.  Which store should be chosen to upload applications? 3S.INFO has a selection of the most popular stores: audience, accessibility from different devices and GEOs, advantages and difficulties of moderation.

What are the differences between stores based on global brands?

Google Play (Android Market) is one of the most famous and leading international services for installing and downloading applications and media content. Google Play was officially launched on March 6, 2012. The release of this software helped developers to unite Android Market, Google Music, Google Books, Google Drive and Google Photos services into a complete media infrastructure and fully integrate them with each other. In addition to applications, the store allows users to purchase any media content that suits their interests: games, music, movies, etc. The platform is designed for devices running Android, its derivatives and Chrome OS (both web and app versions are available). The store offers users more than 2,206,873 different offers, with a large pool of selection criteria (categories, ratings, user reviews, etc.) that are automatically updated with the new version.  All media content undergoes multiple levels of verification to protect buyers from the potential threat of downloading dangerous software.

By 2024, the exact number of Google Play users may vary. Recent estimates put the number of active Google Play users at more than 2.5 billion.

Google Play is available to users in more than 190 countries, but there are a number of regions where the service is completely restricted (Cuba, Iran, China, and the DPRK) or there are restrictions on the use of certain content (depending on local laws). In 2022, restrictions were also introduced for Russia and Belarus, and some apps were removed from the store. New users may also encounter some difficulties when purchasing paid applications.

The platform itself is faithful to the placement of applications related to gambling. Both paid and free applications are available for the user to download. At the same time, it should be noted that the availability and types of games may vary from region to region, as some countries may have restrictions on gambling, so it is wise to check local laws before downloading.

Appstore is one of the most popular and global app stores developed and maintained by Apple for iOS and iPadOS mobile devices. The store features more than 2 million applications for iPhone and iPod Touch and about 725 thousand for iPad. At the same time, the store management does not disclose exact figures on the number of users. However, it is known that applications are downloaded and reinstalled over 1.5 billion times a week.

For Russian users there are a number of restrictions in the use of the store from 2022. Many applications of domestic developers have been removed, but the ability to buy applications and pay for subscriptions (from the account of an MTS or Beeline mobile phone) is preserved. 

The store is quite loyal to the presence of gambling. Blocking may occur only in localized regions, based on local laws.

Samsung Galaxy Store is an application store pre-installed on Samsung devices. As of 2019, the software offers its website and an official Android app. Exclusive themes, apps, and games are available here for Samsung users (the store works with the help of a Samsung account holder’s account).  The platform uses an AI behavioral analysis tool to provide app recommendations based on the user’s interests. What sets the Galaxy Store apart is the availability of app recommendations based on holidays, seasons and events throughout the year.

The platform itself is quite popular, which is due to the still large number of consumers of the products represented by the Samsung brand.  If we rely on the statistics provided by Mediascope, the audience of the store is about 21.3 million people per month. 

For citizens of the Russian Federation from March 2022 there is a restriction on the purchase of applications in the store, but still retains the ability to update previously installed applications and download some free applications. 

Various categories of apps in the gambling niche are also available for download on the platform, with the ability to make in-app purchases within the app itself.

Amazon Appstore is an app store from Amazon that offers more than 534,026 free and paid apps, is available in approximately 200 regions around the world, and has more than 200 million monthly users.

It is arguably one of the best alternatives to the Google Play Store. The Amazon App Store does not have its own web version, so you can only use it with an Android app. Developers can register for a free account before uploading their apps. The system is accessible through an email address after registration. All apps are categorized, and the clear and stylish interface will greatly speed up the search and installation time.  

Amazon AppStore offers its users some interesting bonuses: 

• You can download one paid app for free every day. 
• There is also the possibility to earn Amazon Coins, with which you can get a bonus of up to 20% on various purchases in the store.

In addition, the Amazon Appstore is compatible with all Amazon Fire devices such as Kindle, Fire Tablet, and Fire Phone, as well as Android devices (Android 5.0 or later) or Windows 11.

From March 2022, the store has also introduced a number of restrictions for RF users, and the Amazon Appstore app for Windows 11 will no longer be supported after March 5, 2025.

The store can also please users with a wide range of paid and free applications in the casino niche with good installation rates.

Huawei AppGallery was previously known as an app store for Huawei and Honor devices and was popular mainly in regions where these brands were monopolies in the market. Currently, the situation has changed significantly, and now the store is available for all Android devices and in all regions, and the number of users of the company itself will exceed 900 million people by 2024. The store can offer the user more than 1.3 million applications (app and web version of the product) and a large pool of additional options, the most important of which are

• The presence of parental controls;
• An intelligent search that displays the most interesting applications based on an analysis of the user’s preferences;
• Four stages of app verification before uploading apps to the store; 
• Search for applications by interests, categories and recommendations.

Registration in the store is not mandatory, but its presence gives certain bonuses for further use. The service has no restrictions for users from the Russian Federation. You can pay (via phone number) and download applications without any problems. In addition, the platform offers a wide range of games and has no restrictions for the gambling niche, depending on the legislation of the region (when changing the GEO in the settings, the restriction may change).

Xiaomi GetApps is an app store from Xiaomi where users can select and purchase Android apps. The software is available to work from any Android device (app only), but app developers recommend connecting to Xiaomi mobile services for faster and more convenient use. There’s an active user base of over 100 million people. 

The store is fairly standard in terms of interface and features. There are available to the user:

• Organization of applications by categories, including games of chance are available;
• Ranking of applications by popularity and number of downloads;
• Detailed description of each application;
• Possibility to download free and paid applications;
• View the list of recently downloaded applications.

The store has no restrictions for RF users using Android. There is also no information about restrictions in other regions, except for regions with local legal restrictions.

What independent open source or APK app stores are there?

F-Droid is a free and open source software (FOSS) catalog for Android. It is designed for those who prefer open source applications. This option is its main difference and advantage over the Play Store. The store has a fairly simple and intuitive interface, as well as many categories for its apps, which allows the user to quickly and easily find any app for their request. F-Droid provides its official app for download and a web interface.

The exact number of F-Droid users is not easy to determine as it is an open source project and does not track installations. However, according to SimilarWeb, the number of active F-Droid users can reach over 3 million in a month. 

The platform doesn’t have such a large selection of games, but they can be downloaded or uploaded. This is also an advantage, as competition among game developers in the gambling industry is minimal.

APKMirror is not a store in the traditional sense, but it is a popular site for downloading APK files of applications. It is suitable for downloading applications or updates that may not be available in the official store in certain countries. APKMirror also has a collection of APK files for older versions of Google applications. APKMirror allows you to share the selected app with other users just like any other file. The APKMirror team manually moderates every APK file before it is published on the platform to ensure that all files are malware-free, safe to download and use. At the same time, they are completely free to download in any country. 

APKMirror has no restrictions by region, which makes it a top choice among users, as it gives the opportunity to manually download any files and applications, even if they are banned in any GEO (when using the Android OS). 

The popularity of the resource – about 30 million visits for the last month (according to Semrush.com). The platform presents a large number of different categories of applications in the gambling niche for different GEOs and product versions in free access for download. 

Aptoide is an independent Android app store (runs on all Android devices and has its own web version and app) that allows users to create their own stores and download apps. The store has no regional restrictions, making it one of the most universal software for users from different countries. In addition, Aptoide offers a large number of free paid apps and the ability to use AppCoins as an internal currency to pay for apps.  

The store also has an excellent malware detection system to ensure that safe apps are downloaded to your device. 

According to its creators, Aptoide boasts the following statistics: over 300 million users, 7 billion downloads, and one million apps over the lifetime of the store. As of June 6, 2024, Aptoide is available for use on iOS for EU users.

Despite its popularity, not many relevant gaming options are found for the search query “casino”, but there are apps with a fairly high install rate. 

One of the oldest and most popular app stores is GetJar. The official mobile app and the web version of the store are available to the user. The store itself offers the possibility to download apps for free. This attracts a large number of developers and consumers to the platform. GetJar supports apps for Android, Java-based Symbian Mobile, as well as iOS and Windows.

The software provides an older download standard for the latest Android devices. Developers claim there are up to 3 million downloads per day on the platform. However, with such open access to users, the applications are updated rather infrequently.

GetJar has many categories of applications, including those in the gambling niche, which are divided into sections and have additional recommendations by interests. For the Russian user there are no restrictions on using the store itself, as well as on downloading and availability of content.

QooApp is an application store that offers a fairly wide base of games and applications aimed at Asian markets. It’s a great way to find and download games that are banned or restricted on Google Play or the Apple App Store, especially those that are popular in Japan, China and Korea.  The platform offers a fairly diverse selection of Asian games and apps, an intuitive interface, stable app updates, and the release of new features. 

In addition, the store offers its users the opportunity to become part of the community, interact with other users, view reviews and leave comments. 

Despite its gaming focus, the store does not include any games related to the gambling industry.

AppBrain is a fairly classic and standard app store that has an app and a web version of the product. To download apps from AppBrain, you need to register. According to Google, the app has been downloaded and installed more than 5 million times.  The store also features premium apps that are free for a limited time. The store provides users with a wide selection of casino niche apps, sorted by category, reviews and ratings.

TapTap is not just a store, but a global portal for sharing mobile games. With this platform, users can find and download games that are not normally available in traditional app stores such as Google Play. The store specializes in the gaming market in the segment of Asian regions. The platform has no restrictions. Playing and downloading is unlimited, there is its own community and interface in several languages. The application has more than 10 million active users, has no bans and is completely safe to install and use in all countries of the world. 

Top 3 applications for the Russian market

RuMarket is a Russian Android app store (available in the web version, the app is still in development), which was launched not so long ago, in April 2022, by Anatoly Smorgonsky (CEO of Gett in Russia). The purpose of this platform is to provide a quality alternative to foreign analogues for fast and secure app installation. The store is constantly updating its assortment and adding a number of applications fully oriented to domestic users.  

There are 13 thousand applications available in the store, which can be installed for free, without registration and entering additional identification data, which greatly simplifies their use. Currently, the store’s audience is more than 20 million people. The user has at his disposal a well-arranged catalog of applications sorted by categories and ratings. 

NashStore is completely similar to the previous software in its purpose and main functions. The store was developed by ANO Digital Platforms and launched in May 2022. Developers position their product as a reliable and resistant to possible sanctions and blockages platform. Users were given back the opportunity to make a full cycle of application use (download, installation, update) and make purchases using the domestic payment system “Mir”. The store is now live for Android users, but there are plans for its imminent release for the AppStore as well. In 2024, NashStore was downloaded and installed more than 1.3 million times, and the store’s audience exceeded 657 thousand people.

All applications in the store fully comply with the requirements of the Russian legislation and undergo more than 40 security checks before downloading. You can install the application by downloading the APK file.

RuStore is another young but ambitious platform for installing applications on Android. The store was launched in 2022 (you can use the app and the web version), but already has its mark in terms of app installs about 140 million times. Suitable for downloading apps that may not be available in the official store. The VK store is developed by VK in cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Media of the Russian Federation. The application can be installed using an APK file. When registering, the store can use data from VKontakte or Sber ID.

The platform offers slightly more features than NashStore. For example, the application card contains not only the rating and review, but also user comments with reviews. 

In general, each store from the 3SNET list fights for its visitors, expanding both the functionality of the store and adding a number of applications for any interest. The choice of a store to upload an application depends on vertical restrictions and the difficulty of passing moderation.