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Best Free Android Apps

Best Free Android Apps - Page Index
 
What's New

New and Updated Apps:


ZArchiver

 


iStunt 2

 


TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security

 


Critical Strike Portable

 


SoulCraft - Action RPG Game

 


4 Pics 1 Word

 


Google Currents

 


My Piano

 


Magic Piano

 


Angry Birds Rio

 
Other Language?
  Read this article in Chinese
 
How To Use This List

This is a multi-page article. To quickly find what you want, either:

  1. Check out the Page Index above, or
  2. View everything as one huge page by clicking here .
 
Introduction

Android AppsAndroid apps (short for applications) are mobile software designed for running on the Android operating system, which is one of the most popular platforms used in cellphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

Since Android was introduced, more than 700,000 Android apps have been developed and most of them are available for download from Google Play—the online store hosted by Google—but not all are free. To help you get the best of the free ones, we have selected some gems in each category and added them here in a convenient list with clear and brief descriptions of each application item.

Like the apps and want to give them a try? Search them by tapping the default Play Store app, or use one of the following ways to install the apps on your mobile device, quick and easy.

Quick Access to Android apps on Google Play:

  • Hover over or tap the app icons and scan the QR Code images on the list with your device’s barcode scanner; Or
  • Click or tap the program titles on this Android app list in your PC's or Android's browser, then install the apps from Google Play.
 
Summary

This list of Best Free Android Apps now includes 215 apps in 118 categories. To read brief descriptions of the applications, click a page number or a category icon below.

  • Page 1. What's New / Summary
  • Page 2. Home and Office
    Best Free Office Suite for Android - Kingsoft Office (Free) | Documents To Go | Google Drive
    Best Free PDF Reader for Android - Adobe Reader
    Best Free E-Book Reader for Android - FBReader | Moon+ Reader | Cool Reader
    Best Free Comic Book Reader for Android - Perfect Viewer | A Comic Viewer
    Best Free Calendar for Android - Jorte | Calendar Pad
    Best Free Timer and Alarm Clock for Android - StopWatch & Timer | AlarmDroid | Alarm Clock for Android
    Best Free Notepad and Notebook for Android - Evernote | Springpad | Catch Notes
    Best Free Reminder / To-do List for Android - ColorNote Notepad Notes | Remember The Milk
    Best Free Personal Finance for Android - Financisto - Expense Manager | Expense Manager | Personal Finance
    Best Free Dictionary and Thesaurus for Android - Dictionary - Merriam-Webster | Arcus Dictionary | Dictionary.com
    Best Free Encyclopedia for Android - Wikipedia | Wikidroid for Wikipedia
    Best Free Genealogy or Family Tree for Android - Ancestry
    Best Free Translator for Android - Google Translate
    Best Free Calculator for Android - Mobi Calculator FREE | RealCalc Scientific Calculator | handyCalc Calculator
    Best Free Unit and Currency Converter for Android - Unit Converter | Exchange Rates
    Best Free Compass for Android - Compass
    Best Free Flashlight for Android - Tiny Flashlight + LED
  • Page 3. Image Tools
    Best Free Image Viewer for Android - QuickPic | JustPictures!
    Best Free Image Editor for Android - Snapseed | Photoshop Express | PicSay - Photo Editor | Pixlr-o-matic | PhotoFunia | PicsArt - Photo Studio
    Best Free Paint Program for Android - SketchBook Mobile Express
    Best Free Digital Image Stitcher for Android - Photaf Panorama (Free)
    Best Free Photo Collage for Android - Photo Grid
    Best Free Business Card Reader for Android - CamCard Free
    Best Free Barcode Scanner for Android - Barcode Scanner | QR Droid
    Best Free Document Scanner for Android - CamScanner -Phone PDF Creator
  • Page 4. Multimedia
    Best Free Media Player for Android - MX Player | MoboPlayer | QQPlayer | mVideoPlayer | RealPlayer
    Best Free Music Player and Organizer for Android - TTPod | Winamp | MyMusicOn Music Player | 3 (Cubed)
    Best Free Media Streaming Software for Android - Qloud Media Free
    Best Free Media Server and Renderer for Android - iMediaShare Lite
    Best Free Video Sharing for Android - YouTube
    Best Free Video Trimmer for Android - AndroVid Video Trimmer
    Best Free Movie Resource for Android - IMDb Movies & TV
    Best Free Radio Broadcasting for Android - TuneIn Radio | A Online Radio
    Best Free Ringtone Changer for Android - ZEDGE
    Best Free Ringtone Maker for Android - Ringdroid
    Best Free Lyrics Player for Android - musiXmatch Lyrics Player
    Best Free Computer Piano for Android - My Piano | Magic Piano
    Best Free MP3 Tag Editor for Android - Pimp My Music
    Best Free Remote Control for Android - Gmote 2.0
  • Page 5. Disk and File Tools
    Best Free File Manager for Android - X-plore File Manager | ES File Explorer | ASTRO File Manager
    Best Free Storage Manager for Android - AppMgr III (App 2 SD)
    Best Free Online Backup for Android - Dropbox
    Best Free App Backup for Android - App Backup & Restore
    Best Free File Encryption Utility for Android - File Locker
    Best Free File Archiver-Zip Utility for Android - ZArchiver
    Best Free File Cleaner for Android - 1Tap Cleaner
  • Page 6. Desktop and System
    Best Free Program Launcher for Android - GO Launcher EX | LauncherPro | Apps Organizer
    Best Free Onscreen Keyboard for Android - GO Keyboard
    Best Free Desktop Search for Android - Google Gesture Search
    Best Free Wallpaper Changer for Android - PicSpeed HD Wallpapers | Flikie Wallpapers HD | Backgrounds HD Wallpapers
    Best Free Task Manager for Android - Advanced Task Killer
    Best Free Task Switcher for Android - Task Switcher
    Best Free Default App Manager for Android - Default App Manager Lite
    Best Free Installer for Android - Easy Installer
    Best Free Uninstaller for Android - Easy Uninstaller
    Best Free Battery Saver for Android - JuiceDefender - battery saver | Battery Dr saver
    Best Free Automation Tool or Profile Changer for Android - Llama - Location Profiles | AutomateIt
    Best Free Remote Desktop for Android - AirDroid | WiFi File Explorer | Browsix Lite
    Best Free System Monitor for Android - SystemPanel Lite
    Best Free System Information for Android - Elixir 2
    Best Free System Toolbox for Android - ZDbox
    Best Free Widget Maker for Android - Widgetsoid
    Best Free Clipboard Manager for Android - Clipper
  • Page 7. Security and Privacy
    Best Free Anti-malware for Android - TrustGo Antivirus & Mobile Security | avast! Mobile Security | Lookout Security & Antivirus
    Best Free Apps Protection for Android - Perfect App Protector - FREE | Application Protection
    Best Free Password Manager for Android - KeePassDroid | Keeper Password & Data Vault
    Best Free Private Gallery for Android - Gallery Lock
    Best Free Device Tracker for Android - Wheres My Droid | Prey Anti-Theft
  • Page 8. Internet and eMail
    Best Free Web Browser for Android - Dolphin Browser HD | Chrome | Firefox | Opera Mini | Skyfire Web Browser | Maxthon Android Web Browser
    Best Free Webmail for Android - Gmail | GMX Mail
    Best Free Email Client for Android - K-9 Mail
    Best Free Download Helper for Android - Download All Files
    Best Free News Reader or Feed Aggregator for Android - Flipboard | Pulse News | Google Currents | World Newspapers
    Best Free Bookmark Manager for Android - Pocket
    Best Free Web Search for Android - Google Search | Google Goggles
    Best Free Navigation for Android - Maps | Waze social GPS maps & traffic
    Best Free Weather Alert and Monitoring for Android - GO Weather
  • Page 9. Phone & Messaging
    Best Free Dialer for Android - Dialer One
    Best Free Contact Manager for Android - aContacts | DW Contacts & Phone
    Best Free Contact Sharing for Android - Bump
    Best Free Messaging Client for Android - GO SMS Pro
    Best Free Browser Texting for Android - SMS Text Messaging -PC Texting
    Best Free Instant Messaging for Android - eBuddy Messenger | WhatsApp Messenger
    Best Free Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for Android - Skype | LINE | Tango Text, Voice, Video Calls
    Best Free Walkie-Talkie for Android - Voxer Walkie-Talkie PTT
    Best Free Call & Message Filter for Android - BlackList
  • Page 10. Network, Website & Server
    Best Free Social Networking for Android - Google+ | Facebook for Android | Twitter | Instagram | Foursquare | TweetDeck
    Best Free BitTorrent Client for Android - aDownloader
    Best Free Remote Access Software for Android - TeamViewer Free
    Best Free Network Traffic Counter for Android - 3G Watchdog | NetCounter
    Best Free Network Speed Test for Android - Speedtest.net
    Best Free Wi-Fi Analyzer for Android - Wifi Analyzer
    Best Free FTP Client for Android - AndFTP
  • Page 11. Personal Development
    Best Free Language Learning for Android - A Word A Day
    Best Free Talks and Lectures for Android - TED
    Best Free Articles and Answers for Android - HowStuffWorks
    Best Free Astronomy Software for Android - Google Sky Map
    Best Free Sports Tracking for Android - My Tracks | CardioTrainer
  • Page 12. Games
    Best Free Action Game for Android - PapiJump | Fruit Slice | Tank Hero | Labyrinth Lite | NinJump | iStunt 2 | SoulCraft | Critical Strike Portable
    Best Free Physics and Chemistry Game for Android - X Construction Lite | Angry Birds | Angry Birds Rio | Cut the Rope: Experiments FREE | Pinball Deluxe | Alchemy Classic
    Best Free Simulation Game for Android - Smurfs' Village | Air Control Lite
    Best Free Shooting Game for Android - Defender
    Best Free Running Game for Android - Temple Run | Jetpack Joyride
    Best Free Match-2 Puzzle for Android - Flow Free | Trainyard Express
    Best Free Match-3 Puzzle for Android - Jewels | Bubble Blast 2 | Puzzle Blox Arcade! | Move the Box
    Best Free Jigsaw Puzzle and Creator for Android - Jigsaroid
    Best Free Sliding Puzzle for Android - Mouse
    Best Free Word Game for Android - Wordfeud | Words With Friends Free | 4 Pics 1 Word | wordoid!
    Best Free Jawbreaker for Android - Bebbled
    Best Free Card Game for Android - 250+ Solitaire Collection | Hearts Deluxe
    Best Free Computer Chess for Android - Chess for Android | Chess
    Best Free Sudoku for Android - OpenSudoku
    Best Free Casual Game for Android - Talking Tom Cat Free | Paper Toss
    Best Free Reversi for Android - Reversi Free | DroidZebra Reversi
    Best Free Backgammon for Android - Backgammon Free
    Best Free Air Hockey for Android - Glow Hockey 2
    Best Free Reaction Game for Android - 2 Player Reactor
    Best Free Dressup Game for Android - Androidify
 
Related Links
 
Editor

This list of Best Free Android Apps is maintained by volunteer editor Jojoyee. Registered members can contact the editor with any comments or suggestions they might have by clicking here.

 
Tags

best, free, top, android, droid, mobile, smart phone, smartphone, tablet, app, apps, applications, software, freeware, program, list, google, play, market, store

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Comments

by Jojoyee on 8. January 2011 - 3:47  (64111)

Thanks for sharing, Rhiannon.

by Av_Crazy on 8. January 2011 - 9:57  (64131)

This thread is on fire
i think there should be a subthread in mobile apps category named android where we can DISCUSS about android

so many apllications already named
will have to try them one by one

Go launcher is a good replacement to launcher pro..it has iphone like interface and many functionalities
i tried andexplorer and found it good too
app manager can be used to backup applications
go sms is also good..i found it better than handcent sms
i use sms backup to backup my sms on gmail
and sms backup and restore to backup sms on memory card

and i havent even tried many applications i saw the names here..lol..have to try them now

by Av_Crazy on 8. January 2011 - 9:57  (64132)

thnx fr explaining mc

by Jojoyee on 8. January 2011 - 11:11  (64134)

That's a good idea, Av_Crazy.

We've a forum thread related to Android's Free Apps. All suggestions are welcome :)

by de37cel on 8. January 2011 - 12:15  (64136)

Love the Android -- my favorite apps so far (some already mentioned):

RealCalc -- great scientific calculator
Alarm Droid -- nice alarm clock
Astro File Manager
Cardio Trainer -- very cool!
Chrome to Phone
Chrome Marks Lite (sync Google Chrome bookmarks to phone)
Mobile Metronome (for musicians -- a great metronome)
Google Books
The Weather Channel

by Joseph Betz (not verified) on 9. January 2011 - 7:49  (64169)

A couple quite unique apps worth considering, if you happen to be either a gearhead or you want (or need) to evaluate wifi signals available at any given location:

Torque free (for gearheads)

Wifi Analyzer

Let's start with the latter. Wifi Analyzer will help you figure out what wifi hotspots or access points are available around you, what kind of strength each signal has, the encryption scheme used, the mac address of the AP, etc.

You can view a channel graph, which is very helpful in determining relative signal strength, a list of APs, and a signal strength meter for each AP, among other things.

VERY helpful for those who travel, and are trying to figure out which oddly-named AP is the one their hotel or coffee shop is actually using, or which neighbor's unsecured AP actually has enough power to get you online (if you're into such things, not that I ever would be.)

On to Torque...

Torque is a quite unusual app. When combined with a bluetooth Onboard Diagnostics reader[1], it turns your droid into an ODB II code reader, capable of reading the codes that are making your Check Engine light come on, resetting the light, and acting as a Tachometer/Speedometer/Lots of other -ometers

It is really quite cool, and works well. But for average Joe or Average Jane who doesn't give a rip about cars and takes it to the shop when the Check Engine light starts flashing, it would be a complete waste of time, since they aren't going to buy the necessary hardware.

There is a free (ad supported) version that I am currently evaluating (and for which I have high praise) .

[edit] spam details removed

by Av_Crazy on 9. January 2011 - 9:16  (64170)

Alarm droid is great :thumb:

by Av_Crazy on 9. January 2011 - 9:26  (64171)

Here Is The List Of Applications I Use On My Droid -

Media - poweramp [ undoubtedly the best ] , mvideoplayer [ testing]
Reading - Adobe reader
Security - Norton Security beta , Application Protection
File Manager - Astro [it has very fast inbuilt image viewer ], Andexplorer[shows phone memory] , filemanager [ testing ]
Browser - Opera mini [ fastest] , ucweb [ some sites open optimized for cell ]
Other net related - dropbox , ebuddy[better than meebo coz for me meebo was not logging in facebook], appbrain market, skype, imdb, mig33
message - go sms
photo - photoshop express , quickpic , wallswitch
wallpaper and ringtone - zedge , backgrounds
not categorised - alarm droid , app2sd free , app manager [ for application backup ] , fast reboot , memory booster lite , sms backup [gmail ] , sms backup and restore [ backup to phone ] , uninstaller

by GVStee (not verified) on 10. January 2011 - 5:08  (64197)

To Browse for interesting Pix, I like Image Explorer. It shows thumbnails of lots of good and excellent pix just recently uploaded to sites like Webshots, Flickr or Wunderground photos. It lets you view and DL full size or go to web site to browse the photographers other pix. Soothing pasttime while lying in bed.

by Tuinui (not verified) on 10. January 2011 - 6:37  (64200)

Aldiko is far from being the best free E-Book Reader. It loses your position when you rotate the phone, the page sliding animation induces nausea, and it is fiddly to import books. Lately the book download feature has not been working for me.

Laputa is much better. Nice page turning animation, easy to import books, and lots of books download libraries.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/laputa-reader%28free-books%29/com.reader.books.laputa.ui

FB Reader is also very good.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/fbreader/org.geometerplus.zlibrary.ui.android

by Jojoyee on 10. January 2011 - 8:13  (64202)

Thanks Tuinui for mentioning Laputa Reader. It's now in the list.

by Av_Crazy on 10. January 2011 - 11:27  (64208)

Removed norton and added lookout
removed unisntaller and added easy uninstaller
removed filemanager
added backup everything
added realcalc

by RogerN (not verified) on 10. January 2011 - 11:37  (64209)

I looked on my phone (nexus one) to see what I use the most:

Gesture Search
Andronos - controls Sonos system on my network
Google Goggles - does a ton of things (barcode scanning, business card scanning & importing data, identifying objects and places, etc.)
Gas Buddy
Google Maps (for GPS driving using a dock)
Google Search (voice search every time my son asks me a question for for which I don't know the answer
A online radio
Quickpedia
Skype
gStrings (Is the piano in tune)
Scanner Radio
Speed Test
WiFi Analyser
Trip Advisor
Shazam
My Tracks (already mentioned, but can also output file and then input into photo file to automatically add GPS data to the photo's metafile data)
IMDB

The list changes all the time and just gets better. Generally all the apps are free.

by thibill (not verified) on 10. January 2011 - 11:56  (64210)

Looked on my freshly installed android phone (Xperia x8) and installed:
Astro file manager
Apps Installer
OfficeSuitePro (view MS office documents and pdf-files)
MyPhoneExplorer (client version to synchronise my contacts, calendar from Outlook 2003 and clean-up easely my messages).

and alot of other stuff (allready mentioned here) was already installed.

regards

by kendall.a on 10. January 2011 - 15:53  (64219)

Hey Jojoyee, how about a section or sub-section for saving battery life? I've used Taskiller, Advanced Task Killer, plus several others.

Some websites recommend NOT killing tasks in the background and claim it does little to save on battery life. I'm curious what others use/recommend for improving battery life. I do NOT want to get into a discussion on "rooting" your phone, however.

by Jojoyee on 11. January 2011 - 9:19  (64275)

That's a good idea Kendall. The category Task Manager is now added.

by Av_Crazy on 11. January 2011 - 23:05  (64313)

Taskpanel extra is a good one

by Av_Crazy on 13. January 2011 - 2:29  (64410)

Can any1 name a good contact manager

And go sms has been updated with new features

and trying google gestures and google goggles

removed backup everything and using astro for application backup and gosms for sms backup

found a new application - floating images...try it..awesome image viewer

another new application - thinking space for mapping ideas

and searching for a good music player with equalizer

by Jojoyee on 13. January 2011 - 10:23  (64430)

For managing contacts by groups, Contact Group Manager looks good to me so far though occasionally it shows up a non-intrusive ad in the free version. For the ads-free app, aContacts is a good try as well.

by jhand on 14. January 2011 - 3:21  (64488)

This is actually the way Android handle home launchers. Until you specify a default Launcher it will always prompt whenever you go back home or request an action that takes you home. I don't know why making a phone call would cause that but I have used Launcher pro now for a month and have never had any problems with it.

by jhand on 14. January 2011 - 3:27  (64489)

It depends on the camera. Some cameras are just too poor quality to get a sharp image so the proper OCR work can be done to pull the information off the card. I have used it several times on my Droid X and it is flawless.

by Av_Crazy on 14. January 2011 - 7:01  (64499)

Contact group manager looks good

and have replaced power amp with astro player nova..but i hope this is not a trial

by ABHAY NANAL (not verified) on 16. January 2011 - 15:22  (64657)

I must suggest FOLDER ORGANIZER to you AS MY MOST LOVED APPLICATION. It organizes applications on the phone using Labels and groups them and shows separate windows for separate labels. It has helped me to organize and access any application on the phone through only one icon on the main screen! I can access most important folders and most contacted numbers by using this remarkable application.

I strongly recommend to you as Editor's choice.

by Jojoyee on 17. January 2011 - 14:17  (64716)

Good recommendation Abhay Nanal. Besides Folder Organizer which is preferred by some users, Apps Organizer from the same developer works great too, though it lacks some extra features but looks simple and easy to use as a quick program launcher.

by ABHAY NANAL (not verified) on 17. January 2011 - 15:01  (64718)

I used App Organizer earlier. But I could not explore its features properly. Folder organizer (paid one) comes with more features and notifications!

by ABHAY NANAL (not verified) on 17. January 2011 - 17:02  (64724)

Springpad as suggested by other is another great application to suggest. I would recommend it with one heart, as I found that no other application has the ability to organize your notes, tasks, bookmarks, clippings. It's method of organizing stuff is outstanding. Further it is available on the phone and an an extension to your browsers as well. It is seamless and syncronizes data in such a way that latest updated info is available offline.

by xTRUEx (not verified) on 17. January 2011 - 17:24  (64726)

rockplayer is by far the best media player on the android

by ABHAY NANAL (not verified) on 17. January 2011 - 17:29  (64727)

Besides my recommendations, Dear Jojoyee, pl come up with a free system application that helps me to run my Android phone efficiently! My screen invariably freezes and often the processor work at 100% capacity such that though I keep multitasking at optimum level, my phone is not as fast as it was when it was new. I have applied several tips from forums but killing applications to free memory is not a good idea at least in Android system!

So please do suggest a good system application - a task manager to run the phone efficiently!

by Jojoyee on 18. January 2011 - 13:46  (64780)

Good suggestion Abhay Nanal. Springpad is now in the list.

by Jojoyee on 18. January 2011 - 13:57  (64781)

I've yet to find a good one but my general understanding is that a system will likely go slow when it's overloaded, just like a vehicle?