List of free and open-source Android applications
This is an incomplete list of notable applications (apps) that run on the Android platform that meet the guidelines for free software and open-source software. For a more extensive list of apps, see the External links section below.
Communication
| Application name | Description | Website | Availability | License | API | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Play Store | F-Droid | Sources | ||||||
| Adblock Plus | Ad blocker | website | page | No | Yes | github | GNU GPLv3 | L7 / 2.1+ | |
| APG | OpenPGP and key management | website | list | Yes | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 1.5+ | |
| ConnectBot | SSH, telnet, and terminal emulator | website | list | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 1.5+ | ||
| Chromium | Web browser using Blink engine | website | Partial | No | git [1] | Available with additional closed source parts as Google Chrome | |||
| CSipSimple | SIP/VoIP client | website | list | Yes | Yes | svn | GPLv3 | 1.6+ | |
| Firefox for mobile | Web browser using Gecko layout engine | website | list | Yes | Yes | mercurial | MPL | 2.2+ | |
| Funambol | File synchronization client | website | list | Yes | No | svn | AGPLv3 | 2.0+ | |
| I2P | Anonymizing network layer | website | apk list | ? | Yes | github list | Apache 2.0 | 2.3+ | Alpha release; do not rely upon it for strong anonymity. I2P also maintain their own F-Droid repo. |
| Jitsi | Videoconferencing and instant messenger | website | list | No | No | zipballs github | LGPLv2.1 | ? | Android version is experimental Alpha release. |
| K-9 Mail | An advanced email client for Android | website | list | Yes | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 2.2+ | |
| Linphone | Video SIP/VOIP client | website | list | Yes | Yes | git | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | |
| Orbot | Android client for TorProject.org network | website | apk | Yes | Yes | git | BSD/GPL | 1.6+ | |
| Sipdroid | Free SIP/VoIP client | website | list | Yes | Yes | svn | GPLv3 | 2.0+ | works on 1.5 |
| TextSecure | Encrypted messaging | website | Yes | No | github | GPLv3 | |||
| WordPress | Official WordPress client | website | ? | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv2 | 2.3+ | |
Emulators
| Application name | Description | Website | Availability | License | API | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Play Store | F-Droid | Sources | ||||||
| ScummVM | Emulates multiple gaming engines | website | apk | Yes | Yes | svn | GPLv2 | 1.5+ | now officially merged into the main release |
| RetroArch | Emulates multiple platforms | website | list | Yes | Partial | github | GPLv3+[2] | 2.3+ | |
| VICE | Commodore hardware | website | list | Yes | No | svn | GPLv2 | ||
| Dolphin | Nintendo GameCube and Wii | website | apk | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv2 | 4.0+ | |
| DeSmuME | Nintendo DS emulator | upstream android | list | Yes | Yes | git | GPLv2 | 2.3.3+ | Port to Android as nds4droid |
| Mupen64Plus | Nintendo 64 emulator | upstream android | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv3 | 2.0+ | Unofficial port as Mupen64 Plus AE. | |
| PPSSPP | PlayStation Portable | website | apk | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv2+ | 2.3+ | |
Games
| Application name | Description | Website | Availability | License | API | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Play Store | F-Droid | Sources | ||||||
| 2048 | Mathematics sliding block puzzle | website | ? | Yes | github | MIT | 2.2+ | Port of 2048 | |
| Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup | Rogue-like | website | Yes | No | git | GPLv2+ | text-based version also available | ||
| Fish Fillets NG | Underwater puzzle game. | website | Yes | No | tgz | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | Port of Fish Fillets NG | |
| Freeciv | A turn based strategy game similar to Sid Meier's Civilization | website | apk | Yes | No | github | GPLv2 | 2.0+ | |
| Frozen Bubble | Knock the bubbles down by making clusters of three or more bubbles in the same color. | website | apk | Yes | Yes | svn | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | Port of Frozen Bubble |
| GLtron | Lightcycle game. | website | apk | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | Port of GLtron |
| Nethack Android | NetHack | website | apk | Yes | No | svn | GPLv2 | 1.5+ | Port of NetHack |
| OpenArena | First person shooter similar to Quake 3 (see: id Tech 3) | upstream android | list | Yes | No | github | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | Unofficial port by "pelya" using SDL 1.2[3] |
| OpenTyrian | Vertical shoot 'em up | upstream android | list | Yes | No | github | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | pelya SDL port[3] |
| robotfindskitten | A "Zen Simulation" | website | apk | Yes | Yes | Source Dir | GPL | 1.6+ | |
| Simon Tatham's Puzzles | A portable collection of puzzle games, ported to Android | website | apk | Yes | Yes | github | MIT | 2.1+ | |
| Warmux | A turn-based artillery game | website | apk | Yes | No | svn | GPLv2 | 2.0+ | |
General
| Application name | Description | Website | Availability | License | API | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Play Store | F-Droid | Sources | ||||||
| Android's Fortune | Quotes and Fortune Cookie program | website | apk | Yes | Yes | bzr | GPLv3 | ||
| Barcode Scanner | Barcode reader | website | Yes | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 4.0.3+ | ||
| FBReader | e-book reader | website | apk | Yes | Yes | github | GPL | 1.5+ | |
| GitHub | Official GitHub client | website | ? | Yes | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 2.2+ | |
| Google IO | App for Google IO conference | website | Yes | No | git | Apache 2.0 | |||
| Avare | GPS aviation application | website | Yes | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 2.2+ | ||
| OsmAnd | Offline mapping program using OpenStreetMap data | website | Yes | Yes | git | GPLv3 | 1.6+ | ||
| PressureNET | Crowd-sourced barometer network | website | Yes | No | github | GPLv3 | |||
| SageMath | Client for mathematical software | website | ? | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv3 | 2.0+ | |
| Sugar environment | One Laptop per Child learning platform | website upstream | Yes | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 2.3.3+ | Ported as Sugarizer. Also available in Firefox Marketplace . | |
| Tomdroid | Note taking application with online sync | website | apk | Yes | Yes | bzr | GPLv3 | 1.6+ | Port of Tomboy |
| Wikipedia | Access to Wikipedia | website | apk list | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | |
Multimedia
| Application name | Description | Website | Availability | License | API | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Play Store | F-Droid | Sources | ||||||
| Ringdroid | Ringtone maker | googlecode | apk | Yes | Yes | svn | Apache 2.0 | 1.5+ | Possible issues on KitKat (4.4), possibly inactive |
| Subsonic Android Client | Streaming Media Player | website | apk | Yes | Yes | svn | GPLv3 | 2.1+ | |
| VLC | Media player | website | apk | Yes | Yes | git | GPLv2+ | 2.1+ | |
| Kodi (formerly XBMC) | Media player, media center | website | apk | No | No | github | GPLv2+ | Multi | |
| Wikimedia Commons | Client for free media repository | website | list | Partial | Yes | github | Apache 2.0 | 2.3+ | No longer being maintained.[4] |
| Tribler | Decentralized video sharing | website | ? | Yes | No | github | LGPL v2.1+ | 3.0+ | |
Security
| Application name | Description | Website | Availability | License | API | Note | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Play Store | F-Droid | Sources | ||||||
| KeePassDroid | Password manager | website | apk | Yes | Yes | github | GPLv3 | 1.5+ | Port of KeePass |
| PasswdSafe | Password manager | website | apk | Yes | Yes | git | Artistic License 2.0 | 1.6+ | |
| Prey | Android version of Prey (anti-theft software) | website | Yes | No | github | GPLv3 | |||
See also
- F-Droid, an app store for open-source applications
- Replicant (operating system)
- The Guardian Project
References
- ↑ Get the Code: Checkout, Build, Run & Submit
- ↑ https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=org.retroarch
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://github.com/pelya/commandergenius
- ↑ Hartman, Derk-Jan WikimediaMobile Pulling the Commons app lists.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
External links
There are a number of third-party maintained lists of open-source Android applications, including:
- Android Open Source resources and software database
- F-Droid Repository of free and open-source Android software
- Frontend for F-Droid
- 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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