best app store alternatives for iOS users: Third-party app shops, which go beyond Google Play and the App Store, provide distinct benefits that are difficult to overlook. Alternative app stores meet a range of consumer requirements, whether they are looking for premium programs, more functionality, or greater customization.
Fortunately, there are a number of iOS users-focused alternatives to the Apple App Store that provide:
• Exclusive apps
• Enhanced functionality
• More customization possibilities
• Affordable options
• Content with a focus
Your iOS experience might be improved by selecting the appropriate alternative app store.
How We Selected the Best iOS App Store Alternatives
To ensure that we selected only the best iOS App Store alternatives, we employed robust criteria evaluating several different aspects. Some of the key aspects we focused on are:
1. Safety and security: While alternative app stores are a great place to find free apps and games, they are replete with malware and other cyber-security risks. We tried to only include platforms that have a reputation for being safe.
2. Ad-intrusion: Most alternative app stores earn money by hosting ads. However, the app stores on our list don’t rely on ads for revenue generation and barely show any ads, leading to a much-improved user experience.
3. User interface: Apple’s AppStore offers unparalleled usability and boasts an excellent interface. Hence, we paid significant attention to the user interface and design of these alternative app stores, ensuring users wouldn’t feel too much of a difference.
4. Variety of apps: An app store without a large selection of apps is pointless. As such, we created this list by examining the number and variety of apps, including tweaked apps, hosted on each store.
1. AltStore:
AltStore is a refreshing alternative to the traditional App Store. It’s a home for apps that are not available on the official store and also one of the finest non-jailbroken third-party modified app stores for iOS devices. AltStore was developed by an iOS developer who had developed a GameBoy emulator for the iPhone but could not officially launch it on the AppStore. So, he found a legal workaround and used Apple’s developer privileges to distribute his app.
AltStore is now one of the most popular alternative app stores for iOS. It features a slick interface that makes installing your favorite apps very easy. However, installing AltStore on your iOS device requires a computer.
We used AltStore to install the GameBoy emulator and a clipboard app, which made copy-pasting things much easier.
AltStore is the first Apple-approved third-party app store available only to EU residents. The app marketplace costs €1.50 a year and comes with a free Nintendo emulator called Delta and a clipboard manager called Clip.
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You can download IPA files and install them using AltStore. Meanwhile, to use AltStore, users will require downloading AltServer and an advanced firewall and Wi-Fi settings knowledge. Besides, the platform requires a Wi-Fi connection for installing and updating apps.
Features
1. Installation of third-party apps
2. Offers open-code
3. Free and paid modded apps
4. Games
5. Emulators at no cost
6. Well-designed and clean interface
7. Features verified apps that can’t be found on the AppStore
8. Almost completely malware-free
2. BuildStore:
BuildStore presents a commendable alternative to the iOS App Store, primarily due to its expansive range of apps, with over 300 applications available. It also has more than 15K daily active users, making it one of the most popular third-party modified app stores.
Since 2013, iOS users have been able to sideload modified applications and games without jailbreaking. Today, it is a trustworthy store with more than 300 games that are regularly updated. Every month, about 20–30 new applications are released. Users can access a diverse selection of apps, including the tweaked ‘++’ versions.
BuildStore is a unique location to obtain these apps because few are available on the Apple Store. The store does not host malware, and infected applications are not accepted. Additionally, each program is manually tested before release, making it impossible for BuildStore to harm your device.
It is a unique service in that it only has a paid tier. While this closes the door for anyone looking for a free AppStore alternative, it ensures the platform’s overall sanctity and security. Since BuildStore is a paid service, apps downloaded from it don’t need to be refreshed constantly, like they do on AltStore or SideStore.
Moreover, BuildStore is recognized for its minimal advertising, which is starkly contrasting to other platforms where ads can often interrupt and degrade the user experience.
Features
1. Emulators
2. Modified games
3. Social media
4. Moderated app library
5. Flat pricing
6. Paid service means there are fewer fake or malware-loaded apps
7. Huge community of users and developers
8. App permissions are rarely revoked
3. Scarlet:
Still on Best App Store Alternatives For iOS Users. Scarlet has been a popular iOS app store alternative for a few years now. Its popularity is owed to the extensive list of up-to-date games and apps. Its slick black and red user interface doesn’t hurt either.
Scarlet is particularly useful for downloading tweaked apps, such as Tinder++, which manipulates the interface to enable access to premium and gold features. Resultantly, you can swipe across an unlimited number of profiles daily and even see who’s liked you!
Of course, Apple’s AppStore should be your go-to for the untweaked version of Tinder. Regardless of the version you choose, it’s vital that you know how private Tinder is and how you can secure your privacy.
Scarlet can be directly downloaded on your device, unlike AltStore. However, it does require you to “trust” a suspicious developer named “Bank of Chongquing.”
Features
1. Extensive library of the latest apps and games
2. Slick user-interface
3. Direct installation on iOS devices
4. Jailed Tweak Injection
5. IPA Sideloading
6. App Management
7. Repo System
8. Computer Method
9. Modern GUI
10. Certificate Management
4. iPhonCake:
AppCake also known as iPhoneCake is the Most Advanced third-Party iOS Cracked Apps Installer store for iOS devices. This is a Native Web-based App store created by some third-party App developers for Jailbreak Users, just Like Appvalley and TutuApp. In Addition, it allows users to Install Jailbreak Cydia store Cracked iOS Apps and Games directly on their iPhone or iPad device.
iPhone Cake is a great option if you’re searching for an alternative to Apple’s App Store. One of the finest App Store substitutes for iOS that you should consider downloading is the iPhoneCake App. Its capacity to install IPA files is its key feature. This makes it feasible to obtain paid software and initially free applications, such as Facebook. But this is not the only benefit of using this App. The App has a good user UI and works well as a jailbreaker for Apple’s hard-to-jailbreak software.
It serves as both a hack tool and a viable substitute for Apple’s App Store. This program is also compatible with iOS devices running versions 9 through 13. Additionally, AppCake has been cleverly designed to distinguish between apps requiring a hack and those that do not. The user can also load IPA files using this. In this manner, AppCake does more than disseminate software via its store. Additionally, it functions as an installer for programs obtained from other sources, like Malavida. Finally, magnet and torrent files are supported.
Features
1. AppCake is the best Cracked iOS app installer developed for iOS devices.
2. This is a Free and Open-sourced App store.
3. Similarly, it offers more stability and a Huge Database of Apps for free.
4. Install Cydia App Store Apps, Premium Apps & Games, DEB files, Torrent, and Magnet files free of cost.
5. For Non-Jailbreak devices, It Integrated iPAStore.
6. iPAStore resigns the IPA files and Offers OTA-based direct installs.
5. SideStore:
SideStore is a fork of AltStore. It was developed to correct one of AltStore’s only drawbacks: the need to connect to a computer periodically to refresh apps.
Since it’s an AltStore fork, SideStore borrows heavily from the former’s design and interface. This is not a negative by any means, as both apps are exceptionally easy to use. However, like AltStore, you will need a PC or Mac to install SideStore. There’s also hardly any ad-intrusion, which makes browsing through the app a pleasant experience.
But once it’s installed on your device, downloading games and apps is a breeze. The app repository is continuously growing, supported by an enthusiastic community of users and developers. You can also download IPA files from the internet and install them on your iOS device with SideStore.
Features
1. Wide selection of games and console emulators
2. Does not require a PC or computer after initial installation
3. Features safe and verified apps
4. Installation of any app
5. Verified sources
6. Games
7. Emulators
8. VPN Trickery
9. Seamless sideloading
6. AppDB:
Still on the quest to discover more interesting Best App Store Alternatives For iOS Users. AppDB is a popular sideloading app with a huge catalog of games, productivity apps, and more. Unlike some of the other apps on this list, we had no trouble installing AppDB. All you need is an email address and your iPhone device.
However, once AppDB is installed, it does not function as a standalone app. Instead, it still opens in a browser window. This makes the browsing experience a bit clunky, even though there are hardly any ads.
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Despite the slightly subpar experience, AppDB’s app library is probably the largest of any app store on this list. If you’re looking for photo editing apps or productivity suites, it should be right at the top of your list!
Like Scarlet, you can even find tweaked versions of popular apps. For instance, Watusi for WhatsApp is downloaded with AppDB which unlocks several great features, such as unlimited pinned chats, sending messages to unsaved numbers, and switching to dark mode.
Even though the encrypted messaging app has recently added several privacy-preserving features, WhatsApp does not quite match a dedicated private messaging service like Signal.
Remember to use a VPN when browsing through AppDB for an additional layer of security!
Features
1. Huge library of software and productivity apps
2. Direct installation on your iOS device
3. Works on AppleTV
4. iOS and macOS Apps
5. No app store restrictions
6. EU Digital Market Act Compliance
7. Sideloading support
8. No jailbreak
7. Appvalley:
Appvalley is an iOS app store alternative boasting a plethora of tweaked applications, including top-ranked unlocked games and modified apps like Snapchat++. Its key advantage lies in providing safe and secure access to these offerings, ensuring a reliable and enjoyable experience for users seeking enhanced functionalities on their iOS devices.
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This app store alternative allows users to download various apps, games, ringtones, emulators, improvements, and a lot more for free. AppValley is a safe and reliable platform that offers constant updates. It works on iOS 17+ without interfering with the security features provided by Apple. Downloading this app doesn’t require jailbreaking the device.
Features
1. No jailbreaking
2. Free to download
3. User-friendly app interface
4. Wide variety of games
5. Screen recorders
6. Safe and Legal
8. Sileo:
Sileo is a more contemporary alternative to Cydia. It is mostly made for jailbroken iOS devices. Its slick and intuitive interface makes finding and installing changes, themes, and adjustments simple. It offers users who want to improve and customize their iOS devices a seamless experience with sophisticated features like package management and repository management
Although Sileo is relatively new to this jailbreaking tool, it performs exceptionally well to be on this list. This program was created and released as a substitute for Cydia, but it now appears to be competing on its terms.
However, it is accurate to say that Sileo has emerged as one of the finest alternate iOS app stores and is used by many users due to its adaptability. The App’s range of interoperability is increased because it now supports all iOS versions up to 11. With this software, you can access anything you want on any iOS device at any time.
Features
1. Fast & efficient
2. No jailbreaking
3. Sleek
4. Compatible
5. Open source
So, there you have it: Best Alternative to Apple App Store. You should note that there are other alternatives as well.