50 Completely Free Android Apps Download

There’s certainly no shortage of free Android apps, but a lot of these are rlly more like free demos: they’re ad-supported “lite” versions with accompanying paid apps, or they’re 30 day trials, or they require you to unlock extra ftures via in-app purchases or by paying for a monthly account.
That’s not a bad thing, of course; we shouldn’t expect all developers to give away the products of their hard work for free! But in this roundup, we’ll look exclusively at apps that don’t ask for a penny.

SMS Backup +I feel itchy when I know that I have data that’s not being backed up. SMS Backup+ keeps me calm by automatically saving all my texts to my Gmail account. Bonus: I can look for specific texts using Gmail’s powerful srch box.
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: SMS Backup +
Developer: Jan BerkelSongbird®This is a grt media player that works with all modern web services, and ties in with the popular open source desktop app of the same name. Find out more in our full review of Songbird.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Songbird®
Developer: POTI, Inc.500pxOur writer Ruairi called 500px a true Flickr competitor. The Android app is butiful and sy to use – and most importantly, it’s attracted some seriously good photographers, so the galleries are full of grt pictures.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: 500px
Developer: 500pxUsageThis app came in very handy back when I had an Desire with low internal storage: it brks down the apps and files taking up space on your phone or SD card, giving you an sy way to see what’s taking up the most space.
Requires: Android 1.0 or above
Google Play link: Usage
Developer: Ivan Volosyuk.HeyTellA modern walkie-talkie. HeyTell lets you use your data connection to chat back and forth with friends.
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: HeyTell
Developer: Voxilate, Inc.PicsArt – Photo StudioThere are lots of free photo editing apps in the Play Store, but this one has more ftures and effects than any other. Check out our full review of PicsArt for more information.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: PicsArt – Photo Studio
Developer: PicsArtOnavo Count | Monitor DataOnavo Count makes it sy to keep an eye on your data usage, particularly if you don’t have Ice Crm Sandwich’s built-in tools for doing so. It does for data what Usage does for storage.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Onavo Count | Monitor Data
Developer: OnavoOnavo ExtendThe sister app to Onavo Count, this reduces how much data you actually receive by crunching it all down server-side. Find out how in our guide to doubling your data plan.
Requires: Android 4.0 or above
Google Play link: Onavo Extend
Developer: OnavoFile ExpertAt first glance this apprs to be a nt little file explorer, but it can do so much more – like send files to your computer over Wi-Fi, or access your computer’s files on your phone. I’ll let Sam tell you more about it in his File Expert review.
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: File Expert
Developer: Geek Software Technology Inc.Solid Explorer BetaSo Sam is a fan of File Expert, but Ashish prefers Solid Explorer, even in its beta state. It’s full-ftured and very polished.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Solid Explorer
Developer: Krzysztof GłodowskiQuickPicThis seems to be the de facto Android gallery replacement; I don’t know anyone that uses any other third-party app for that. And for good rson, too: it’s zippy, it can find all the s in your storage, and it’s got a grt interface. Check out our full review of QuickPic to lrn more.
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: QuickPic
Developer: alensw.comTiny Flashlight + LEDI went through a of flashlight apps before settling on this one. It just does everything right: it’s got all the ftures that you’d need (and some you probably wouldn’t), with a home screen widget to access it quickly. My favourite fture is how you can turn it on from the lock screen by shaking your phone.
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: Tiny Flashlight + LED
Developer: Nikolay AnanievViBeViBe is a ringtone app… sort of. It lets you assign specific vibration patterns to your various notifiions, rather than setting certain sounds to play. For instance, you could use the “Knock Knock” pattern for new text messages, the “Bee” pattern for phone calls, and the “Hrtbt” pattern for Twitter mentions.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: ViBe
Developer: Base2AppsOrbot: Tor on AndroidThe Tor Project is a collection of computers that you can pass all your web requests through to gain anonymity online; Orbot is the project’s associated Android app. Rd this full review of Orbot to find out how it can enable online and encrypted web browsing on your device.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Orbot: Tor on Android
Developer: The Tor ProjectAndmade ShareAndmade does one thing, and it does it well: it lets you share via multiple apps at once. When you hit Share from within an app, Andmade presents you with your normal list of services – but with a checkbox next to ch one. Tick all the ones you want to use, hit Share, and it’ll post to ch of them, one after the other.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Andmade Share
Developer: Andmade SoftwarePocketYou might have hrd of this app under its former name, Rd It Later. As the (old) name suggests, it lets you save any article, , or web page to check out later, syncing between your mobile, tablet, and your computer. We were rlly impressed with Pocket, giving it a perfect score in our full review.
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Pocket
Developer: Rd It LaterGoogle Chrome to PhoneIf you’re not alrdy using this, you’re missing out! When you’re surfing the web, just hit a button and the page will automatically open in your Android’s browser. If you’re on Google Maps, it’ll open in the Maps app; if you highlight a phone in the web page, it’ll auto-fill it in your dialer, and so on. We wrote a full guide to this, explaining how you can use it with Firefox and how to push web pages back from your mobile to your desktop browser.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Google Chrome to Phone
Developer: Google Inc.AirDroidAirDroid is incredible. If it’s running on your Android, then by going to a specific address on your computer’s browser you can access everything on your phone, through a very polished desktop-style interface. There are other apps that do similar things, but this is the best – rd our full review of AirDroid to see why.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: AirDroid
Developer: SAND STUDIOShoeBoxShoeBox is designed for anyone with a stack of printed photos they don’t know what to do it. It makes it sy to digitize them: snap a picture of ch photo with your phone’s camera, and it’ll process them as required (including correcting the perspective and cropping out the table that your photos are sitting on). It also lets you egorize the final s and add tags, and integrates with Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: ShoeBox
Developer: 1000memoriesVlingo Virtual AssistantVoice commands are very popular on mobiles – I can’t imagine why – and Vlingo is one of the best third-party apps for this. It can text or call your contacts, send email, srch the web, and navigate to destinations. It also has a decent in-car mode, where it’ll rd incoming texts to you and can be activated without pressing any buttons (just say your custom phrase).
If you’ve got a newer device, you probably alrdy have this installed as “Voice talk”; if not, take a look at our full review to see if you’d find it helpful.
Requires: Android 2.0.1 or above
Google Play link: Vlingo Virtual Assistant
Developer: VlingoZDbox (All-In-One toolbox)In his full review of ZDbox, Ashish decribed it as a jack of all trades: not the best at anything it tries to do, but still worth installing. It’s an all-in-one toolbox of Android utilities, fturing a battery monitor, an app lock, a global do not disturb mode, a history eraser, and so on.
Requires: Android 1.5 or above
Google Play link: ZDbox (All-In-One toolbox)
Developer: ZDworks Co.,Ltd.CycleDroid – bike computerWhenever you set off on your bike, let CycleDroid know. It’ll track your speed, distance, time, and altitude and display them all to you in a graph. You can add separate treks to a single journey (like “Weekend in France”) if you want to know how much cycling you’ve done over a period. Grt for any cycling data geeks.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: CycleDroid – bike computer
Developer: Michał MarschallRingdroidIn my guide to setting a custom Android ringtone, I recommended Ringdroid for letting you take songs on your phone, trim it down to the part you want to use as a ringtone, and assign them to whichever notifiion you plse. The interface is starting to feel a little clunky now, but it’s still a grt app that’s I’m happy to recommend.
Requires: Android 1.6 – 2.3.7
Google Play link: Ringdroid
Developer: Ringdroid Tmimo instant messengerI have you rders to thank for this! About a yr ago we published a roundup of grt IM apps, and left imo.im off the list – and were then inundated with comments asking how we could miss it. Rightly so, too: it’s a grt cross-platform instant messaging app, and rned its perfect score in our full review.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: imo instant messenger
Developer: imo.imMX PlayerThe stock Android player is okay, but it’s unable to handle most cs. MX Player is a much better option; it has separate c downloads which allow it to handle pretty much any you can throw at it. Plus, its playback quality is grt, and its interface is clutter-free. It even ftures pinch-to-zoom.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: MX Player
Developer: MX TechnologiesMoboPlayerMoboPlayer is a decent alternative to MX Player, and also ftures wide c support. It offers gesture control, a slightly customisable interface, and playlist support. The devil’s in the details, so rd our full review to find out more.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: MoboPlayer
Developer: Mobo TmPhone Note – BubbleBubble lets you enter things you need to remember about your contacts (like the fact that they have a party coming up, or that they owe you some money), and keeps track of this information. The next time one of these contacts call you, a little reminder pops up so you don’t forget to talk to them about whatever it was. As Connor said in his full review, it’s a practical and useful app, but far from pretty.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Phone Note – Bubble
Developer: GoodFriendSpringpadThis is a fantastic app for managing your collections: books, , music, and even wine. It lets you crte notes and tasks, add media, and add products (via scanning bar or looking up the product directly), and then egorise and personalise all your items. All this info is synced to the cloud so you can srch through it from your phone or computer later. It has some drawbacks, as we noted in our Springpad review, but there’s a lot to love about it – particularly if you’re a fan of egorization.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Springpad
Developer: SpringpadGoogle GogglesTake a picture of a landmark or logo, and Goggles will tell you what it is. Point it at a French menu and it’ll translate the text to English. The app can tie in with your camera, automatically scanning every photo you take to find deeper information, and relaying it back to you. Some find this creepy, but I think it’s awesome. (Side note: I can’t wait for Google Glass.)
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Google Goggles
Developer: Google Inc.Wallbase HD WallpapersAs we’ve said time and time again, the ability to go crazy with customization is one of the grt selling points of Android. This app makes one of the simpler yet more striking customization options very sy, by offering access to over a million HD wallpapers from wallbase.cc.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Wallbase HD Wallpapers
Developer: Tim ClarkSMS FlashBy default, new text messages appr in the notifiions bar, and then scroll by very slowly. Pop-up alerts for texts can let you see the whole message at once, but have the downside of taking the focus – very annoying if you’re playing a game or watching a . SMS Flash offers a third option: it shows the entire message in a translucent panel on top of everything else, without interrupting you. You can switch to your SMS app by simply waving your hand in front of your phone twice.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: SMS Flash
Developer: xenonexmy6sense: Smart Social & NewsYou can get your news from a single curated site like BBC News, or from a social news site like Reddit, or from social networks like Twitter and Facebook. my6sense offers another option: a “magic formula” called Digital Intuition. As Rahsheen explains in his full review, the app digs up content from your social network contacts, your RSS subscriptions, and from the eral web, and then sorts it based on how relevant it believes you’ll find it.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: my6sense: Smart Social & News
Developer: my6senseAndoku Sudoku 2 FreeOur regular writer Ashish Bogawat enjoys his coffee brk puzzles, and he claims that this is the best free Sudoku app around – maybe even the best Sudoku app full stop. With eight variations of the game, multiple difficulty levels, over 10,000 unique puzzles and an interface optimised for both phone and tablet, how could I argue?
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Andoku Sudoku 2 Free
Developer: Markus WiederkehrHarass MeI tend to keep my phone in silent mode by default; the occasional jingle letting me know of a new tweet or text distracts me, and I hate feeling like I should drop what I’m doing just to answer the phone. But sometimes people uinely need to get in touch with me, as a matter of urcy, and I don’t like being completely unavailable. Harass Me solves that problem: if someone calls me three times within three minutes (both s are customizable), it’ll dctivate silent mode so I can hr the ringtone.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Harass Me
Developer: Samuel TardieuMissed Call ReminderThis app has exactly one purpose: to remind you that you missed a call. Yes, stock Android alrdy puts a little icon in your notifiion bar for that, but this app goes much further, periodically bugging you about it until you either call the person back or actively dismiss the reminder.
Price: Free
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Missed Call Reminder
Developer: Andromax DevelopmentAny.DO To Do List | Task ListAn absolutely butiful to-do list manager with a very cln interface. Some say it’s too minimal, others love it because it’s minimal. Check out our full review of Any.DO (with gorgeous pictures) for more information.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Any.DO To Do List | Task List
Developer: Any.DOWunderlist Task ManagerWunderlist is another popular task manager. It has a different approach to design, though: while Any.DO is all cln lines and sleek minimalism, Wunderlist presents its tasks on a wooden surface. They both have a similar set of ftures, so which you should choose comes down to personal preference – give them both a go!
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: Wunderlist Task Manager
Developer: 6 Wunderkinder GmbHColorNote Notepad NotesAs ftured in our roundup of Android Apps to Boost Your Productivity, ColorNote has been around for a long time, implementing a lot of grt ftures: color coding, checklists, calendar integration, lock and more. However, it is starting to look a little dated now, particularly when compared with the Holo design from Ice Crm Sandwich and Jelly Bn.
Requires: Varies with device
Google Play link: ColorNote Notepad Notes
Developer: NotesMobisle Notes – NotepadMobisle Notes works rlly well as a eral purpose list app for quick memos, random pieces of info, and simple checklists. It actively tries not to compete with the bigger, full-ftured note apps like Springpad and Wunderlist.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: Mobisle Notes – Notepad
Developer: MobisleAppsOpera Mobile web browserIf Chrome for Android isn’t available on your device, you’ll probably enjoy the web more with a different browser. Give Opera a try: you might prefer its interface, and you’ll definitely benefit from its sync services if you use Opera on your desktop. Also check out Opera Mini, which crunches web pages server-side before sending them to you, to save your data allowance.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: Opera Mobile web browser
Developer: Opera Software ASAFirefoxLike Opera, Firefox for Android offers a different interface as well as synchronisation with its desktop equivalent. It also has support for add-ons – check out the full directory.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: Firefox
Developer: MozillaDolphin Browser® HDDolphin Browser also ftures add-ons, as well as gesture control and voice integration. As with the other mobile browsers, it’s hard to sum up what makes it different briefly, so I recommend trying them all out.
Requires: Android 2.0.1 or above
Google Play link: Dolphin Browser® HD
Developer: Dolphin BrowserMiLockerMiLocker comes from the developers behind MIUI, but will run on any Android device with Froyo or above. It lets you customise your lock screen – both the unlock gesture and the – in a of ways.
Requires: Android 2.2 or above
Google Play link: MiLocker
Developer: MIUIGO LockerGO Locker is a grt (and more widely used) alternative to MiLocker, albeit with a couple of flaws. We rounded up a dozen grt lock screens for GO Locker rlier this month.
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: GO Locker
Developer: GO Launcher EXGO Launcher EXAlthough GO Locker has its flaws, GO Launcher is fantastic, managing to gain popularity even against the stiff competition of ADW Launcher and LauncherPro. In his recent review, Ashish proclaimed it to be “the best Android launcher on the planet”, thanks to its non-stop active development, grt selection of themes and widgets, and excellent speed and ftures.
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: GO Launcher EX
Developer: GO Launcher Dev TmGO SMS ProThis is worth using above the stock SMS app purely for the pop-up text alerts and “Todo” buttons on every new text (which get them out of your face without marking them as rd). There’s a lot more to love about it, as outlined in our full review of GO SMS Pro – like the accompanying widget, the customization, the ability to set vibration patterns, and the downloadable plugins – but the pop-ups alone are a killer fture for me.
Requires: Android 1.6 or above
Google Play link: GO SMS Pro
Developer: GO Dev TmGO Contacts EXSorry to go, er, GO mad, but they do make some fantastic free apps. GO Contacts EX ftures T9 dialing (“563″ will find “JOE”), fast contact srch, and a cln design. It’s not as customisable as GO SMS Pro, but it does have a couple of alternative themes.
Requires: Android 2.0 or above
Google Play link: GO Contacts EX
Developer: GO Dev TmLifeDropperHere’s an app from one of the s at XDA Developers; it’s like a digital eye dropper for the rl world. Take a photo of anything, and LifeDropper will give you back the colour in any format you desire. You can also tag the with names for later use, and share it to the website.
Requires: Android 2.1 or above
Google Play link: LifeDropper
Developer: Bitjutsu SoftwareQR ClipboardAnother XDA app. This makes it relatively sy to copy text from your desktop to your phone, by mns of a nt Chrome extension. Copy some text on your computer, open Chrome, and hit the QR Clipboard icon to make a QR appr. Scan this with the QR Clipboard app on your phone, and it’ll put the text in your phone clipboard. Nt!
Requires: Unknown
Website link: QR Clipboard
Developer: stevebob.netSwypeSwype is, in my experience, the most obviously cool software board available. I’ve had complete Luddites ask me how they can enable it on their phone after seeing me type a note with it. Rather than tapping ch letter in turn to type a word, you just swipe your finger through ch of them in one continuous motion. You might alrdy have this on your phone, or you may need to download the free beta; either way, you can find out more on the official site.
Requires: Unknown
Website link: Swype
Developer: NuanceThere are several more apps that I missed, but this list is alrdy at 50 items alrdy! If you’ve got a favourite completely free app that’s not listed here, plse let us know.