What are the alternative Android app markets? How many competing Android markets (other than the Play Store itself) are there and are they any good?  Which ones do you use and why?
There are actually several alternatives to the 'official' Google Android market (aka Play Store).

I personally like to search for new apps from my PC browser, and a bit less from my phone. Most (all?) of the markets nowadays offer both, via a dedicated phone-app that you'll have to install, except from the official one which is already there.

Until, well, yesterday, the 'official' market would not have been available from your PC (meaning: on a PC web browser). Now it is, with a neat push-to-your-phone one click installation that is taking away one of the advantages of the competition (see AppBrain). The alternative markets, though, have still their peculiarities. I'll make a short summary but don't expect it to highlight all of the differences. Some markets (e.g. AndSpot) do not offer very specific features to users, but try to gather developers by offering advanced features such as easy stats.


Amazon AppStore: latest big entry. countries limitations; catalog looking very promising with some (exclusive?) good pay-for apps; also features special offers and daily freebies. Def worth checking out
AppBrain: born to let you install Android Market applications directly from your PC web browser, also allows you to discover new apps based on the ones you have. It's a meta-store (my favourite before the official market update)
APKPure: don't need any registration to use it
SlideME: they provide applications to niche markets, based on geographic location, payment method or even types of applications that users can't find in traditional channels
Samsung Apps (must be installed on Samsung Galaxy devices, or else you can't use this): Samsung app store, which of course requires you to own a Samsung Android device
F-Droid they distribute FOSS open source packages that pass audit and verification to ensure that code have no malicious parts.
GetJar: my latest discovery. Quite a lot of apps, and they have specials ("GOLD") commercial apps for free. Extremely interesting platform for developers, since they seem to offer above-the-average marketing and PS activities!
TorrApk: it's free and it distributes only free Android apps through their apk files. If you are a developer you can get your account and publish your apps. (NB. Not sure how legit the apps there are, though)
appsfire: used to be yet another app for discovering official market applications (iOS/Android), now an app advertising agency


I'll add that there's a market for Adult Apps too now; and a lot of review/forum sites will link to one or more of these markets, e.g., AndroidTapp or AndroidPit AndroLib.

I suggest you click on some of these links and see for yourself if the look/applications suit your style!

Thanks to various sources, in particular this thenextweb.com article, and a lot of other stackexchange editing!

For neverending memory, the following are no longer available:


AndSpot: focused around an app for sharing and discovering apps
Handango by appia.com: a huge, cross-platform (Symbian/Android/Java/Winmobile...) market
aproov: a quite different web look. Register to download via a specific phone app.
MobiHand OnlyAndroid: more focused on (expensive) pay apps, but offers discounts and free deals