15 best free Android apps available right now (2024)

15 best free Android apps available right now (1)

Android’s biggest strength is its app ecosystem. There are a digital ton of Android apps. People downloaded them billions of times. Some of them cost money, and some of them don’t. Usually, the best apps will cost you a few bucks. However, there are plenty of amazing options that don’t cost you anything. These services are usually supported by advertising, sponsorship of some sort, or something else.

However, there are still some truly excellent apps out there that you can use for free. After all, good functionality shouldn’t always involve spending money. These are the best free Android apps for Android as of right now.

This is a best all-time list, kind of like a hall of fame, so the contents of this list won’t change very often until something truly great comes along. You should also recognize most of the apps on this list. You can check out the best Android apps from all of 2021 if you want to see more great apps.

The best free Android apps, ever:

  1. 1Weather
  2. Bitwarden Password Manager
  3. Blue Mail
  4. Cookmate
  5. Credit Karma
  6. Gboard
  7. Google Drive
  8. Google Opinion Reward
  1. Waze and Google Maps
  2. Imgur and Giphy
  3. Musicolet
  4. Resilio Sync
  5. TickTick
  6. Zedge
  7. Zoom

1Weather

Price: Free / $1.99

1Weather is about as complete of a weather app as you can find. It comes with all kinds of stuff, including current conditions, forecasts, radar, predictions, fun facts about meteorology, graphs, and even a sun and moon tracker. The design is gorgeous as well and the app includes fairly decent and somewhat configurable widgets.

There is a single $1.99 in-app purchase to remove advertising. However, all the features are available in the free version, and the ads are inoffensive so it’s largely to buy it. You can also check out our list of the best weather apps if you want an alternative. We also quite like AccuWeather, especially since AccuWeather’s redesign in mid-2020.

Bitwarden Password Manager

Price: Free

Bitwarden Password Manager is one of a few decent free password manager apps. It works like most password managers. You get a vault with all of your usernames and passwords. You can store as many as you want without worry and retrieve them as needed. In addition, the app has 256-bit AES encryption, and it is entirely open source.

It hits all of the checkboxes for a good, free password manager. The app saw a spike in popularity after LastPass reduced the features on its free tier. KeePassDroid is another excellent option in this space, but we like Bitwarden’s UI just a bit more. You can also check out our best password manager apps list for more options.

Blue Mail

Price: Free

15 best free Android apps available right now (2)

Blue Mail is one of the best free Android apps for email. It features a simple design that helps you keep your emails in line. Additionally, it comes with support for a ton of email providers, color coding for organization, app theming, Android Wear support, and widgets. There are also a variety of smart features such as blocking notifications during certain times (per account) to help customize your experience.

Really, there aren’t many email apps more customizable than this one. It does a lot of things right and very few things wrong. This is about as good as it gets without a price tag. There are some questions about its privacy policy, and we recommend reading it if those things concern you. Here’s a list of more excellent email app options as well.

Cookmate is arguably the best individual cookbook app on mobile. A lot of people have a lot of dietary wants and needs, so the use of a personal cookbook app benefits a lot of people. This one is particularly nice to use. You can create custom recipes from scratch, complete with instructions and an ingredients list. Additionally, you can import recipes from virtually any website.

The UI is clean and easy to use, plus there is cloud backup, even in the free version. The premium version is a yearly subscription, but all it really does is increase the number of recipes you can sync, or you can just use the Dropbox option. Of course, there are many other excellent recipe and cooking apps here if you want to see more.

Credit Karma

Price: Free

15 best free Android apps available right now (3)

Credit Karma is a fun little financial app. What it does is let you check your credit score for free. On top of that, the app will notify you when there are major changes to your credit score. The app offers some other things too, such as potential credit cards that you may qualify for based on your credit score. You don’t have to accept those if you don’t want to.

It’s a simple, easy way to check out your credit and start fixing things if needed. It’s one of the more underrated free Android apps. Credit Karma is not 100% accurate, but it gives you a good idea of what’s going on. The notifications also let you know if a new account was opened in your name. NerdWallet is a great alternative to this. Additionally, Intuit (owner of Turbo Tax) purchased Credit Karma back in 2020. Check out some budget apps for Android for some other money stuff too.

Want to see more apps? Try these:

  • 15 best Android apps, ever
  • 10 best NEW Android apps (updated monthly)

Gboard

Price: Free

15 best free Android apps available right now (4)

Gboard is Google’s official keyboard app. It’s a simple keyboard that doesn’t have too many frills. It does have gesture typing (swiping), light theming, voice typing, emoji search, GIF support, and more. Its most unique feature is the built-in Google search that lets you search the web without leaving the keyboard or app that you’re in.

It can also sync between devices, so your saved words go with you. It’s effective, simple, and 100% free. You’ll want to try this one out if your phone keyboard is giving you fits. It’s one of the best free Android apps for sure. SwiftKey is also great in a different sort of way, and there are other great Android keyboards here as well.

Google Drive

Price: Free / $1.99-$299.99 per month

15 best free Android apps available right now (5)

The Google Drive suite are a group of applications that are all directly integrated into Google Drive. The apps include Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Sheets, Google Photos, and Google Keep along with the actual Google Drive app itself.

These apps focus primarily on office use for documents, spreadsheets, and slideshows but also work for note-taking, backing up your photos, and storing whatever file you can think of. The best part is that they’re all free unless you need more than 15GB of storage on Google Drive. Most people don’t. These are all great free Android apps. You can also find more office apps options here if you need more choice.

15 best free Android apps available right now (6)

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Google Opinion Rewards is easily one of the best free Android apps in the Google Play Store. To use this app, you simply download and install it, then open it one time. After that, the app will periodically notify you to ask you some questions about where you go, what you do, and about Google products you use. You’ll get credit for use in the Google Play Store every time you answer a survey. That credit can go toward buying yourself apps or games in Google Play.

It’s a great way to expand your collection without spending real money. At worst, everyone should have this app installed. It is only available in some regions, though, so our International readers may not be able to use this.

Google Maps

Price: Free

15 best free Android apps available right now (7)

Google Maps and Waze are two navigation apps. Google Maps will give you turn-by-turn directions, let you view businesses (and their reviews), and all kinds of other stuff. Waze is another navigation app. It lets you check out the traffic along your route. Google Maps is definitely the more powerful of the two. Waze is a little bit more fun to use, though. That makes it a good option if you’re looking for something simple. Both apps get heaps of new updates and features all the time. You can’t go wrong either way. You do have more options, though, so here’s our list of the best navigation apps for Android.

Imgur and Giphy

Price: Free

15 best free Android apps available right now (8)

Imgur and Giphy are two image databases. They’re great places to find things like funny GIFs, fun images, little facts, and all kinds of other entertainment purposes. Most of those awesome pictures you see on Facebook, Twitter, etc come from here. Imgur also happens to be the image upload service that most people use on Reddit.

Both Giphy and Imgur are completely free to download and use. They have your back whether you want to kill a few minutes slacking off or looking for the perfect reaction GIF for that Twitter or Google+ post. They’re two free Android apps worth having. Plus, you can upload your images to Imgur without limits for sharing to various places. There are other funny apps on Android, but we like these two the best.

Check out more apps here:

  • 10 best file browsers for Android
  • 15 best weather apps and weather widgets for Android

Musicolet

Price: Free

Musicolet is an intriguing option for local music playback. It does all of the basics, including playlists, tag editing, organizational features, file browsing, and embedded lryics (LRC) support. You also get an equalizer, a sleep timer, widgets, lock screen controls, Android Auto support, and more.

It covers basically all standard use cases and it still piles more on top. In addition, it’s entirely free with no in-app purchases and no advertising. We also quite like the simple, effective UI. You can check out other music app options here as well if you need to or here for music streaming apps if you want that instead.

Resilio Sync

Price: Free / Varies

15 best free Android apps available right now (9)

Resilio Sync is a cloud storage solution for people who don’t trust cloud storage. It creates a cloud storage server on your personal computer. The app lets you sync your files, photos, videos, audio, etc from your computer to your phone and back again. Thus, you get the cloud storage experience without having to trust your data to a third party.

The desktop and mobile apps are easy enough to set up and the UI is functional. There is a pro version with some extra features, but the free version does the basics just fine as long as you don’t need anything excessive. There are other great cloud storage services, but Resilio Sync is excellent for people on a budget.

TickTick

Price: Free / $27.99 per year

15 best free Android apps available right now (10)

TickTick is among the best to-do list apps on Android. It works a lot like Wunderlist, actually. You can make lists, share tasks with other people, organize your tasks in various ways, get reminders, set recurring tasks, and more. It’s also highly modular. That helps with organization. The widgets aren’t half bad either.

There is a pro version, but it adds things like calendar support and other additional features. The free version of this is far above what most other to-do list apps offer. It’s also clean, easy to use, and it’s great for small teams or family use. It’s technically not a free app. However, the free version functions better than most free to-do list apps. Don’t worry, you won’t need the premium version except in extreme cases. There are also other great options for to do list apps too.

Zedge

Price: Free with in-app purchases

15 best free Android apps available right now (11)

Zedge is pretty much a one-stop shop for things like wallpapers, ringtones, notification tones, and alarms. There is a very large selection of all of those things available in a variety of genres including fantasy, mainstream, funny, and pretty much whatever else you can think of. Zedge’s users add most of the content themselves.

Thanks to this, there is quite a bit of variety. There is also a premium option for wallpapers and those are pretty decent. Abstruct, Walli, and Tapet are better options for wallpapers, but the premium content in Zedge isn’t half bad and Zedge is basically the only truly great app left for ringtones. There are other great wallpaper apps and ringtone apps, but Zedge is the only one that can reliably do both.

Zoom

Price: Free / Varies

Zoom was one of the definitive apps of 2020. When the pandemic hit and everybody started working from home, Zoom became the app to beat for video conferencing. It has a fairly robust free version. You can do unlimited one-on-one video chats and 40-minute meetings with up to 100 people. That’s good enough for most use cases.

You can pay to remove many of those restrictions. The app lets you screen share, use a whiteboard to write stuff down, and it even includes things like end-to-end encryption. The app could be better and Zoom took its sweet time adapting to its new popularity. However, it managed to persevere.

If we missed any of the best free Android apps, tell us about them in the comments. To see our complete list of best app lists, click here.
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15 best free Android apps available right now (2024)

FAQs

15 best free Android apps available right now? ›

However, there are still some truly excellent apps out there that you can use for free. After all, good functionality shouldn't always involve spending money. These are the best free Android apps for Android as of right now.
...
  • Waze and Google Maps.
  • Imgur and Giphy.
  • Musicolet.
  • Resilio Sync.
  • TickTick.
  • Zedge.
  • Zoom.
Aug 1, 2022

What is the Number 1 Free App? ›

Google Play Ranking: The Top Free Overall in the United States
RankApp
1=TikTok by TikTok Pte. Ltd.
2=Amazon Shopping by Amazon Mobile LLC
3=Cash App by Square, Inc.
4=WhatsApp Messenger by WhatsApp LLC
54 more rows

What app is a must have on Android? ›

Google Play is the best place to download official Android apps. There are several million apps that you can download directly to your phone or tablet, and all the apps have to conform to the Google terms of service to be included in the Play Store.
...
Best for:Windows 🖥️
Best for:iOS 📳
2 more rows
Aug 1, 2022

What is the most downloaded app today? ›

Answer: TikTok has been the most downloaded app, and it is indeed the most used app so far, closely followed by Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Q #3) How many users are on TikTok? Answer: TikTok has over 1 billion active users worldwide.

What's the most popular app right now? ›

Here are the top 10 globally most-download apps of 2021:
  • Facebook: 416 million.
  • WhatsApp: 395 million.
  • Telegram: 329 million.
  • Snapchat: 327 million.
  • Zoom: 300 million.
  • Messenger: 268 million.
  • CapCut: 255 million.
  • Spotify: 203 million.
Dec 27, 2021

What is the #1 app in the world? ›

List of most popular smartphone apps
RankNameOwner
1TikTokByteDance
2YouTubeAlphabet
3TwitterTwitter, Inc.
4InstagramMeta
6 more rows

What kind of apps are in demand 2022? ›

What are the Top Mobile App Development Trends in 2022?
  • Rise of 5G. The 5G technology has been around for a while. ...
  • Apps for Foldable Devices. ...
  • AR & VR. ...
  • Wearable App Integration. ...
  • Food & Grocery Delivery Apps. ...
  • Mobile Entertainment & Gaming. ...
  • AI & Machine Learning. ...
  • There Will be More Focus on Mobile App Security.
Jan 3, 2022

What apps should not be on my phone? ›

8 Most Dangerous Android Apps You Should Not Install on Your...
  • UC Browser.
  • CLEANit.
  • Dolphin Browser.
  • Virus Cleaner - Antivirus Free & Phone Cleaner.
  • SuperVPN Free VPN Client.
  • RT News.
  • Super Clean - Master of Cleaner.
  • Fildo Music.
Dec 27, 2021

Which Android app is most downloaded? ›

Google Play Services and YouTube are the top two most downloaded apps.

What apps are in high demand? ›

These are some of the best on-demand apps in their respective fields:
  • Uber: On-demand taxi app.
  • Postmates: On-demand grocery delivery app.
  • Drizly: On-demand alcohol delivery app.
  • Soothe: On-demand massage therapy app.
  • Rover: On-demand dog walking app.
  • Zomato: On-demand food delivery app.
Sep 3, 2021

Which app is mostly used in USA? ›

Most Popular Apps 2021 (United States)

TikTok remained the most popular app in the US as well, increasing its total downloads for the year by two million.

What are the new apps? ›

The best NEW Android apps from July 2022
  • Capsll.
  • Google Wallet.
  • Health Connect by Android.
  • Linktree.
  • Pluma RSS Reader.
Jul 24, 2022

What kind of apps are most popular? ›

Social media apps are some of the most popular types of mobile apps available. We build our social networks, and most of us check in with them every day. Facebook alone reports over 1 billion active daily users.
...
2. Social Media Mobile Apps
  • Facebook.
  • Instagram.
  • Pinterest.
  • Snapchat.

What is the most deleted app? ›

#1) Dolphin Text Sizer (18.2%) – Quickly adjust font size to help you browse small text with ease. Interestingly enough, most of these are actually pretty decent apps, so it may be that they are uninstalled because users just didn't use them very often, rather than because of bugs.

Which apps should I delete Android? ›

Unnecessary Mobile Apps You Should Remove from Your Android Phone
  • Cleaning Apps. You do not need to clean your phone often unless your device is hard pressed for storage space. ...
  • Antivirus. Antivirus apps seem to be everybody's favorite. ...
  • Battery Saving Apps. ...
  • RAM Savers. ...
  • Bloatware. ...
  • Default Browsers.

What should I delete when my phone storage is full? ›

Delete Old Files

And when a phone's storage is almost full, it will automatically remove all backed-up photos and videos. If you don't want to do that, you can manually clear out your downloads by going through your download directory, Fisco says.

What's the best app to download? ›

15 Most Popular Apps To Download In 2021
  • LastPass: ...
  • Zoom: ...
  • Slack: ...
  • Todoist: ...
  • Pocket: ...
  • Headspace: ...
  • Google Fit: The health-tracking platform was developed by Google. ...
  • Mint. It is one of the best money management apps for Android.
Jun 6, 2022

Where can I find free apps? ›

How to find free apps for Android only
  • Download the AppSales app from the Google Play Store.
  • Access free Android apps on AppSales.net.
Sep 9, 2021

Do fasting apps free? ›

Fastic: Free Fasting App

You also get information on how the body works during the fasting window and give you access to other unique features like a step counter. Fastic is a free fasting app that you can install on Android and iOS.

What is the #1 app in the world? ›

List of most popular smartphone apps
RankNameOwner
1TikTokByteDance
2YouTubeAlphabet
3TwitterTwitter, Inc.
4InstagramMeta
6 more rows

What are some cool new apps? ›

  • Opera Touch. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and even Internet Explorer (or whatever the hell Microsoft is calling it these days) are all browsers more popular than Opera, the browser that time forgot. ...
  • Pocket Casts. ...
  • Weather Up.

How do I know if an app is free on Android? ›

While installing the application from Google Play Store you see a green ‘Install’ button on the app, which means that the app is free, though it might include some in-app purchases, as per the features. On the other hand, when the green button has a cost marked on it, it means that it is a paid app.

How do you get free apps for Android? ›

For those who prefer trying apps for free instead of paying in one go, we've mentioned some ways through which you can easily download, install and use premium apps on Android for free, without any charges.
...
  1. Aptoide App Store. ...
  2. Blackmart. ...
  3. AppSales. ...
  4. Paid Apps Gone Free. ...
  5. Google Opinion Rewards.
Apr 4, 2021

What is the free app on Samsung? ›

Samsung Free is best described as a content aggregator. The content includes news articles, podcasts, live TV, and even games. All of this lives in four tabs on the left-most home screen page.

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