Find open-source Android alternatives without starting from a blank search box. FOSS Apps puts source repositories, install routes, categories, and available maintenance details into one searchable catalog.
Browse the live catalog · Download the latest release · Use the JSON data
Search all 116 listings, narrow by category or source, and share the filtered URL.
Quick views make it easy to compare privacy tools, utilities, media apps, and productivity choices.
The directory becomes a readable card list on a phone. Nothing is hidden behind a desktop-only table.
- Search names, descriptions, package IDs, source URLs, and available notes.
- Filter by 26 categories, install route, or source host.
- Open F-Droid, Play Store, website, and other listed install links directly.
- Share a filtered catalog view because the current filters stay in the URL.
- Reuse the complete catalog through a stable JSON export.
| Current catalog | |
|---|---|
| Apps | 116 |
| Categories | 26 |
| Listings with an install route | 99 |
| Data format | JSON schema 1 |
| License | CC0-1.0 |
This is a directory, not a security verdict. A listing means the project publishes source and fits the category. Before installing an APK, check the project's recent activity, permissions, release notes, and package signature.
The generated catalog has no server dependency.
git clone https://github.com/SysAdminDoc/foss-apps.git
cd foss-apps
py -3 -m http.server 8000Open http://127.0.0.1:8000/catalog.html in your browser. You can also extract the release ZIP and serve that folder in the same way.
catalog.json includes normalized category and app records. Every entry contains the source URL and may include store links, package identity, license, maintenance status, or signing notes when those details have been cataloged.
import json
from pathlib import Path
catalog = json.loads(Path("catalog.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
privacy_apps = [
app for app in catalog["apps"]
if app["category"] == "Security and Privacy"
]
print(f"Found {len(privacy_apps)} privacy and security apps")The export includes its schema version and source URLs. Additive fields may appear in future releases, so consumers should ignore keys they don't use.
Open the 26 category pages
- 🇯🇵 Anime
- 🏪 App Stores
- 🌐 Browser
- ➕ Calculators
- 📅 Calendars
- 🎨 Customization
- 🕹 Emulators
- 🎥 Entertainment
- 📂 File Managers
- 🎮 Games
- ⌨ Keyboards
- 📱 Launchers
- 🎓 Learning
- 🗺 Maps
- ⏯ Media Viewers and Players
- 🔑 Password Managers
- 👩🔧 Productivity
- 💻 Programming
- 🔐 Security and Privacy
- 👥 Social Media
- 🔄 Synchronization
- ⚙ System Info
- 💬 Texting and Phone
- 🛠 Utilities
- ⛅ Weather
Catalog records live in apps/. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before changing a record. It covers required fields, sorting, validation, and how to document maintenance or signing claims.
After editing a category file, run:
py -3 -m unittest discover -s tests
py -3 scripts/validate.py
py -3 scripts/build.py
py -3 scripts/check_links.py --timeout 10Generated files must be committed with the source record that changed. Do not edit catalog.html, catalog.json, or files under categories/ by hand.
Production artwork lives in assets/brand. The
concept archive preserves both original modular-catalog
directions without changing their source bytes. Its
selection.json record identifies
direction 02 as the approved refinement. The
selected master is an untouched
copy of that direction.
This repository began as a fork of albertomosconi/foss-apps. The current fork adds the searchable catalog, structured exports, local validation, review metadata, and its own maintained Pages site. Thanks to the original maintainer and every contributor whose catalog work remains in the history.
Catalog content and project materials are released under CC0-1.0.