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I dumped 8 popular Android apps for these better open-
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Andy Walker / Android Authority
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I’ve been on a mission to replace as many Android apps on my phone with open-d replacements for Google’s more popular apps. Today, I’m looking to address some of the more important stragglers on my phone that weren’t made in Mountain View
Not every app on my phone is made by Google, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good open-le’s apps are rather difficult to replace due to their unmatched service integration, many of the apps on the list below are far simpler to switch out
Which Google app would you find most difficult to replace on your phone?
LastPass to Bitwarden
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Let’s start with the most important app on my phone, my password manager. Instead of remembering every single individual password to multiple accounts, password managers require just one password to unlock the vault. It forms the heart of my online security strategy while reducing my reliance on my forgetful mind.
I previously used LastPass for this task. Its strengths included its ubiquity — I could install it on practically any device, access it through almost every browser, or view my passwords on the web if need be. However, it has faced various security challenges in recent years and is now desktop- or mobile-only, rather than both. That lack of flexibility is a big problem.
Several years ago, I took all these gripes into account and decided to switch to Bitwarden. It took me a while to make the swap, but Bitwarden has been a stellar, if not more accomplished, alternative. It offers all the perks of LastPass, including the option to self-host passwords, an excellent security track record, and cross-device syncing. I use it daily, and I’ve yet to run into a game-breaking issue.
Reddit to RedReader
I won’t beat around the bush here, either: the Reddit app is horrible. In fact, I’ve never used the platform’s official app for my thread browsing needs. Apps like RIF, Infinity, and Boost made my Reddit experience so much better, but when the company cut off API access to most of them several years ago, I needed an alternative.
Enter RedReader. This open-ther apps because it provides accessibility features that Reddit doesn’t offer. This means I get the full benefits of many of the third-party apps I mentioned above in 2026
This includes ad and sponsored content blocking, a far less cluttered interface with plenty of customization possibilities, versatile content playback options, and accessibility options that’ll benefit everyone. These include more obvious comment indents and individually focusable lines in posts.
Adobe Reader to PaperKnife+
Adobe Reader is a hugely powerful PDF app that can manipulate the format in various ways. Many assume it’s the only app that can handle tasks like signing and merging documents, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s an open-
I’ve been using PaperKnife+ for several months now and haven’t looked back. It can attach signatures, lock or unlock documents, compress them, extract pages or text, and convert PDFs to other formats. As its name hints at, it’s a pocketknife for all the various PDF tasks you could ever come across.
The UI is wonderfully simple and clutter-free, too, and packs so much utility into a free package.
ChatGPT to AI Hub
The ChatGPT app was once a fixture on my Android phone. It’s my preferred general AI taskmaster thanks to its quick responses and solid output. But using a standalone app dedicated to one AI chatbot does have its limitations, the obvious one being a lack of flexibility. If I doubt ChatGPT’s output or want a second opinion, I’d need to ensure that I have Claude or DeepSeek installed as well. That’s just not practical.
AI Hub solves this problem more than a hundred times over. This open-sible without ever leaving the app. AI Hub also blocks ads and trackers within these chatbots, offers filters for free and paid services, and allows users to disable products they don’t use or care about
Authy to Ente Auth
Karandeep Singh / Android Authority
After passwords, two-factor authentication (2FA) is the single most important shield in my online security phalanx. Platforms secured with a secondary layer of identification that goes beyond a mere password are more difficult to brute-force. There aren’t many of my accounts without this double security layer.
My previous 2FA service, Authy, served me well for years, but recent moves and shake-ups haven’t instilled much confidence. I disliked its shift from a universal service to one primarily accessed on my phone. Then there are the various security lapses it has faced in its history.
After dragging my feet for years, I recently switched to Ente Auth. This open-d vault or a cloud-hosted one, giving me control over how I access my code. If using the latter setup, these can be retrieved in myriad ways, from its mobile platform to browser extensions. Lastly, Ente Auth‘s Android app is far more accommodating, packs sensible usability upgrades like highlighting future codes, and plenty of categorization options
Raindrop to Linkora
This was one of the more difficult switches I’ve made on my phone. Since a bookmarking or read-it-later app has become one of the centerpieces of my productivity flow, changing it could knock down several other dominoes.
My service of choice was Raindrop. It provides easy multi-device sync smarts, which allows me to save links on my PC and read them on my phone, packs various organizational smarts, and a pleasant web and app UI. It isn’t quite Pocket, but it does an admirable job at replacing it.
I recently switched to Linkora, an open-t alone gives me loads of flexibility, but it also means it doesn’t have the ease of use of Raindrop. That said, this hasn’t been as big of a problem as I first thought. Since I use Link to Windows, which allows me to open Android apps on my Windows desktop, I don’t necessarily need desktop access to save links
Either way, Linkora offers more comprehensive organization options, including multiple and nested folders, archiving older links, and the ability to save web pages for offline viewing.
Podcast Republic to Podium
Podcast Republic is a comprehensive Android podcasting app. Overflowing with features, it can often feel overwhelming to new and experienced users alike. This, undoubtedly, is part of its allure. There’s a tweak or a customization option for almost everything. But since I find it difficult to focus on primary tasks, I often find myself tweaking settings instead of doing the one thing the app is made for: listening to podcasts.
There are plenty of open-led Podium. It adopts Google’s Material 3 Expressive stylings to ensure it looks right at home on modern Android phones. It packs podcast discovery features, download options for offline listening, and sync smarts for podcast cloud platforms like Gpodder
Obsidian to Joplin
Obsidian has the same problem as Podcast Republic — it’s tremendously powerful and extendible, but again, this counts against it for some users. For me, Obsidian was my primary writing app for many years, facilitating my various ideation and editing tasks. But you shouldn’t use a racehorse to pull a carriage.
Since Obsidian was far too much of a platform for my modest requirements, I hopped over to Joplin. It’s far more at home living as a simple note-taking app, which better suited my text-heavy needs. It offers a Windows app, syncing features using cloud platforms I already pay for, and an easy-as-pie layout that puts work first and faff second.
Which mainstay app have you replaced with an open-
