App store privacy ratings
Stores and installers for mobile apps, including ones that do not need a Google account.
9 app stores are rated against 6 public criteria, and 9 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 2 with a known jurisdiction, 2 are based in a Five Eyes country, and 2 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Open-source app stores only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit | No account needed | Shows trackers and anti-features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Installable catalogue of FOSS applications for Android, with a client that browses, installs and tracks updates of apps on your device. |
Grade A | 92 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes |
Open source Android client for F-Droid repositories with background updates, several install methods and one-tap repository adding. |
Grade B | 85 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Open source Android client for F-Droid repositories with around a hundred built-in repositories, reproducible build labels and a privacy panel that lists trackers and permissions. |
Grade B | 85 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Android app store with signing key pinning, signed repository metadata and unattended updates. Developers upload apps signed with their own keys, and it is still in alpha. |
Grade B | 77 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Open source Android app that installs and updates apps directly from their release pages, such as GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg and F-Droid repositories, and notifies when new releases appear. |
Grade B | 77 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
F-Droid compatible repository of free and open source Android apps, distributing APKs built and signed by their developers after security and library scans, with reproducible build checks. |
Grade C | 73 | 100% | – | Partial | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Open source Android client for the Google Play Store that downloads apps from Google's servers without Google Play Services. It can use a personal Google account or shared anonymous accounts. |
Grade D | 46 | 100% | – | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Apple's app store for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Vision Pro. It is the main way to install apps on Apple devices and requires an Apple Account. |
Grade F | 15 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | Partial | No | No | No | Partial |
Google's app store for Android, preinstalled on most Android devices. It distributes apps, games and in-app purchases and requires a Google account to install apps. |
Grade F | 4 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | No | No | No | No | Partial |
Questions
What is the most private option among app stores?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are app stores rated?
Each entry answers 6 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, independent audit, no account needed and shows trackers and anti-features. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.