Android Authority Writer Replaces Eight Popular Apps With Open-Source Alternatives

The article follows an earlier piece last month on replacements for Google’s more popular apps. It says not every app on the phone is made by Google, but that does not mean good open-source alternatives are unavailable. Some Google apps are hard to replace because of unmatched service integration, while many apps on this list are easier to switch out.

For passwords, the writer moved from LastPass to Bitwarden. LastPass was praised for ubiquity, including installation on almost any device, browser access and web viewing. But the writer cites security challenges and says LastPass is now desktop- or mobile-only rather than both, calling the lack of flexibility a big problem. Bitwarden offers self-hosting, a strong security record and cross-device syncing, and the writer says daily use has not produced a game-breaking issue.

For Reddit, the writer uses RedReader. The official Reddit app is described as horrible and was never used for thread browsing. Third-party apps RIF, Infinity and Boost improved the experience, but Reddit cut off API access to most of them several years ago. RedReader is exempt from those restrictions because it provides accessibility features Reddit does not offer. The app blocks ads and sponsored content, has a less cluttered and customizable interface, offers versatile playback and accessibility options, and provides more obvious comment indents and individually focusable lines in posts.

For PDFs, the writer moved from Adobe Reader to PaperKnife+. The article says many assume Adobe Reader is the only app for signing and merging documents, but PaperKnife+ can attach signatures, lock or unlock documents, compress them, extract pages or text and convert PDFs to other formats. The writer describes its interface as simple and clutter-free and notes it is free.

For general AI tasks, the writer replaced ChatGPT with AI Hub. ChatGPT was the preferred general AI taskmaster for quick responses and solid output, but a standalone app for one chatbot limits flexibility: checking its output or seeking a second opinion would require installing Claude or DeepSeek as well. AI Hub is an open-source gateway to 161 AI chatbots and services, blocks ads and trackers within those chatbots, filters free and paid services, and lets users disable products they do not use.

For two-factor authentication, the writer moved from Authy to Ente Auth. The article says 2FA is the most important shield after passwords because accounts with a second identification layer are harder to brute-force. Authy served for years, but the writer disliked its shift from a universal service to one primarily accessed on a phone and cited security lapses. He says he recently switched to Ente Auth after delaying for years.