Accrescent
An open-source Android app store focused on security and privacy, with pinned signing keys and signed metadata.
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About Accrescent
Accrescent is an Android app store built around security and privacy. It pins each app's signing key, so the first install is verified rather than trusted blindly. Its repository metadata is signed to prevent tampering. Developers keep full control of their own signing keys. On Android 12 and later, updates install automatically without privileged system access, and downloads are optimised split APKs to save bandwidth.
No account is needed to install apps. Accrescent runs on Android 10 and up and is still in alpha. GrapheneOS users are advised to install it from the GrapheneOS App Store.
Strengths
- Signing key pinning and signed repository metadata
- Automatic unattended updates without privileged access on Android 12+
- No account required to install apps
- Developers keep control of their own signing keys
Limitations
- Still in alpha
- Small app catalogue compared with larger stores
- Requires Android 10 or later
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, supported by donations.
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Developer
- The Accrescent contributors
- Platforms
- Android
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Not required
- Works offline
- No
- Best suited for
- Privacy-minded Android and GrapheneOS users who want verified app installs and updates
- Categories
- Android stores, Security tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 2 sources on file.
Alternatives to Accrescent
Compare allSoftware that can replace Accrescent for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
F-Droid
An app store and client for free and open-source Android apps that works without a Google account.
F-Droid offers a larger catalog of free and open source apps built from source, supports Android 7.0 and newer, and requires enabling installation from unknown sources.
Aurora Store
An open-source client for the Google Play catalog that installs and updates apps without a Google account.
Aurora Store gives access to the Google Play catalog without a Google account, but relies on a reverse engineered API and cannot install paid apps.
Droid-ify
An uncluttered Android client for browsing and installing apps from F-Droid repositories.
Droid-ify installs apps from F-Droid-format repositories with automatic background updates and supports session, root and Shizuku installation methods, instead of Accrescent's own signed store.
Zapstore
An open Android app store built on Nostr where each release is signed by its developer.
Zapstore also relies on developer-signed releases but is built on Nostr, has a catalog of more than 3,000 apps, and adds tipping and comments.
Obtainium
An Android updater that installs apps directly from developer release pages such as GitHub and GitLab.
Obtainium installs apps directly from developer release pages such as GitHub and GitLab, with no curated store, and requires Android 8.0 or newer.
Komi Store
An open-source app store for installing apps published as releases on GitHub, Codeberg and Forgejo.
Komi Store installs open-source apps from GitHub, Codeberg and Forgejo releases with a browse view, but only covers apps that publish releases on those forges.
Accrescent as an alternative
Listings that name Accrescent as an alternative.
IzzyOnDroid
A third-party F-Droid repository of open-source Android apps built and signed by their own developers.
Accrescent distributes developer-signed apps through its own open source client with signing key pinning, but it is in alpha with a small catalogue.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
InstallerX Revived
An open-source Android package installer that handles APK, split APK and bundle formats.
APKUpdater
An open-source Android app that checks several sources for updates to your installed apps.
FFUpdater
An open-source Android app that installs and updates privacy-focused browsers from their official sources.
