Who Obtainium is for#
Privacy-focused users on de-Googled Android ROMs
On Android ROMs without Google Play Services, there is no automatic update mechanism for sideloaded apps. Obtainium fills that gap by polling GitHub, F-Droid, and other sources directly, delivering background update notifications without any Google infrastructure.
Skip if:
If your device has Play Services and you primarily use Play Store apps, Obtainium adds complexity without proportional benefit. It is most useful when your apps come from sources outside the Play Store.
Developers following FOSS projects on GitHub
Many FOSS Android apps publish releases on GitHub before they reach F-Droid or the Play Store, or never submit to those stores at all. Obtainium lets you track a project's GitHub releases directly, including pre-release builds if you configure it to include those.
Skip if:
If your target apps are all available on F-Droid or the Play Store and the update delay there does not matter, the dedicated clients for those stores are a simpler fit.
Power users who track beta or nightly Android builds
Obtainium's per-app filters let you pin an app to a specific release channel, pulling pre-releases for some apps while staying on stable for others. You can block builds matching certain naming patterns, which is not possible through any managed app store.
Skip if:
If you only need stable releases and are not testing pre-release builds, the configuration options exceed what most users need. F-Droid or the Play Store are simpler for stable-only use.
The problem it solves#
Android app stores curate slowly and selectively. Apps distributed through GitHub releases, Forgejo, or F-Droid repositories often lag behind the official release by days or weeks, and some projects never reach the Play Store at all. Manually checking every project's release page does not scale past a handful of apps.
The fallback most power users end up using is subscribing to each project's GitHub notifications, which mixes release announcements with issues, pull requests, and other activity. Finding the correct APK for your device's CPU architecture, downloading it, and triggering the install still requires separate manual steps for each update. On de-Googled devices without Play Services, there is no system-level update mechanism at all.
How it solves it#
Multi-source APK tracking
Monitors over 20 app sources including GitHub, GitLab, Forgejo, Codeberg, F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, SourceHut, APKPure, Aptoide, Uptodown, itch.io, Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery, and more. Each source is tracked independently, so one device can pull updates from GitHub repos, F-Droid repositories, and third-party stores at the same time.
Per-app filters and release channel settings
Each tracked app can be configured with filters for release channels (stable, beta, nightly), CPU architectures, and file naming patterns. This handles the variation in release schemes across projects, so Obtainium installs the correct build on the first try rather than presenting a list of unfiltered release assets.
Crowdsourced app configuration database
A community-maintained database at apps.obtainium.imranr.dev hosts ready-made configurations for hundreds of FOSS apps. You can import a working setup in one step instead of figuring out the correct source URL, filter pattern, and architecture setting for each app yourself. New configurations are contributed and reviewed via a public GitHub repository.
HTML fallback for any APK-hosting page
A generic HTML source type lets Obtainium extract APK download links from any webpage that lists APK files, covering apps not hosted on a recognized platform. Combined with direct APK link support, this means Obtainium can track nearly any publicly distributed Android build, not only those on explicitly supported source sites.
Configuration export, import, and deep links
App lists and per-app configurations can be exported to a file or shared as Obtainium deep links. Deep links let project maintainers embed a one-click import badge in their README, so users can add the app to Obtainium directly without typing URLs. The format is documented in the Obtainium Wiki.
Strengths and trade-offs#
Strengths
- Zero server infrastructure requiredObtainium runs entirely on the Android device with no backend server, no account, and no cloud component. Unlike MDM-based update tools or managed app stores that route through vendor infrastructure, the only network traffic is between your device and the original source platform.
- Verified builds with reproducible F-Droid signaturesThe F-Droid flavor of Obtainium uses the same signing certificate as the GitHub release builds, verified through F-Droid's reproducible build process. The SHA-256 certificate hash is published in the README so users can confirm the installed APK matches the expected signature.
- Over 20,000 stars, actively maintainedThe repository has over 20,000 GitHub stars and was last updated in September 2026, with 622 forks. Active community maintenance matters here because each supported source site can change its page layout at any time, requiring scraper updates across more than 20 integrations.
- Community-contributed configuration ecosystemA separate GitHub repository hosts ready-made app configurations for Obtainium, reducing setup friction for common FOSS apps. Users contribute and request configurations through the same public repository, so coverage grows as the community adds projects they track.
Trade-offs
- -Web scraping fragility on some sourcesFor sources without a structured API, Obtainium gathers release data by scraping HTML. When a source site changes its layout, update detection for affected apps breaks until the scraper is updated. The README lists this as a known limitation. Sources with proper APIs like GitHub and GitLab are less affected.
- -Android-only, no iOS or desktopObtainium is built exclusively for Android. There is no iOS version, no desktop app, and no web interface. If your app management needs extend beyond Android, you will need separate tooling for other platforms.
- -Requires sideloading permission enabledInstalling apps from outside the Play Store requires enabling the 'Install unknown apps' permission on your Android device for the relevant downloader. This is a standard Android setting but requires a deliberate setup step, and Android will display a warning by default.
Obtainium vs alternatives#
Obtainium vs Google Play Store
The Google Play Store is the default Android app distribution channel, offering automatic background updates and a catalog of millions of apps with Google's security scanning. Obtainium is built for tracking and installing apps that fall outside the Play Store catalog, or for getting releases faster than the Play Store's review and publishing cycle allows.
| Feature | Obtainium | Google Play Store |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Server infrastructure | None (on-device only) | Google cloud |
| App sources | 20+ (GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, etc.) | Play Store catalog only |
| Google account required | No | Yes |
| Works without Play Services | Yes | No |
| Update speed | Immediate on developer publish | Play Store review delay |
Obtainium is the better choice when your apps live outside the Play Store, including FOSS tools distributed only through GitHub releases or F-Droid. It is also better for de-Googled Android devices and for users who want to control which specific build version they install, including pre-releases. The Play Store remains the better fit for mainstream consumer apps, where it provides wider app coverage, a refund policy, and managed staged rollouts. Users who need both mainstream apps and FOSS-only apps typically run Obtainium alongside their existing app store rather than as a replacement.
Obtainium vs APKPure
APKPure is a commercial, ad-supported APK distribution platform that mirrors Play Store apps and hosts independently submitted APKs. Both services let users install apps from outside the Play Store, but they differ in source coverage, trust model, and licensing.
| Feature | Obtainium | APKPure |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 | Proprietary |
| Source | Developer's own release page | APKPure's centralized mirror |
| Server infrastructure | None (on-device only) | APKPure servers |
| Ads | None | Yes (free tier) |
Obtainium fetches APKs directly from the developer's release channel, giving you the same build the developer signed and published. APKPure mirrors apps from the Play Store and other sources to a central server, which is convenient for finding mainstream apps but introduces an additional intermediary in the trust chain. Obtainium is the better choice for FOSS apps from GitHub where source freshness matters. APKPure is more useful for finding Play Store apps on devices without Play Services, where Obtainium offers no advantage unless the developer also publishes releases independently.
What it's built on#
- Languages
- DartKotlin
FAQ#
Is Obtainium free to use?
Yes, Obtainium is GPL-3.0 licensed and free to download, use, and modify. It is available through GitHub Releases, IzzyOnDroid, and F-Droid at no cost. There is no paid tier, subscription, or in-app purchase.
Does Obtainium work without Google Play Services?
Yes. Obtainium has no dependency on Google Play Services. It communicates directly with source platforms like GitHub, F-Droid, and GitLab to check for updates, making it fully functional on de-Googled Android ROMs and devices that never had Play Services installed.
What sources does Obtainium support for app updates?
Obtainium supports over 20 sources including GitHub, GitLab, Forgejo, Codeberg, F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid, SourceHut, APKPure, Aptoide, Uptodown, itch.io, Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery, and more. A generic HTML fallback lets you track apps from any page that lists APK files, covering sources not explicitly listed.
Can Obtainium break when a source site updates its design?
Yes, for sources that use web scraping rather than a structured API, layout changes on the source site can break update detection until the scraper is updated. The README lists this as a known limitation. Sources with structured APIs, like GitHub and GitLab, are less affected by this.
Where can I find pre-configured app setups for Obtainium?
The community maintains a database of ready-made configurations at apps.obtainium.imranr.dev. You can browse and import configurations for hundreds of FOSS apps without setting up source URLs or filters yourself. New requests and contributions go through the GitHub repository for that site.
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