UI = User Interface UX = User eXperience
Most open source apps offer out-dated or classic material design UI. If the apps works great and the UX is not terrible you might find it okay. But intuitive UI are better, and modern looking ones are pleasant to use, sadly they are not the majority. Here is my list of Beautiful Open Source Apps for your android device !
Also look at : The ultimate F-Droid setup for more open source android apps. and Beautiful Open Source Apps for iOS for your iOS device
Nice UI comes to personnal preference. So this list is only based on my taste of what is a good modern looking app.
While open source is great for privacy and security it is not perfect. So keep that in mind before downloading any apps. I again encourage you to do your own research about them and read their Privacy Policies.
I am not a privacy and security expert. I'm also don't consider myself as a developper so I do not have any technical knowledge and so I didn't look into any source code of any apps in this list !
The Dialer app is a built-in phone application on Android devices, which manages your call history and contacts. It provides quick access to making calls and sending text messages through the application interface, including popular messengers.
Apple iOS inspired dialer app
A reliable tool that helps you manage and organize files on your device without annoying ads. You can easily search, move, copy, delete and rename files and folders on your device.
Apple iOS inspired files manager app
Your private moments are protected. Discover Right Gallery, where your privacy is our priority.
Apple iOS inspired gallery app
Fast SMS messenger with iOS 16 style interface. Free and no ads. Supports work with two SIM cards.
Apple iMessage inspired SMS app
Open source Android app for streaming YouTube Music; multilingual support, customizable UI, offline song downloads, playlist management, and audio visualizer.
A great YouTubeMusic client for free !
About Rivo is an Android dialer built with Material 3 Expressive guidelines, with a focus on customization and a modern, intuitive calling experience.
A beautiful MaterialYou designed dialer app for Android
A real time translator app (require two devices)
A Material You video/audio downloader
This is a modern camera app focused on privacy and security. It includes modes for capturing images, videos and QR / barcode scanning along with additional modes based on CameraX vendor extensions (Portrait, HDR, Night Sight, Face Retouch and Auto) on devices where they're...
A modern looking camera app with QR and Barcode scanner built-in. Might not be compatible with every devices ! The quality of the photo process isn't amazing (good enough under great lightning condition) but the app has awesome features. Privacy in mind for this app.
Decentralized messenger with end-to-end encryption, no registration, no tracking, metadata protection, secure file sharing, and multi-device syncing.
The most beautiful anonymous and secure instant messenger app !
The shkipper is designed to make your life easier and organize your daily activities. Take notes, schedule reminders with flexible repeat modes (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) and don't forget important events.
A beautiful Notepad with interesting UX
Shots Studio turns your chaotic screenshot gallery into an intelligent, organized archive. Backed by powerful AI, it makes your screenshots searchable, taggable, and easy to browse — all while giving you control.
Sift is a minimalist recipe app for saving, organizing, and accessing your favorite recipes without ads or distractions.
An encrypted messaging app focused on privacy, supporting texts, calls, photos, videos, files, and group chats, with no ads or trackers.
The gold standard of messenger app !
Note : Private but require a phone number.
Simpill is a free and open-source application for medication reminders. It does not contain any ads or trackers nor does it collect any data on its users. You can block internet access to Simpill and it will still work perfectly.
Set reminders for medications !
Open source solution to protect your personal email address. Generous free plan with uncapped bandwidth and infinite sends/replies, self-hostable, lot of powerful features, open roadmap, you can count on SimpleLogin to guard your email inbox.
The best solution for e-mail aliases IMO. Private and easy to use !
Free open-source app offers ad-free music, video, and playlists from YouTube Music with lyrics, Spotify Canvas, offline caching, and SponsorBlock support.
An open source Spotify clone that uses YouTube Music to stream songs
Offline image editor offering brightness, contrast adjustments, vignette, border effects, and more; exports as JPEG or PNG with metadata options.
A basic image editor
AirDrop but cross-platform and works over Wi-Fi instead of bluetooth
Snaptick is a user-friendly app designed to boost your productivity by helping you organize and achieve your daily plans effortlessly. With a clean and easy-to-use interface, this app offers essential features like task creation and editing, task prioritization, a built-in...
Gorgeous Task manager
SongTube is a new beautiful and fast application made in flutter, it supports YouTube audio and video downloading at any quality, In-App YouTube Browser, audio conversion, Playlists and an Audio tags editor.
The best looking
YouTube client. Allow you to stream and download video and audio. Listen in the background or watch in Picture-in-Picture mode. Also work as a local music player !
A beautiful, extensible search-based Android launcher that helps you get things done faster. Everything you need is right at your fingertips. No more searching through grids of icons. This is still a work in progress.
An open source launcher
Stealth provides features from Reddit, without the need for an account. In fact, the app doesn't even let you log in with a Reddit account.
The best looking
Reddit client IMO. Private and account-less but you still can follow subreddits and users, locally liking or saving posts, download images and videos
StoryPad is an open source, privacy-focused, local-first journal that lets you capture your life: notes, thoughts, emotions, and memories on a single, continuous timeline. No folders. No tabs. Just your life, beautifully organized.
Android video subtitle editor - SubTypo benefits: doesn't collect data, free to use, user-friendly interface, ad-free.
If you need to edit subtitle on an Android device this hsould do it fine !
Symphony is a lightweight, elegant music player that enhances your offline music experience.
A beautiful lightweight local music player
Syphon is privacy focused end-to-end encrypted capable matrix client aiming to feel comfortable and easy to use.
Another beautiful
Matrix client for mobile more oriented to privacy of its users !
Tasks is libre open-source software, based on the original source code from the popular Astrid Tasks & To Do List! Tasks is easy-to-use, feature-packed, flexible and customizable, and synchronizes with a variety of services.
My ToDo app of choice !
If you're tired of having to check a dozen websites and RSS feeds for your daily dose of news, then Thud is the app for you. Using a sleek, mosaic-like interface, Thud organizes all your news and feeds in one place so you can easily stay informed.
A really nice RSS feed agregator !
Tie Tracker is a free and open source time tracking application. Its is meant to be simple and aims to allow you to track working hours across projects.
Mobile app for planning tasks for the day with multimodule architecture, MVI, Compose, Room, Voyager, AlarmManager, Notification, Charts.
Plan your days to better use your time ! And see your personal analytics
The main feature of this app is there is no "stop" option. Once you have completed one activity, you have to set a timer for the next one, even if it's a "sleeping" activity.
All in one productivity tool
Encrypted platform supporting private, identifier-free messaging, group conversations, file sharing, and audio/video calling, using a double-ratchet protocol.
A private E2EE messenger without unique identifier (ID)
Another well designed ToDo app
Another FOSS ToDo app with a great minimal design
The Tor software protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your Internet connection from learning what sites you visit, it prevents the sites you visit from learning...
The best browser for privately browsing the web. The UI is really nice but the UX is not the best since page are slow to load because of the onion routing.
A beautiful, private and ad-free wight tracking app
Offline-first app for organizing tasks and notes, with smart creation, calendar view, Markdown and encryption, Material You design, and no tracking or ads.
Tsacdop is a podcast player developed with Flutter, a clean, simply beautiful and friendly app, which is also free and open source.
The best looking open source podcast app IMO.
Note : It's podcasT backward
Twine is a modern, open-source RSS reader designed to put you back in the driver’s seat. Twine combines a beautiful, distraction-free interface with powerful tools to help you stay informed on your own terms.
A beautiful RSS Reader for both Android and iOS
Ulangi is a vocabulary management. You can add, archive, delete vocabulary. You can learn them with Spaced Repetition and do quiz. It also has built-in dictionary and translation.
Kinda the open source
Quizlet
The Unstoppable wallet app has been work in progress since late 2017 and counts over 100K engineering hours!
THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICE !
If you want to learn more on how to buy, store and use crypto the right way to empower your sovereignty and/or privacy look at my other list Doing crypto the right way !
The most underrated open source multi-crypto wallet ! Supports BTC, ETH, LTC, DASH, SOL, AVAX, MATIC, BNB SmartChain and more !
Remove tracker from links
Vectorify da home! is a minimal and open source app to apply wallpapers from a vast (400+) collection of vector graphics:
A nice app for customizing your phone's wallpaper ! Easy to use and beautiful UI !
A nice looking spending tracker. Minimalist app
The best looking app scanner that tells you which apps contains which trackers ! Really useful to show your friends that almost nothing is really free on the internet.
With Wassword you can easily generate complex passwords and use them for your online accounts. Choose length and chars to be used and generate your passwords safely.
If you don't use a password manager or just want an external password generator this one is modern looking.
An open source weather app inspired by old and new Pixel Weather app. Is based on web tech such as JS
Open Source doesn't mean ugly
Comments
Thanks for sharing! Will check some of these out!
I'd also add Element(.io) it's pretty much Signal privacy with Discord type of features and it's decentralized. I think it has better security than Signal.
edit: Ended up leaving Buttercup for KeepassXC so nvm that
But nice list! Saw some apps that i haven't heard of so I'll look into those.
You right I've forgot Element. It's not better than Signal tho, it's a different usecase. Never heard of Buttercup, will look into it.
Happy to hear that you discover new apps, I hope you'll like using them !