shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Apkpure?

Not disclosed - apkpure.net

Depends. Worth using only if your device can't access Google Play (Huawei, region-locked) and you verify what you install. Skip it as a default app store, especially on work or managed devices.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources; many snippets were truncated.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usability evidence in reviewed sources
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
PremiumNot disclosed

Best for

  • Devices without Google Play
  • Region-locked app access
  • Sideloading older app versions

Not for

  • Anyone wanting a safe default app store
  • Work or MDM-managed devices
  • Non-technical users who won't verify APKs
  • Anyone avoiding stores with a breach history

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

The store itself was breached in 2021; its app delivered a Trojan. Verify before trusting.

medium

Free tier is ad-supported; the Premium price is not published on the page.

medium

Play Store and antivirus tools may show warnings when APKPure is installed.

medium

Users report some listings as fake or modified versions of open-source apps.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Access to apps unavailable on Google Play, e.g. on Huawei devices
  • Free to use; premium tier removes ads
  • Old versions of apps stay downloadable
  • Now uses signature verification and a multi-layer security framework
  • Large catalog spanning games, tools, and regional apps

Cons

  • Its own app distributed malware after a 2021 compromise
  • Three CVEs filed against it in 2023
  • Avast, AVG, and NordVPN all publish safety cautions
  • Hosts user-made game mods — elevated malware risk
  • APKs not filtered by device architecture, so installs can fail

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/05/2026 - 14 sources - Compromised in 2021 via its own app; three CVEs filed in 2023; antivirus vendors still caution users.

official x2review x6security x4news x2
  • Malicious code in APKPure app (2021), The APKPure Android app was tampered with to drop a Trojan; Kaspersky reported the infection in April 2021.
  • CVE-2023-27191 / -27192 / -27193, Three CVE records were filed against APKPure in April 2023; specifics were truncated in the sources reviewed.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 14

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Free core; ads fund it
  • Ease of use. No usability evidence in reviewed sources
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Old-version archives, signature verification, broad catalog
  • Support quality. No support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture: 1/5. 2021 malware incident plus three CVEs
  • $4M Est. annual revenue Owler estimate
  • Yes Free tier Ad-supported
  • 1 (2021) Major security incident App distributed a Trojan
  • 3 (2023) CVEs 27191, 27192, 27193

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Full app catalog
  • Ad-supported

Premium

Not disclosed

  • Ad-free browsing
  • Faster downloads

Security

Compromised in 2021 via its own app; three CVEs filed in 2023; antivirus vendors still caution users.

  • Malicious code in APKPure app (2021)The APKPure Android app was tampered with to drop a Trojan; Kaspersky reported the infection in April 2021.¹
  • CVE-2023-27191 / -27192 / -27193Three CVE records were filed against APKPure in April 2023; specifics were truncated in the sources reviewed.³

Alternatives

Compare Apkpure with each alternative.

  • Google Play Store

    Official, signed, safest source for Android apps.

  • Aurora Store

    Open-source Play client; no third-party APK rehosting.

  • APKMirror

    APK archive that verifies signatures against Play releases.

    Apkpure vs APKMirror

Companies that use it

  • (app listed on the store)
  • Honor of Kings (distribution partner)
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources; many snippets were truncated.

Free third-party APK store with a 2021 malware incident and 3 CVEs — fine for sideloading needs, risky as a Play Store default.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources; many snippets were truncated.

Sources

  1. Malicious code in APKPure appsecurelist.com
    security
  2. Hackers Tampered With APKPure Store to Distribute Malwarethehackernews.com
    security
  3. CVE-2023-27192 - NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  4. A Guide to APKPure: Is It Legal and Is It Safe?avast.com
    review
  5. Is APKPure Safe to Use on Android?avg.com
    review
  6. Is APKPure safe to use?nordvpn.com
    review
  7. APKPure Premium Subscriptionapkpure.com
    official
  8. APKPure product security pageapkpure.net
    official
  9. APKPure's Competitors, Revenue, Number of Employeesowler.com
    news
  10. APKPure Strengthens Multi-Layer Security Frameworkfinance.yahoo.com
    news
  11. Is the APKPURE version newpipe a FAKE one?reddit.com
    review
  12. My honest opinion about the P40 Litereddit.com
    review
  13. APKPure apps are not filtered by architecturegithub.com
    security
  14. Google Play Store vs APKPure?reddit.com
    review

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.