Android is an open source operating system, but most of the components that come with it (such as Google services) are not. This lack also extends to the Google Play Store, and if you truly prefer free and open software on your mobile device, you'll need to look for alternatives within portals like Fossdroid, which sorts apps into several categories, offering each APK without restrictions or prior logins.
Android's Open Source Crisis
One of the big problems Google faces with Android is its identity crisis. The operating system is open source, but market demands and other technical details have installed among users the feeling that the Mountain View giant is closing it more and more under the lock of its "Google services". To this we must add the impressive performance of its direct competitor, Apple, which feels definitely comfortable developing a proprietary platform and exercising absolute control. Fortunately, all users carry a pinch of rebellion, and we will always find much more open resources that move away from restrictive and ultra-commercial visions.
What Fossdroid Offers
The most popular way to escape Google's dominance under Android is to set aside the official store and load APKs of open source software manually. The update process becomes more complicated, but there are applications like F-Droid that try to fix that. At the same time we find the portal Fossdroid, basically "F-Droid on the Web", which offers a very interesting amount of free and open apps, divided into thirteen categories. The number one option in the multimedia section is VLC Player, Firefox and K-9 Mail appear at the head of the Internet section, among games we have seen several emulators, and under the security label we can download tools like DroidWall (recommended for old versions of Android), AFWall+ and the Orbot client to access the Tor network.
Each of the entries has links to its official sites, to the F-Droid repository, and to the code, either direct copy or through GitHub. I understand that Fossdroid may not be the most comfortable option for the average user, but the decision to install free and open applications on mobile devices does not prioritize comfort.
