Alternatives to the 59 Banned Apps in India and Their Development Cost

The political tensions between India and China have been fluctuating for the past couple of weeks. China has been at the center of global scrutiny, and its recent advances towards the Indian border have prompted the Indian Government’s response, which came in the form of a ban on fifty- nine of the Chinese applications in the Indian space. 

The banned applications relate to various Industries, and as the ban takes effect, people have started looking for alternatives. With all these apps going out of the market, there is also a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs. If you can summon up a little innovation, and provide a better solution to the people looking for an alternative.

The need for innovative solutions is imminent, and, if you have a slight bit of interest in developing an app, and providing a solution, this is probably the best time for that.

Before you do that, however, you need to figure out what the cost is going to be for your dream project.

This article is going to be providing the present alternatives to the banned apps, along with the price considerations for entrepreneurs looking to build similar apps. But before we begin,

Let’s look at the list of banned apps in India

• TikTok
• Shareit
• Kwai
• UC Browser
• Baidu map
• Shein
• Clash of Kings
• DU battery saver
• Helo
• Likee
• YouCam makeup
• Mi Community
• CM Browser
• Virus Cleaner
• APUS Browser
• ROMWE
• Club Factory
• Newsdog
• Beauty Plus
• WeChat
• UC News
• QQ Mail
• Weibo
• Xender
• QQ Music
• QQ Newsfeed
• Bigo Live
• SelfieCity
• Mail Master
• Parallel Space
• Mi Video Call – Xiaomi
• WeSync
• ES File Explorer
• Viva Video – QU Video Inc
• Meitu
• Vigo Video
• New Video Status
• DU Recorder
• Vault- Hide
• Cache Cleaner DU App studio
• DU Cleaner
• DU Browser
• Hago Play With New Friends
• Cam Scanner
• Clean Master – Cheetah Mobile
• Wonder Camera
• Photo Wonder
• QQ Player
• We Meet
• Sweet Selfie
• Baidu Translate
• Vmate
• QQ International
• QQ Security Center
• QQ Launcher
• U Video
• V fly Status Video
• Mobile Legends
• DU Privacy

Now, let’s look at the alternatives for these Applications

Video-Sharing Social Media Apps

In the list of banned apps, there are plenty of video-sharing social media apps such as Tiktok, Helo, BigoLive, Vigo Video, Vmate, Kwai, UVideo, New Video Status, etc.

If you’ve been using these applications, you can go for Snapchat, Youtube, Instagram, Bolo Indya, IGTV, Triller, etc. All these platforms are popular and give you plenty of features to tinker with and play.

Browser Apps

Few of the Chinese browsers also have been banned in India. These apps include the UC Browser, DU Browser, CM Browser, & APUS Browser.

You can replace all these applications with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc. You’ll get similar, if not better, service with any of these applications.

Security Apps

For mobile security, you may have some of the banned apps on your phone. These include Virus Cleaner, QQ Security Center, etc.

Instead of any Chinese security apps, you can use Avast antivirus, BitDefender, Avira, ESET, and so on. These applications are safer and effective alternatives for their Chinese counterparts.

Apps like Parallel space and DU Privacy are also amongst the banned apps, and you can find an alternative for these in Multiple app cloner, Dual apps (for Parallel Space), and, App Hider (for DU Privacy).

Image Editing and Beautification Apps

Users tend to play with the phone camera a lot, hence the onset of a variety of camera apps that help with editing and beautification of the output with various filters and effects. Amongst the banned applications from China in this category are, YouCam Makeup, Beauty Plus, Photo Wonder, SelfieCity, Wonder Camera, Sweet Selfie, Meitu, etc.

You can replace these apps with alternative apps such as Candy Camera, B612, PicsArt, Prisma, Snapseed, etc.

Video editing app Viva Video has also been banned, and you can use Artisto, timelapse, Splice, FilmorGo, iMovie, Kinemaster, etc., instead of the banned apps.

ES File Explorer & QQ Launcher

ES File Explorer is a file management app, and in its place, you can choose from Amaze file manager, Root explorer, X Plore file manager, Total Commander, etc. If you want to replace QQ Launcher, you can use Microsoft Launcher, Nova Launcher, Evie Launcher, Niagara Launcher, etc. depending on your taste.

DU App Studio was also banned, and you can opt for Nimbledroid, or Thunkable, instead of this app.

Gaming Apps

Mobile Legends and Clash of Kings were also amongst the banned apps. Gaming lovers can try Call of Duty, Garena Free Fire, Ludo King, Marvel Contest of Champions, etc.

Mobile Maintenance

Apps like DU Cleaner, Cache Cleaner, Clean master, have also been banned, and you can use Norton Security and Antivirus, The Cleaner, Finally Clean, Files by Google, SD Maid, etc.

Sharing Apps

Sharing apps such as Shareit and Xender are also not an option after the ban, and you can go for Files by Google, Share all, Jio Switch, etc.

Shopping Apps

For shopping, Shein, ROMWE, Clubfactory, are no longer an option in India. Alternate applications for the same purpose are Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, etc.

Other Camera Apps

Applications like Camscanner and Mi video call are also banned. Camsacnner, which is an app for document scanning, can be replaced with Adobe Scan, Microsoft office lens, Pocket Scanner, LaserFiche, etc.

Mi video call is a video calling app, and in its stead, you can use Messenger app, Google Duo, Skype, Whatsapp Messenger, etc.

Convenience Apps

For enhancing your mobile experience, you may be using some of the apps which are on the list. Baidu Map, Baido Translate, QQ Mail, Mail Master, Battery saver are amongst these apps.

Instead of Baidu Map, you can use Google Maps or HERE Maps. Similarly, for Baido Translate, you can use Google Translate, iTranslate, Microsoft Translator, DeepL, or Linguee.

QQ Mail and MailMaster are Email Clients, and instead of these, you can use Gmail, Bluemail, OutLook, Spike, Edison Mail, etc.

Instead of battery saver, you can use Greenify, Servicely, GSAM Battery Monitor, Wakelock Detector, etc., to boost your mobile’s performance.

Social (chatting) Apps

Social apps like Wechat, We meet, WeSync, are amongst the banned applications. Instead of these apps, you can use Whatsapp, Google Hangouts, Viber, Couplete, Facebook, LoveByte, Instagram, etc.

MI community, Weibo, and QQ International are also amongst the banned apps. You will find Reddit, NewsVine, Medium, Quora, FriendFeed, 12 Seconds, etc., a delightful alternative to these apps.

Music Apps

QQ Music and QQ player are also not going to be available in India. Instead of these apps, you can install Spotify, Tidal, Amazon prime music, Jio music, Apple music (for QQ Music), and Google Play Music, Media monkey, VLC media player, Poweramp, Mx Player Plex (for QQ Player), etc.

News Apps

Some Chinese news apps have also been banned, such as NewsDogs, UCNews, QQ Newsfeed, etc. Instead of this, you can use Inshorts, Google News, Pocket, Reuters, News360, etc.

Here’s a summary of banned apps along with their alternatives

Banned Apps	Alternatives Apps	Category
Tiktok, Helo, BigoLive, Vigo Video, Vmate, Kwai, UVideo, New Video Status	Snapchat, Youtube, Instagram, Bolo Indya, IGTV, Triller	Video-Sharing and Social Media
UC Browser, DU Browser, CM Browser, & APUS Browser	Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge	Browser
Virus Cleaner, QQ Security Center, Parallel space and DU Privacy	Avast antivirus, BitDefender, Avira, ESET, Multiple app cloner, Dual apps and App Hider	Security Apps
YouCam Makeup, Beauty Plus, Photo Wonder, SelfieCity, Wonder Camera, Sweet Selfie, Meitu, Viva Video	Candy Camera, B612, PicsArt, Prisma, Snapseed, Artisto, timelapse, Splice, FilmorGo, iMovie, Kinemaster	Image and Video Editing
ES File Explorer, QQ Launcher, DU App Studio	Amaze file manager, Root explorer, X Plore file manager, Total Commander, Microsoft Launcher, Nova Launcher, Evie Launcher, Niagara Launcher, Nimbledroid, or Thunkable	ES File Explorer & QQ Launcher
Mobile Legends and Clash of Kings	Call of Duty, Garena Free Fire, Ludo King, Marvel Contest of Champions	Gaming Apps
DU Cleaner, Cache Cleaner, Clean master	Norton Security and Antivirus, The Cleaner, Finally Clean, Files by Google, SD Maid	Mobile Maintenance
Shareit and Xender	Files by Google, Share all, Jio Switch	Sharing Apps
Shein, ROMWE, Clubfactory	Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal	Shopping Apps
Wechat, We meet, WeSync	Whatsapp, Google Hangouts, Viber, Couplete, Facebook, LoveByte, Instagram	Chat Apps
QQ Music and QQ player	Spotify, Tidal, Amazon prime music, Jio music, Apple music, Google Play Music, Media monkey, VLC media player, Poweramp, Mx Player Plex	Music Apps

How much does it cost to build similar apps?

On average, the cost of developing an Android or iOS application is around $5,000 – $20000 with some basic functionality for a single platform. The total cost of developing a video sharing app like the Tiktok may rise to $35000 -$50000 for various platforms like Android and iOS in India with basic features.

Conclusion

The App Ban in India does not come as a surprise after recent Chinese Instigation, and very well may be the beginning of a global reaction towards China.

Whatever the case may be, India is now looking for new alternatives and local solutions for the services provided by China. Right now, people are opting for local or non- Chinese foreign alternates for most of these apps.  It is probably the best time for entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity, and provide people with a trustable and innovative solution to fill the gap.