Where can I find side-by-side app comparisons?

[Bklyn 1]

It seams for every kind of important function, there are at least 2-5 apps. Sometimes more.

In example:

Shopping apps
Location search apps
Note apps
Back-up apps

With all the websites and forums...there does not seem to be a place where Android apps are compared directly against each other. I'm constantly trying to find the "best in class" app before I download one of them.

I'm trying to avoid downloading and removing a bunch of them in a "trial and error" fashion.

I am amazed that these types of comparisons have not been done and documented a thousand times over.

 

[Podivin]

I can't imagine such a thing exists. The way new apps are added and existing apps are updated it would be a full time (yet, unpaid) job for someone to keep up with testing the apps and updating the site. Add to that the fact that people generally can't agree on what constitutes the 'best' app - I don't think you'll be seeing this.

 

[Bklyn 1]

7 Free WikiPedia iPhone Apps Compared [splitbrain.org]

Above is one of the few links that actually compares apps. In this particular case...the multitude of Wikipedia apps. This is what I'm trying to find more of.

I don't know if its just my demographic of friends, but we are all trying to find some way to isolate the "best in class" apps quickly without having to go crazy sifting through the net, comments and various opinions.

The approach that seems to work so far is to use the most popular/downloaded apps because they seem to have the most updates and fixes when things do not operate properly. The 3rd part apps appear to be less functional and cause problems...even if they are cooler...

 

[nightfishing]

I
I'm trying to avoid downloading and removing a bunch of them in a "trial and error" fashion.

Why?

It's the only way to find out which is the "best" for you and is one of the "perks" of the android market (24hr no-risk policy).

User ratings/reviews will eliminate the really poor choices. Download numbers will show you the "popular" choices. Just dl the ones that sound "good" and try them out.

Or read thru any of the hundreds of "best" apps posts all thru the forums and get some good, some bad and some ridiculous "reviews".

App comparisons are almost always so biased that they provide nothing of value.

 

[nightfishing]

The 3rd part apps appear to be less functional and cause problems...even if they are cooler...

No truth whatsoever to this.

 

[Bklyn 1]

Nightfishing -

There are some of us that don't have the time or want to spend the time researching all of this. There are many apps for each task and they range from awesome to terrible. In my opinion, there are almost too many apps for the same things.

Please remember that everyone has a different want from their phone and its apps. I have been taking a path of primarily using the Google apps because I can trust their development and support.

My statement about 3rd party apps is solely based on my experiences in the few short months since I bought my phone. I understand you disagree...but this is what I have found thus far. I'm a neutral, not-tech-savvy user. I have no biased.

Maybe as I continue experimenting my experiences will be different.

In the meanwhile, if someone did create a website that attempted to generate "side-by-side" comparisons (not unlike Consumer Reports)...I can guarantee it would receive a tremendous amount of traffic for those of us that are simply trying to cut to the chase of what to download.

 

[XtremeAaron]

It seams for every kind of important function, there are at least 2-5 apps. Sometimes more.

In example:

Shopping apps
Location search apps
Note apps
Back-up apps

With all the websites and forums...there does not seem to be a place where Android apps are compared directly against each other. I'm constantly trying to find the "best in class" app before I download one of them.

I'm trying to avoid downloading and removing a bunch of them in a "trial and error" fashion.

I am amazed that these types of comparisons have not been done and documented a thousand times over.

Hello BKLYN. My website just launched, but I do have a few comparison articles and videos that are in the finishing stages before I post them up. They should be posted shortly. Link is in my sig, keep an eye out and/or follow on twitter.

What specific comparisons are you looking for?

Thanks.

 

[takeshi]

I'm constantly trying to find the "best in class" app before I download one of them.

I'm trying to avoid downloading and removing a bunch of them in a "trial and error" fashion.

I am amazed that these types of comparisons have not been done and documented a thousand times over.

The problem is that best is subjective, regardless of topic. You can use individual reviews to narrow down candidates to the point where you only have a few apps to test out first hand.

I can't imagine such a thing exists. The way new apps are added and existing apps are updated it would be a full time (yet, unpaid) job for someone to keep up with testing the apps and updating the site.

No kidding. The number of permutations becomes ridiculous very quickly. If the OP wants to tackle this, then by all means go ahead.

There are some of us that don't have the time or want to spend the time researching all of this. There are many apps for each task and they range from awesome to terrible. In my opinion, there are almost too many apps for the same things.

I can understand that even though it's not the approach I use. I'd suggest looking at an app's popularity. It isn't a guarantee of quality but seems to frequently be a good starting point if you don't want to dig into the details.

I find word of mouth (whether IRL or online) to be more reliable but it's not really the most direct method in that the answers available aren't necessarily for the questions you want answered.

 

[takeshi]

(nm - dupe)

 

[Bklyn 1]

Thanks to all of you...

Takeshi - I agree that as I look into it, # of downloads seems to be the best gauge. I also realize that "which is best" is very subjective"...but after a little research, I seem to be able to isolate the app that the public has reached a conclusion on.

Extreme - Mostly I'm looking for comparisons on the highly used app-types (location search, note-taking, back-up, wikipedia, task-cleaners, etc.) where there are many apps for the same purpose. I'll check out your website. The link above shows someone that has done it for wikipedia...

There is a large group of people that are "new to applications" users like myself. Many of us are a little bit older and we love the app world, but we cannot, or do not have the time to, get as deeply involved as we would like. We have been using other tools to accomplish the tasks that the apps now perform for many years.

In fact...as boring, not creative and herd-mentality as it may sound...I would almost prefer the phone had all the "best in class" apps loaded in for essential needs...then other "peripheral" apps can be added or deleted afterward.

As I mentioned, I can guarantee there is a market for un-biased, side-by-side app comparisons. I'm still in shock there is so little of it being done right now. Its an opportunity for someone who wants to take it on and it would not be difficult to develop for someone that "lives" in the app world. They would definitely get a tremendous amount of hits. Again, check out "Consumer Reports".