The best programs to run Android apps on Windows

Android, Google's operating system, is designed to work on mobile devices, but nothing more. However, there are unofficial alternatives that allow us to install Android on a PC and to be able to use all the apps of this operating system from our computer, with keyboard and mouse. There are several ways to do it, either by installing the operating system as an alternative to Windows or by using emulators and tools that allow us to use Android apps over Windows, as BlueStacks does.

What is BlueStacks
BlueStacks is an application that allows us to install Android on Windows and to be able to use all the apps available for the Google operating system from our PC. This emulator is integrated into the operating system to the point that Android apps appear on the desktop of our PC, so we can run them simply by double-clicking, just as if they were any other app.

This Android emulator is one of the most complete, but it is also one of the heaviest and slowest, and one of the ones that include the most advertising and paid elements. Simply by installing it we will be installing «bundleware», advertising applications that are included.

Luckily, there are other very powerful alternatives to BlueStacks that will also allow us

Best alternatives to BlueStacks
Nox App Player

Nox App Player is one of the most popular Android emulators in recent years. This program allows us to install any Android app or game on top of Windows and use it as if it were a native program. It has its own interface and its own app and game store so that we can download what we want very quickly. In addition, it also allows us to install our own apps so that we can use them without having to depend on your store.

We can download the Nox App Player from the following link. When we install it, it installs promoted apps.

MEmu

Another of the free alternatives to BlueStacks that allows us to install all kinds of Android applications on our computer. As its developers assure, this is one of the Android emulators that offers better performance and greater compatibility. In addition to being able to have a complete Android experience, it has a very easy-to-use interface from which to control all aspects of the virtual machine. In addition, it allows us to adjust the hardware reserved for virtualization so that we do not leave our main operating system without resources.

It allows you to download all kinds of applications and games and install them from their corresponding APK. And it also allows you to easily exchange files between Windows and the Android emulator.

We can download MEmu from the following link. Of course, we must be careful when installing the emulator, since it will try to sneak in the Avast antivirus.

Droid4X
Without a doubt, one of the best features of Droid4X is that it offers us great performance for free, without bundleware or hidden unwanted software. This Android emulator brings us a complete experience to the PC with a large number of functions and tools (for example, to configure a controller to be able to play) so that we do not have to worry about anything. It is compatible with practically all apps and all games and has the possibility of downloading apps and games directly from the emulator, without using the stores.

We can download Droid4X from the following link.

Andy

Andy is also another of the best known BlueStacks alternatives. Its main strong point is that we are facing an Android emulator, specially designed to play, very easy to use and configure.

This emulator brings us a complete Android experience for Windows 7, 8.1, Windows 10 and macOS. We can use Android from its interface as if it were a mobile, and we can also access a large number of games and apps from its own application store. It is compatible with the keyboard and mouse and recognizes practically all the hardware of our PC.

We can download Andy from his website. However, we have preferred not to link it because there are users who assure that, when installing the program, it installs a cryptocurrency mining software, in addition to many sponsored apps. And mining software is something we don't tolerate.

Anbox

This program allows us to place Android inside a container, giving the system access to the hardware and allowing it to run on top of the operating system. In addition to emulating a complete instance of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), it integrates with the system so that we can use the apps of this operating system as if they were native to our operating system.

We can download Anbox from the following link. Of course, it is only available for Linux.

Youwave

This Android emulator allows us to run any app and any app store of the Google operating system from our PC. We can download any type of content and run it with excellent performance. It is very simple to use, configure, start up and has sensor support. Its problem is that it is somewhat outdated, since the free version uses Android 4.0 ICS and Premium 5.1 Lollipop.

We can download YouWave from the following link.

KOPLAYER

Este programa, gratis para uso personal, nos permite ejecutar apps y juegos de Android en nuestro ordenador. Este emulador nos trae una experiencia personalizada para ejecutar todo tipo de contenido, aunque su principal punto fuerte son los juegos. Además de permitirnos bajarlos y configurarlos muy fácilmente, también cuenta con una gran cantidad de optimizaciones para procesadores Intel y AMD para obtener la mejor experiencia.

Podemos descargar KOPLAYER gratis desde el siguiente enlace.

Genymotion

Por último, vamos a hablar de Genymotion, una de las pocas alternativas de pago para instalar Android en el ordenador. Este emulador se caracteriza por ser rápido, sencillo y potente. A diferencia de las opciones anteriores, Genymotion busca cumplir con su finalidad de la forma más eficiente posible.

Este emulador cuenta con una gran cantidad de características y funciones, como, por ejemplo, ventanas redimensionables, capturas de pantalla, línea de comandos, API de Java, posibilidad de virtualizar apps mediante drag&drop y una gran cantidad de sensores para simular prácticamente cualquier dispositivo. Además, cuenta con funciones de virtualización a nivel de CPU y aceleración OpenGL para brindar a los usuarios una experiencia rápida, ligera y fluida de Android y de sus apps.

Podemos acceder a Genymotion desde el siguiente enlace. Tiene una versión para PC y una que se ejecuta directamente en la nube.