APK vs AAB – Which is Better for Android?

When exporting the final version of your application, you will be seeing two main output formats i.e. APK and AAB. In this article, we’ll try to explore each of them and choose better among them.

What is APK?

APK stands for Android Application Package.  It’s a file format used by Android that contains a compiled version of an app. It is used to distribute and install apps across its ecosystem. They also include a manifest file, providing app information to the Android system, critical media resources such as icons and sounds, and a set of certificates and signing keys that verify the publisher’s identity. An APK file is like a zip file that contains all the necessary files, resources, and code required to run an Android app on a device.

What is AAB?

AAB stands for Android App Bundle. It is a publishing format introduced by Google in 2018, which allows developers to publish more efficient apps on the Google Play Store. AABs are a type of bundle that includes all the compiled code, resources, and assets needed to build an APK (Android Application Package), but it is a more efficient way of packaging than APKs. AABs only include the code and resources needed for a specific device configuration, such as a screen size, language, or texture compression format.

Which is Better?

The main difference between APK and AAB in Android is how the app is packaged and delivered to users.

APK (Android Application Package) is a traditional file format used for distributing and installing Android apps. It includes all the compiled code, resources, and assets needed to build an app for all device configurations, such as different screen sizes and languages. When users download an app from the Google Play Store, they download a pre-built APK file that includes all the code and resources, whether they are needed or not.

AAB (Android App Bundle), on the other hand, is a publishing format that allows developers to publish more efficient apps on the Google Play Store. It includes all the compiled code, resources, and assets needed to build an app, but in a more efficient way than APKs. AABs only include the code and resources needed for a specific device configuration, such as a screen size, language, or texture compression format. When a user downloads an app from the Play Store, the store generates a custom APK that includes only the resources needed for the user’s device. This means that users only download the parts of the app that they need, which can result in smaller app sizes and faster download times.

The main advantages of AAB over APK are that AABs are smaller in size, faster to download, and allow for dynamic feature delivery. Developers can also update specific parts of the app without having to update the entire app. However, AABs require more work to build than APKs and are currently the only supported format on the Google Play Store. We can summarize the differences between the two as below.

Difference Table

AAB file (Android App Bundle)	APK file (Android Application Package)
AAB is a publishing format that allows developers to publish more efficient apps on Google Play Store.	APK is a file format used to distribute and install apps on a wide range of devices.
AABs are a type of bundle that includes all the compiled code, resources, and assets needed to build an APK, but it is packaged in a more efficient way than APKs.	An APK file is like a zip file that contains all the necessary files, resources, and code required to run an Android app on a device.
AABs only include the code and resources needed for a specific device configuration, such as a screen size, language, or texture compression format.	APKs include the code, resources, and assets needed to build an app for all device configurations, such as different screen sizes and languages.
When a user downloads an app from the Google Play Store, the store generates a custom APK that includes only the resources needed for the user’s device.	When users download an app from the Play Store, they download a pre-built APK file that includes all the code and resources, whether they are needed or not.
AAB results in smaller app sizes.	Since APK targets multiple device configurations, its size is more.
AAB is faster to download.	Download speed is slower when compared to AAB.
AABs require more work to build than APKs.	APKs require less build time.

Conclusion

So, which one is better? It depends on your priorities. If you want to target as many devices as possible and don’t mind larger app sizes, then APK is still a good choice. However, if you want to optimize your app’s size and download speed, then AAB is the way to go. It’s worth noting that, to publish your app on the Google Play Store, you will need to use AAB format.