The 20 best custom ROMs for Android - The Happy Android

Although Android is an operating system developed by Google, its source code is free. This means that any programmer, company or team can develop their own version of Android. These modified versions are known as Custom ROMs , Cooked ROMs or we just say they are custom Android versions . There are many ROMs of this type that we can find today, and normally they all have the same common denominator: they are much more efficient and faster than the standard version or stock ROM which has a terminal as standard. Let's take a look at some of the more popular custom ROMs?

How to install a custom ROM

Before we begin, if this is the first time we hear about custom ROMs, we will surely be interested in knowing how can we install them in our terminal . It should be noted that from the outset it is a delicate process, we are touching "the guts" of our Android device, so if we decide to install a custom ROM for the first time, we have to have the patience and thoroughness of a master watchmaker. You can see a more extensive explanation with great detail in the dedicated article How to install a custom ROM on Android .

The 20 best custom ROMs for Android

Now yes, we go on to reel the most powerful, popular and successful custom ROMs that populate the rich Android ecosystem.

CyanogenMod

My first choice is definitely CyanogenMod. It is not the first custom ROM that I have tried but yes the one that has served me best during all these years . Currently the Cyanogen project is closed, with Lineage OS being its direct successor as of 2017. Millions of customization options, fast and like itself and a stable system like few others, probably the most widespread and popular cooked ROM for Android of the end times.

Resurrection Remix

This is a ROM that over time has been gaining more and more popularity in the Android community. A stable system, with a very clean version of Android that is constantly updated . With this ROM we can customize from the lock screen, through notifications, animations etc. It allows us to play with a lot of aspects of the system interface. Supports a large number of device brands and models.

Lineage OS

Lineage is the legacy of CyanogenMod and it shows. A system that makes even older smartphones gain speed again . It has some quite interesting functions, such as volume profiles, privacy management, an improved app for the camera, screen recorder or the Trebuchet launcher.

Dirty Unicorns

ROM compatible with Nexus devices, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, HTC and Samsung . It is quite similar to Lineage in terms of functionality and receives numerous updates to improve security and stability. Some of its distinguishing characteristics are the OmniSwitch for multitasking and Dirty tweaks which includes some settings that we cannot find in conventional versions of Android.

AOKP - Android Open Kang Project

The fifth ROM on our list is another of the most famous ROMs that swarm the net. From the settings menu we can control all the settings of the ROM (ROM control) , and it has several customization options for the different navigation, status and other bars. It allows you to create different notifications by vibration or anchor apps to the lock screen, to give a small example of its possibilities.

Paranoid Android

Along with CyanogenMod Paranoid Android is one of those customs ROMs that has always been at the top of this type of top list. In addition to having a lot of customization options, it has interesting details such as the hybrid mode , which allows us to display the apps on the mobile as if we were on a tablet. Or the floating mode, that lets us open a miniaturized version of an app while we continue full screen in the current application.

The official ROM is only available for Nexus, Oppo and OnePlus devices, but we can find many more compatible models in places like the XDA Developers forum.

MIUI

But wasn't MIUI the Xiaomi terminal system? Yes, but it is also an open ROM that can be installed on devices from other brands. The operating system is very reminiscent of Apple's iOS , and has several functions that we will not see in other Android systems: the Child Mode , Showtime , pop-up view, blacklists, data statistics, the MiCloud, personalization themes and more.

Carbon ROM

One of the lightest ROMs we can find , based on AOSP (Android Open Source Project). It also has a lot of options and settings but it doesn't have as many apps as the rest of the custom ROMs: Widgets, clock Chronus and lock screen customization. In any case, a ROM worth trying.

PAC ROM

The PAC-MAN ROM. An all-in-one that takes the best of other hit ROMs like ParanoidAndroid, AOKP and CyanogenMod . If you like any of these 3 you should definitely give PAC ROM a try. In addition, its ROM is stable and it has a great interface.

XenonHD

XenonHD is a lightweight ROM specially focused on offering the best possible performance. It offers numerous customization options through themes, and lets us fiddle with practically anything: the status bar, notifications, icons, etc. The Lollipop-based version also includes native root permission management, privacy management, and notifications. Available for Samsung, Sony, Nexus, HTC and Oppo officially but it also has compatible versions for other brands in the various specialized forums on the subject. Currently it seems that the project is on hiatus, although they announce that they will return shortly.

BlissROMs

BlissPop may not be the most popular ROM out there, but it has several features that set it apart from the rest. Total customization to change fonts, colors, texts and its "Bliss" interface. As a curiosity, has a specially designed left-handed configuration .

SlimROMs

The good thing about SlimROMs is that it lets us choose what Google Play services we want to have installed on our device. Something that many people will welcome. Currently the development team is very active and launching new versions and updates of its Slim6 and Slim7 Beta .

OmniROM

A custom ROM created by former Cyanogen members and quite widespread today. It has very interesting additions such as a new weather service, "Do not disturb" mode and a dark mode . Get frequent updates and are more alive than ever in 2017.

Euphoria OS

Euphoria's cooked ROM is based on AOSP (Android Open Source Project) and contains a lot of extra functionalities and customization options: privacy manager, LED management, double click to turn on the screen and a custom kernel that improves battery consumption by under-clocking when we are not using very powerful apps.

crDROID

crDROID supports a large number of devices. It is based on CyanogenMod and AOSP, and takes a lot of ideas from other ROMs like OmniROM or SlimROMs. It has a manager to change skins in a very agile way and supports a large number of devices. Today it is still quite active with versions based on Android 7.0 and receiving constant updates.

CopperheadOS

This is the ideal custom ROM for those looking for an extreme level of security in their terminal, and its functionalities are aimed at that, to improve security: highly protected system against exploits and attacks, detects parts of memory corrupted and overflows, highly protected kernel, firewall and random MACs among other more than interesting additions.

Indus OS

Indus is a ROM designed for Southeast Asian Android users. Although it has a completely English version, its main languages ​​are Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Assamese, Punjabi, Kannada, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Marathi. A regional ROM that has already become the second most used customization in India.

AICP

Android Ice Cold Project it is a custom ROM that already runs on Android 7.0. Updated to exhaustion and with a fairly active Google+ community. Supports HTC, Sony, Asus, Huawei, Motorola, Samsung, Xiaomi devices and more.

Cataclysm ROM

A light ROM and very similar to the Android base image. Even so, it has several customization options for the lock screen, notifications, and status bar. People like it because it has few bugs and hardly lets you down . The official version of Cataclysm is only for Nexus devices, but on forums like XDA Developers there are a few additional smartphones available. The project was closed in early 2016 after a message posted on Reddit by its developer “ I have been working on Cataclysm for 4 years ... this has stopped having fun for a long time and I think that from now on I will dedicate my time to other projects ”. A shame

Vanilla Rootbox

It is not a very widespread ROM to say, but it does have some pretty interesting visual details. It is a good mix between CyanogenMod and AOKP, and although we have not seen continuity of the project since 2014, it is a ROM based on Android 4.2.2 quite light and that makes very good use of the battery of the terminal.