A Diawi alternative for when a file isn't enough
Diawi does one job well: upload a build, get an install link, and every tester with a device and a few spare minutes can run it. But half the people you send a build to don't have a spare Android phone, don't want to enable installs from unknown sources, or never get past the download. And an AI agent can't install anything at all. When the point is seeing the build run — not moving a file around — the link itself should do the running. PreviewAPK gives every build a link that opens the app on a cloud phone in the browser, at a flat $19/month per device.
Try it with a live device
PreviewAPK is in private beta. Get early access to test your own builds.
When Diawi is the right call
Plenty of times. If every tester is on Android, comfortable sideloading, and you want them on the real hardware in their pocket — for a sensor pass, a final device check, a build they will live with for days — an install link is the honest tool. Diawi is simple, fast, and free to start. Nothing on this page argues otherwise.
When a running phone fits better
No device needed
The client, the investor, the press contact, the tester whose only phone is an iPhone: they open a link and the app is running. No install, no unknown-sources toggle, no "which APK was that again." The share-by-link wedge is the whole point — distribution stops being a tutorial and starts being a tap.
Agent-driven verification
The fastest-growing testing workforce doesn't hold a phone. Agents need tools: push this build, tap that label, screenshot, read the log, hand over a link. PreviewAPK's MCP server gives an agent exactly those hands and senses on a real (virtual) device — it's the agent testing loop, productized. A file link can't be driven, screenshotted, or verified by anything but a human.
A view-only share link
Every session carries a view-only share link for the human who needs to see it: they watch the app run live, while driving stays with the owner or the owner's agent. Links never drive. And the session link dies with the session, so nothing lingers after the review is over.
Diawi vs PreviewAPK, side by side
| Diawi | PreviewAPK | |
|---|---|---|
| What the tester gets | A file to install | A running phone in the browser |
| Tester needs | An Android device, plus install permission | Any browser, nothing installed |
| Agent access | None — a file can't be driven | 27 MCP tools + CLI + API, agent-first |
| Seeing it run | Install, then launch locally | Live stream; watch while it runs |
| Handing over | An install link | A view-only session share link |
| Pricing shape | Free tier plus paid plans | Flat $19/mo per device, unlimited runs |
How PreviewAPK works
- Push a build — CLI, API, or an MCP tool call from your agent. The APK attaches to your device.
- It boots in seconds on a cloud Android phone and streams to your browser — no SDK, no emulator, nothing to install, on either side.
- Drive it, or let your agent drive it — taps, typing, screenshots, UI hierarchy, and the session log, all through the same account.
- Hand over the link — every session carries a view-only share link for the human who needs to see it.
Priced flat at $19/month per device with unlimited runs. The agent guide and the docs cover the CLI, API, and MCP in full. Sending builds to testers the old way? The testers guide compares the paths, and Firebase App Distribution is the same file-vs-phone question from another angle.
Keep going
Comparing the field? See Appetize, BrowserStack, LambdaTest, and Sauce Labs alternatives, the head-to-head PreviewAPK vs Appetize, or the wedge itself: AI agent Android testing.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Diawi?
It depends on what the link is for. If every tester has an Android device and the patience to install an unknown build, Diawi's install link does the job. If the point is seeing the build run — for a client, an investor, a tester without a device, or an AI agent that needs to drive it — the link should open a running phone, not a file. That's PreviewAPK: upload an APK, hand over a link, the app runs in the browser at a flat $19/month per device.
Do testers need an Android device to use PreviewAPK?
No. A PreviewAPK link opens the app running on a cloud phone in any browser — the tester installs nothing and needs no device of their own. Separately, the device owner can toggle a QR install that puts the exact build on a tester's own phone; that option is off by default.
Can I still send an install link with PreviewAPK?
Yes, when that is what you actually want: the owner can enable a short-lived QR code from the portal that installs the exact test build on a tester's own Android phone. But the preview link is the point of the product — most of the time, the tester never needs the file at all.
Can an AI agent use Diawi?
No — Diawi hands out files, and a file is not something an agent can drive. An agent needs tools: push this build, tap that label, screenshot, read the log, hand over a link. PreviewAPK was built agent-first, with 27 MCP tools plus a CLI and API for exactly that loop.
Is PreviewAPK affiliated with Diawi?
No. PreviewAPK is an independent product. Diawi is a trademark of its respective owner; this page compares two tools for two jobs, nothing more.