accrescent VS AuroraStore

It's security is sub-par. If you're looking for secure app updates the Play Store is the way to go (if you're willing to compromise your privacy). They also use remote signing for apks (so, F-Droid builds then signs the APKs on behalf of developers).

One thing I'm hoping will pick up speed is Accrescent - https://accrescent.app/. It is in a very very alpha stage at the moment and only includes a handful of apps. It's built with security in mind from the get-go and doesn't compromise just to support lower, outdated/insecure android versions.

If you really prioritize security you should use Play Store. If you value privacy as well I can only suggest you do what I do: use a mixture of F-Droid, Aurora Store (praying that this project doesn't die, it does not seem very vigorous at the moment) and Accrescent (praying that this channel gets adopted by many more FOSS projects, sees accelerated development and ends up replacing the other two)

Accrescent is an open-source app store focused on security and privacy: https://accrescent.app

Accrecent is another app store alternative, but I'm not sure about its state of development.

I'm simply providing more information that gives another perspective on F-droid which is what the OP asked for. I don't know why I got so many downvotes or why you're implying that I am one of these people which think F-droid is bad. The comment you quote certainly has it's own merit that offers a good counter point. There is however an upcoming better Foss store in my opinion called Accrescent.

so, disable this bloat and replace it with, AuroraStore. or not.

Aurora Store (version 4.3.4): An unofficial FOSS client to Google Play with an elegant design and privacy

Aurora Store (version 4.2.5): An open-source alternative to Google Play Store with privacy and modern design

Good option, yes! Maybe something like Aurora Store could also be used to spoof a different (x86) device? https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore

AuroraStore

Android devices could push something like https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS/AuroraStore or even F-Droid to get a preinstalled store that's not completely evil.

For Linux devices, if you have a powerful enough phone (Pine64, can we please have a really beefy PinePhone?), you could bundle Waydroid + Aurora/F-Droid.

Go to this link and download AuroraStore_4.2.3.apk, an open source client that fetches files directly from the Play Store servers. Here is an FAQ for the project if you're worried about safety or breaking Google ToS. This method is safe but you can choose to create a new Google account for the login if you're not comfortable using your main account.