The best replacement for gels is acrylics.

The best alternatives to gels are rated as following:
★★★★★  acrylics
★★★  acrylic nails
★★  creams
★★  sports drinks
★  shot bloks
★  gatorade
  caplets
  pastes
  sports drink
  liquids
  chews
  jelly babies
  eye creams
  patches
  ointments
  color fusion
  lotions
  filters

Your alternative for gels is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about gels, one probably shouldn't forget about lighting.

Other search terms related to gels and their ratings are:
★★★★★ lighting
★ strobes
You have in mind a companion for gels and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of gels in all years. Click on graph for more.
gels
acrylics
acrylic nails