The best replacement for distortion is overdrive.

The best alternatives to distortion are rated as following:
★★★★★  overdrive
★★★  fuzz
★  overdrive first
★  jb
★  literary realism
★  gain
★  clipping
★  overdrive pedal
★  wah first
★  fuzz pedal
★  pedal distortion
★  saturation
★  substitution
★  deformation
  distortion
  pedal
  overdrive pedals
  noise
  duncan distortion
  super distortion
  tone zone
  fuzz bass
  invader
  dimarzio super distortion
  metal zone
  distortion iii
  boss ds 1
  super 3
  transference
  full shred
  x2n
  crunch
  digital distortion

Your alternative for distortion is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about distortion, one probably shouldn't forget about acoustic guitar.

Other search terms related to distortion and their ratings are:
★★★★★ acoustic guitar
★★★★★ reverb
★★★★ delay
★★★★ progressive lenses
★★★ compressor
★★★ wide angle lens
★★★ chorus
★★ audacity
★ maps
★ clipping
★ piezo pickup
★ wah
★ amp
vox ac30
You have in mind a companion for distortion and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of distortion in all years. Click on graph for more.
distortion
overdrive
fuzz