It’s been fun Google, but it’s time to say goodbye.
Have you noticed?
Google’s entire business model is based on you surrendering to their corporate surveillance. That’s it. All they do is repackage mass corporate surveillance into convenient, free, trendy applications that suck up all your data. Your private data helps Google dominate the online advertising market.
You are the product.
The other key issue to consider here is that Google is tracking and recording your activity in order to build a user profile, which can be used for various purposes. Google has many ways to track your activity, even if you are not logged into a Google account:
- Tracking through Google Adsense (all those annoying banner ads you see on most websites also function as tracking)
- Tracking through YouTube and other Google-owned platforms and products
- Tracking through websites that use Google Analytics (most websites use Google analytics – but not Restore Privacy)
All the data that Google collects about you is usually monetized through targeted advertising (Google is now the largest advertising company in the world). Your data may also be provided to government authorities (Google has been cooperating with governments for mass surveillance since 2009).
In other words, Google is working to track your every move online, even if you are working hard to avoid it.
The solution to this problem basically entails:
- Deleting your Google accounts and data
- Avoiding Google products and using alternatives (this guide)
- Using reputable privacy tools, such as a private browser and a good VPN service, which will help protect your data from third parties
Google search alternatives
When it comes to privacy, using Google search is not a good idea. When you use their search engine, Google is recording your IP address, search terms, user agent, and often a unique identifier, which is stored in cookies.
Here are a few Google search alternatives:
- Searx – A very privacy-friendly and versatile metasearch engine.
- Qwant – A private search engine based in France.
- Metager – A private search engine based in Germany.
- DuckDuckGo – This is a great privacy-friendly Google alternative that doesn’t utilize tracking or targeted ads, but they do record search terms.
- StartPage – StartPage gives you Google search results, but without the tracking.
Check out the private search engine guide for additional information.
Gmail alternatives
Gmail is one of the worst products you can use if you’re concerned about privacy. Everything you do through Gmail is collected by the parent company – every email, attachment, and image… Using Gmail gives Google an intimate view of your private life and personal contacts.
When you remain logged in to your Gmail account, Google can easily track your activities online as you browse different websites, which may be hosting Google Analytics or Google ads (Adsense).
There are many different secure email options; here are a few great choices:
- Tutanota – based in Germany; free accounts up to 1 GB
- Mailfence – based in Belgium; free accounts up to 500 MB
- Posteo – based in Germany; €1/mo with 14 day refund window
- StartMail – based in Netherlands; 7 day free trial
- Runbox – based in Norway; 30 day free trial
For additional information about these and other Gmail alternatives, check out the secure email guide. All of these secure email providers are ad-free, based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions, and do not give third parties access to your emails.
Chrome alternatives
Google Chrome is a popular browser, but it is also very invasive and a bad choice for privacy.
If you are a Chrome user, you may want to consider these alternatives instead:
- Firefox browser – This is a free, open-source internet browser that’s quite popular. You can also use a variety of privacy add-ons that can block ads and tracking (but beware of browser fingerprinting). See the Firefox privacy guide for customization tips.
- Tor browser – This is simply a hardened, privacy-friendly version of Firefox, based on Firefox 60 ESR. By default, the Tor browser routes traffic through the Tor network, which can be quite slow. Additionally, there are extensive ties between the Tor project and US government (see the Tor guide fore details).
- Brave browser – Brave is a good browser with built-in privacy protections and ad blocking. However, it is also based on Chromium and is affected by the WebRTC leak issue.
- Ungoogled Chromium – Available on Github, this makes “modifications to Google Chromium for removing Google integration and enhancing privacy, control, and transparency.”
We also have an in-depth secure browser guide, which includes recommended browser add-ons for privacy and security. You do not have to sacrifice privacy for more security.
Google Drive alternatives
If you’re looking for a secure cloud storage option, you can check out these Google drive alternatives. They are more secure and better for protecting your privacy and data.
- TeamDrive – This is a business-oriented cloud backup and file synchronization option based in Germany.
- Tresorit – This is a user-friendly cloud storage option based in Switzerland. They offer client-side encryption, but also utilize Microsoft Windows servers, which is one drawback.
- Nextcloud – Nextcloud is an open source, self-hosted file share and communication platform. They are based in Germany.
- Sync.com – Based in Canada, Sync.com offers a secure, encrypted cloud storage solution for businesses and individuals.
Dropbox is also a popular Google drive alternative, but it is not the best in terms of privacy.
Google Calendar alternative
For those wanting a combined solution for both email and calendar functionality, there are some great options from secure email providers. These include:
I have used Mailfence email/calendar and it seems to work well.
Here are some more Google Calendar alternatives that may be worth considering:
- Etar, which is open source and fairly simple
- aCalendar from TAPIRapps. Check it out on the official site here.
Two other Google Calendar alternatives are Kin and Fruxx. However, if you read through the privacy policies, it looks like Etar or aCalendar would be the better options.
Google Docs alternative
There are many solid Google Docs alternatives available. The largest offline document editing suite is, of course, Microsoft Office. However, it is not recommended because… Microsoft and privacy. Nonetheless, there are a few other good Google Docs alternatives:
- LibreOffice – You can use LibreOffice on Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Android and iOS. It is also free and open source.
- CryptPad – CryptPad is a privacy-focused alternative with strong encryption and it’s free.
- Zoho Docs – This is another good Google Docs alternative with a clean interface and good functionality. You may be able to create an account through Zoho.eu, which should have better privacy protections due to GDPR laws.
- OnlyOffice – OnlyOffice feels a bit more restricted than some of the other options in terms of features, but it remains a decent alternative.
- Nuclino – Another Google Docs alternative is Nuclino. Nuclino has tiered subscription plans depending on your needs.
Google Photos alternative
Here are a few good Google Photos alternatives:
- Shoebox – Shoebox has both a free and Pro plan. It appears to be a good Google Photos alternative without any ads. The Shoebox app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
- Piwigo – Piwigo is another great option that you can self-host. It is also free and open source.
Google Plus
Does anyone actually use Google Plus? I honestly don’t know.
But if so, here are three social media alternatives:
Of course, Facebook will not be recommended because it is a data-collection and surveillance service.
Google translate alternative
There are three Google translate alternatives I have come across:
- DeepL – DeepL is a solid Google Translate alternative that seems to give great results. Like Google Translate, DeepL allows you to post up to 5,000 characters at a time (but the pro version is unlimited). The user interface is good and there is also a built-in dictionary feature.
- Lingue – Linguee does not allow you to post large blocks of text like DeepL. However, Linguee will give you very accurate translations for single words or phrases, along with context examples.
- dict.cc – This Google Translate alternative seems to do a decent job on single-world lookups, but it also feels a bit outdated.
If you want to translate blocks of text, check out DeepL. If you want in-depth translations for single words or phrases, then Linguee is the best choice.
YouTube alternatives
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be many popular YouTube alternatives, but here are a few alternatives:
- Vimeo
- Dailymotion
- Bitchute
- Invodio.us
And lastly, you can also check out the unblock YouTube guide for additional information.
Google analytics alternative
If you’re running a website, it’s important to see which content people like the most, so you can give your readers what they want. Otherwise publishing articles is like throwing darts blindfolded at a wall. Unfortunately, Google Analytics goes overboard with the tracking. Here are a few alternatives:
- Matomo (formerly Piwik) is a great open-source analytics program that respects the privacy of visitors by anonymizing and truncating visitor IP addresses. It’s the only analytics service that is certified to respect user privacy (and the only analytics used on this site).
- Fathom Analytics is an open source alternative to Google Analytics that’s available on Github here.
- Clicky is another alternative, but it does not have the built-in privacy protections of Matomo.
Many websites host Google Analytics because they run Google Adsense campaigns. Without Google Analytics, tracking performance of these campaigns would be difficult. Nonetheless, this is still bad for privacy.
Google Maps alternative
A map alternative for PCs is OpenStreetMap.
A few Google Maps alternatives for mobile devices include:
- OsmAnd is a free and open-source mobile maps app for both Android and iOS (based on OpenStreetMap data).
- Maps (F Droid) uses OpenStreetMap data (offline).
- Here WeGo provides good mapping solutions for both PCs and mobile devices with their app.
- Maps.Me is another option that is free on both Android and iOS, but there is a fair amount of data collection with this alternative, as explained in their privacy policy.
- MapHub is also based on OpenStreeMap data and it does not collect locations or user IP addresses.
Google Play Store alternative
Currently the best Google Play Store alternative is to use F-Droid and then go through the Yalp store.
As explained on the official site, F-Droid is an installable catalog of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform.
After you have installed F-Droid, you can then download the Yalp store APK, which allows you to download apps from the Google Play Store directly as APK files.
You can learn more about Yalp and download it from the F-Droid website here. (See also the official GitHub page here for more info.)
Google Chrome operating system alternative
Want to ditch the Chromebook and Chrome OS? Here are a few alternatives:
- Linux – Of course, Linux is arguably the best alternative, being a free, open-source operating system with lots of different flavors. With some adjustments, Linux Ubuntu can be run on Chromebooks.
- Tails – Tails is a free, privacy-focused operating system based on Linux that routes all traffic through the Tor network.
- QubesOS – Recommended by Snowden, free, and also open source.
Of course, the other two big operating system alternatives are Windows and Apple’s operating system for MacBooks – Mac OS. Windows – particularly Windows 10 – is a very bad option for privacy. While slightly better, Apple also collects user data and has partnered with the NSA for surveillance.
Android alternatives
The biggest alternative to Android is iOS from Apple. But we’ll just skip over that for reasons already mentioned. Here are a few Android OS alternatives:
- LineageOS – A free and open-source operating system for phones and tablets based on Android.
- CopperheadOS – The CopperheadOS project seems to have recently imploded, but it was previously a great alternative.
Purism is also working on a privacy-focused mobile phone called the Librem 5. It met the crowdfunding goals but it’s not clear when it will be available.
Other Google alternatives
Based on user feedback and additional research for this guide update, here are a few more Google alternatives to consider:
Google forms alternative – JotForm is a free online form builder.
Google Keep alternative – Here are two different Google Keep alternatives:
- Standard Notes is a great alternative for a note-taking service. It is secure, encrypted, and free with apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android (web-based also available).
- Joplin is another great option that is open source and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
Google Fonts alternative – Many websites load Google fonts through Google APIs. One alternative to this is to use Font Squirrel, which has a large selection of both Google and non-Google fonts which are free to download and use.
Google Voice alternative – JMP.chat (both free and paid)
Google Firebase alternative – Kuzzle (free and open source)
Google Blogger alternatives – WordPress, Medium, and Ghost are all good options.
Do you care about your privacy?
Most people looking for Google alternatives have woken up to the fact that Google is awful for privacy by collecting as much of your private data as possible.
But what about your internet service provider?
In the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, internet service providers are also recording your online activity. This information can be legally sold to third parties (in the US), or saved in government databases to be potentially used against you (UK, US, and Australia).
Aside from government surveillance agencies, there are many other third parties that are quietly tracking your online activity, such as Facebook.
One of the best tools for keeping your data out of the hands of third parties is to use a VPN (virtual private network). This will encrypt and anonymize your online activity, while also hiding your true IP address and location. In the best VPN guide I examine well-respected VPN providers, such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN, which are located in good privacy jurisdictions and have passed all tests.
The privacy tools guide discusses other solutions as well.
Do you have any other tips or suggestions for Google alternatives?
Feel free to drop a comment below. This guide will be regularly updated to reflect the latest information and user feedback.
Last updated on March 21, 2019. (Added more Gmail alternatives and Google Blogger alternatives.)
Sven using Matomo instead of Google Analytics is great, but why are you using Google Search Console? Can you explain the reason behind this decision? I’m not judging you, I’m just confused.
Yes the reasoning is quite straightforward: the overwhelming majority of this site’s traffic comes from Google search. If there is some kind of error or problem with the way Google indexes the site, it could be devastating from a traffic perspective, therefore it is a necessity. I have not seen anything about Google Search Console presenting any privacy issues for visitors as it is strictly for search indexing purposes, unlike Google Analytics, which I will never use.
Sarchy [http://sarchy.condense.press/] is also a good search engine. It is free and open source. More details about Sarchy at [http://www.precisement.org/blog/Sarchy-A-New-Hope-in-Search.html]
Consumers Have Grown Increasingly Wary Of Major Tech Companies And Their Commitment To Consumer Privacy.
The latest, Nest the company that makes smart appliances like connected thermostats, and others like home security products is being folded back into Google. Nest has been a separate company under the Alphabet umbrella since 2015, this is the first time that one of Alphabet’s so-called Other Bets companies has been folded back into Google.
–
Google admits error over hidden microphone – product specifications for the Nest Guard, available since 2017, had made no mention of the listening device. “If I owned one of these things and found out that the world’s biggest advertising company hid a microphone in my home for a year, I’d be livid.” Would you be too?
–
In the past, this brings to mind one of Google’s many previous privacy controversies, such as the 2010 incident in which the company acknowledged that its fleet of Street View cars “accidentally” collected personal data transmitted over consumers unsecured WiFi networks, including emails.
THIS IS the kind of thing that makes me worried of any smart home devices, let alone any from the major tech companies…
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47303077
https://www.businessinsider.com/nest-microphone-was-never-supposed-to-be-a-secret-2019-2?r=US&IR=T
Try http://www.currnews.com/ as an alternative to Google News. It’s an unbiased news aggregator in a similar format.
What a PoS! No news listed for today, only 2-3 stories listed per day.
“Unbiased” crap is still crap.
another gmail alternative: protonmail.com , Secure Swiss webmail
ProtonMail is an end-to-end encrypted email service founded in 2014 at the CERN research facility
Waze:
Google acquired Waze Mobile in 2013.
Waze invented and initiated the connected citizens program (CCP), a free data sharing program used by over 200 governments, departments of transportation and municipalities for traffic analysis, road planning, and emergency workforce dispatching. Waze both contributes to government data and also collects government data to use.
Concerns have been expressed that the app located on smartphones can be used to monitor movements by identifiable individuals.
Not good alternative to Google maps =)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waze
Google Maps alternative:
Here WeGo – share data with Facebook (Norton Antivirus mobile told it)
Maps.Me – part of Russian company Mail.ru Group and share data with them, srry but you better use Google then russian maps.me
You like Google+ communities? Gonna miss it? Here’s an alternative, tribyo.com – Tribyo.
Tribyo is an interest based social network. Come join to connect with like minded people.
Hi Sven,
I like the options given. I’m very interested in moving away from Google, or at least splitting up some of tools I use between several different companies so I don’t have a unified online presence at least.
Having options is great, but I’d be interested in knowing, at current, which ones do you use and find particularly helpful?
How about Vivaldi Mail (free/2gb storage)? Would you recommend it?
Great article.
Hi RuiP,
This email service is a part of the services for the community of Vivaldi Browser (Vivaldi Technologies). Joining the community gives you also an email address.
I personally don’t want the weight of it’s browser (private or not) to have any capabilities in linking my Vivaldi account to sync the Vivaldi browser data, access of emails, forums and blog publishing tools together. Nor the search, contacts, calendar, folders management of the email account tied to it’s browser.
Would be interesting to see the TOS and Privacy Polices for just an email offering – if I was interested…
You can send and receive encrypted emails but nothing I’ve seen of my quick look about your emails, attachments, their metadata all being encrypted at rest of everything in your mail/Vivalda account.
All those things prevent my interests : )
https://help.vivaldi.com/article/vivaldi-net-and-its-webmail/
How to install LineageOS with a focus on privacy protection? Could you tell me an easy-to-understand tutorial for a regular user?
Hi Luiz,
You need to look for the answers on a dedicated source, dedicated form. In your device specific topics given there – a good one is-
https://forum.xda-developers.com
You’d probably need to Root your device and go as barebones in apps as possible but, still functioning as for your needs. More than likely finding your specific device’s section will have everything in one place on XDA’s site for you – per device may be vast or sparse.
–
As far as I know the LinageOS in an optional custom OS that allows you in dropping all-most everything Google and it’s interacting with your phone or certain apps on it. Use F-Droid for any apps you’d need – https://f-droid.org/en/
So with LOS I’d not flashed any g-apps what so ever, then the play store and it’s services running in the background is not a privacy concern to you I consider real.
Root and g-apps zips are all optional add-ins to the LOS custom firmware when first flashing it to your device.
Root I’d deem necessary to fulfilling root access on your device to aid with your privacy strict policy by a deep root level search and files inspecting and in removal of other apps that are google dependent in one way or another – then of google parts that remain. Or a dedicated app that freezes other apps if you can’t remove some.
–
You could also look for a custom rom that’s actively maintained for
your specific device that’s based off the LineageOS firmware, to have more options and community behind it, or a better looking OS UI and features than the LineageOS itself offers. Remembering any such LOS based custom Roms has the same options to add root or g-apps for it – if not already baked in.
As well a custom recovery like TWRP – that with your backups of points in time can save your a_s as you experiment with the device.
Hope it helps : )
If you install LineageOS without Gapps, lots of your apps won’t work because they rely on Google services.
So you must go further and install microG services, likely a faked Google services. But microG itself requires signature spoofing, which is’nt packed with LineageOS.
Hard is the way to privacy…
Hi Remi,
That’s one of the reasons why I’ve suggested to Luiz in getting with the XDA developers forum of his device section in it’s specific threads – if LOS is covered.
More than likely his or anyone’s Privacy Strict Policy will require of the barebones in apps as possible on the device. YOU DO UNDERSTAND THIS !
I’m on a custom LOS rom for one of my devices and have no g-app / microG crud installed – suites me fine.
STRICT PRIVACY means not having a boot load of useless privacy invasive apps installed as well…
– – Then I explained the concept of why ROOT was needed for a files inspection and in removal of other apps that are google dependent, or in using an app that can freeze other apps if you can’t remove some.
–
You CAN use a custom rom without G-apps/microG but, you will probably miss something – as you’ve said some apps won’t work. https://lineageos.org/
It’s All About A Users Privacy Wanted : )
In particular, you won’t have the following for apps:
– Network localization services, which means that you can only use the GPS for the positioning.
– Google Cloud Messaging, so you won’t receive any push notification for any app that relies on it.
– The Maps API, which means that any app that uses Google Maps through the Maps API will probably crash.
–
This is Not About Privacy – but the functioning of certain apps. // Those apps shouldn’t be installed or be removed… For your Privacy’s sake : : :
MicroG and signature spoofing support:
An open source implementation of Google Play Services called microG. MicroG – a free-as-in-freedom re-implementation of Google’s proprietary Android user space apps and libraries.
Play Services are very expensive in terms of resources, they drain lots of battery and they use lots of space, while microG requires much less resources.
– MicroG requires a patch called “signature spoofing”, which allows the microG’s apps to spoof themselves as Google Apps.
– – The signature spoofing could be an unsafe feature if the user blindly gives any permission to any app, as this permission can’t be obtained automatically by the apps.
https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki/Implementation-Status
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/index-list-custom-roms-offering-t3557047/post71042083#post71042083
https://shadow53.com/android/no-gapps/setup-guide/microg
* With Android you can’t go halfas_ed on your PRIVACY Model…
Hello guys, I am working on Google Contacts alternative called Contact Cache. In fact, it will be more than just a simple contact manager. The main difference is that Contact Cache uses client-side encryption, so that we all can sleep better and not worry about other people seeing our private data 🙂 It is just in the beginning, so not everything is polished, but feel free to check it out at https://contactcache.com.
If i change phones, would I be able to access and download my contacts online, or download your programme without google play?
Hi there! The app works in the web browser in the moment and all data are synced with the server, so changing phones is not a problem, plus you can access your contacts on the desktop too.
I want to improve the interoperability on the phone with existing contact apps you might be using, but for now you can always export & import via vCard.
In the future it will be possible to install Contact Cache on the phone as well, so that you can access it via home screen/app list as with other apps.
Some alternatives are better because they’re not Google. Nothing more.
“…based in Germany” –> how does this fact make it more private or better in any way?
Germany is a favorable privacy jurisdiction as compared to the United States, UK, etc. See the 5/9/14 Eyes surveillance article for more details.
1. Is there an alternative to Google Drive to backup Whatsapp messages?
2. What alternative to a Google account would you suggest for backing up and syncing phone contacts if I change my Android phone? I would need access to Google Play before downloading new apps.
I am going to leave google either…
and this is a very nice article…
but i’m missing a very imporant thing,
is there a good alternative for bidirectional-synching the contacts available?
a lot better thing would be connecting to my own postgresql database…
Hi, Carsten
Fruux worked for me. It synced my contacts, calendar and task lists with Android and Evolution.
There are serveral good options:
– Synology Calendar & Adressbook (in case you own a Synology NAS)
– NextCloud has AddOns for both
– Baikal Server has Card- & CalDAV services
Hi Sven, great article!
An good Android alternative is /e/ which solely focused on privacy. It is supported by the e.foundation (htttps://e.foundation) and founded by Gaël Duval who brought to market Mandriva Linux. No Google Apps, default apps based on open source bricks that covers most of my needs (email, surfing the web, calendar, etc…). App repository to be added very soon with trackers analysis. It is still in beta but V1 is expected very soon. Looks promising and has already a good community of users.
Great list, thanks a lot!
Just to add a few:
End-to-end encrypted contact / calendar for Android: EteSync
Local calendar on the phone (or really all the others on that page too): https://www.schuermann.eu/android/
Google doesn’t really offer a password manager, but I guess some people use google keep for that or maybe OAuth, so worth a mention: https://bitwarden.com/
You have a alternativ for Youtube in you’re List forgotten.
Peertube is this name and it works with Tha ActivityProtokol and can work with Mastodon and Pixelfed (a Picture Hostage Service) together.
Hi, my name is John Lewis and I was an active user on Google+.
Yes, there is a very large number of Google+ (Google Plus) users. I created a community called Google+ Mass Migration with the hopes of helping people find alternatives. In a recent survey, there were two front-runners, MeWe and Diaspora.
This is the link to the community: https://plus.google.com/communities/112164273001338979772
All are welcome to come, the community is highly moderated, and there is a ton of user-generated content (including wikis, comparison charts, forwarding directories) that can be used to help people transition off of Google+.
Thanks.
Hi Sven,
What about PureOS as a Google Chrome book OS, even a Windows OS replacement? Android to as it on the Librem 5 phone.
I discovered this distro while reading information about Purism’s Librem 5 phone – that’s available Pre-Order now and delivery in April 2019.
PureOS comes with the best free/libre privacy and security software and apps for privacy out of the box. Privacy, security, and freedom by design.
PureOS is a GNU/Linux live CDs based on Debian’s Testing repository. It is a desktop distribution that can be used as live media (CD or USB) or as full-featured operating systems installed on a hard disk. PureOS uses free and open source software exclusively and is endorsed by the Free Software Foundation.
https://pureos.net/download/
Yes, PureOS is a great option.
hello. If I leave gmail, people who have my gmail will no longer be able to get ahold of me unless I send them my new email? correct? And I have to send out my new address from my new email? how do I transfer my contacts do I have to do it one by one?
can you recomend a good vpn service?
thanks so much love this very grateful
Nin
Hello, you could setup an auto reply in Gmail or perhaps forwarding to your new address, but that gives Gmail your new address as well. The steps for importing contacts depends on what email service you go with. Mailfence makes migration from Gmail very quick and easy – see this guide.
Regarding VPNs, ExpressVPN is currently my top recommendation. It is fast, secure, and very user-friendly. You can get 3 months free with this coupon (applied on checkout page under the 12-month plan).
aCalendar is actually just an app, not a calendar service. It syncs with Google Calendar. I don’t know if there is a standalone option, but even if there is, you won’t be able to access your calendar via desktop.
More Google Keep alternatives: Evernote, Simplenote.
You can create an offline calendar for aCalendar (and the standard Android Calendar as well) which doesn´t sync with Google – see : [https://schuermann.eu/android]
Hello Sven my privacy friend and advice giving advocate.
Regarding Gmail , wanted to move away a year ago – now I’m in the actual process of a move out and to close it but, I’ve noticed something happening.
Seems while I’m just starting my move away – Gmail still knows where I’ve moved to as any accounts that’s had this Gmail address registered to it sends me a message in (Gmail) like as either of these two below…
–
Dear xxxxx,
Thank you for submitting your change of email address request.
Change of email address request was made from:
IP Address: xx.xxx.xxx.xxx
ISP Host: xx.xxx.xxx.xxx
Click on the link to confirm this change.
~
OR
~
Hi XXXX,
There’s been an update to your account.
The email associated with your xxxxxx account has been changed.
Previous email: xxxx@xxxxxx.com
New email: xxxx@xxxx123.com
If you did not make these changes, please contact our Help Center immediately.
–
1) Sven any advice as to keeping Gmail from knowing all these accounts new email home?
I suppose all spying free email providers (not just Gmail) would get the same mail sent there as well – in a notice of the email address being changed. Alarming is my real name is used (not masked to Gmail) as these moved accounts have a payment method registered in them as well.
– ONLY THING, I can think of is to do some kind of wash-n-rinse.
I have a Posteo email account I’m letting go beginning the New Year.
So as in a WASH, move all the accounts with this Gmail addresses now over to my Posteo’s mail account.
Next of a Rinse, is to move all these accounts addresses to my Tutanota email account from the Posteo’s mail account, and that I will soon close.
(After and if needed, click on the link sent by any account’s change in my Posteo mail – that I’ve made this change, as a form of verification of that change). Check with a login there of that account.
Then after all is ok, delete all mail in this Posteo account and close it out.
2) Would this be the best way around Gmail knowing where my accounts mail has moved too, any advice or insights I’ve not considered to this is very welcome?
3) Wondering if Chat or a Phone Call could work possibly for changing an email associated to online accounts and not get an email response to Gmail?
Thank you, kind Sir
Hi Hard Sell, it looks like you’ve given this some thought. Your “wash-n-rinse” idea sounds good, to be honest.
Great article Sven, just a comment, start mail does not provide free service, only a free 7 days trial period. Best regards,
Thanks Paul, I just fixed that.
Sven, also consider video search https://www.peteyvid.com/
Sadly, it uses google adsense! I was notified immediately upon searching that my adblocker had to unblock before I could see the results!
Google Places API new prices are insane.
Any affordable alternative with equivalent data quality?
Just discovered your site by way of this article. Thank you for shining a light in the darkness for all of us unwilling data cows. In my search for a more private browser, I recently chose Epic but I noticed that you didn’t seem to consider it a worthy alternative. I am curious to know why.
Also, one of the issues I have encountered since taking steps to make my online experience more surveillance-free is problems buying things online. It seems quite a lot of sites don’t function well for people safeguarding their privacy. Is this just a necessary trade-off such that those who are serious about privacy have to forego some online shopping opportunities – or is there a work-around to deal with this?
Thanks again for this great resource.
Hi, check out my secure browser guide and the section titled “Browser privacy and compartmentalization” for an answer to your question.
Hello Sven,
I just finished reading your secure browser guide and Epic is not one of the browsers mentioned. There is some discussion in comments as someone else had the same question I did. However your answer to that person was not particularly informative. Another commenter also found it odd that, given the detailed answers you give about most other browsers, you don’t seem have an opinion about Epic. I would really like to know if I’ve made a huge mistake choosing Epic or if the risks are on par with other browsers you have covered in that guide. It is likely that I am not the only one of your readers with this question. Please reconsider providing a more detailed response about Epic.
I have been impressed with Wire messaging, by Swiss GmbH, as a replacement for Google Hangouts.
Yep, Wire is awesome.
Great article and thanks! Today, google sent me an email with a photo which has not been online. Just taken recently here at the house. Suggested that I use it in a creative way with others (which they also had). The only thing I can assume is that they have gotten into my computer–not just monitored online stuff. This is bizarre. Or someone else is hacking google and using them to spy on me. ? If I hear you right, I must get all totally different aps to escape google? As in, I can’t even watch a u-tube video? Or, google maps without getting invaded? Please say it ain’t so! Thanks.
“If I hear you right, I must get all totally different aps to escape google? As in, I can’t even watch a u-tube video?”
Not necessarily, although the less you use Google services the better. You can close your Google accounts, but still access google services anonymously, such as maps and youtube, through a secure browser with a good VPN service.
Why google send you email ?
Did you possibly take the photo on your phone, and they accessed it through what is running on your phone?
You probably are syncing your photos from your device to Google photos, Google Drive, or The new Google 1. That’s how they probably got it.
Great list of tool, Sven! I would love to suggest another alternative to a Google product which we are working on- Bit.ai. Bit is a Google Docs alternative which allows users to create rich, dynamic, and awesome looking documents, with built-in tracking and collaboration capabilities! Do check us out 🙂
Great resource.
For several comments, you indicated that you’d updated the list in the article.
Could you put a “Last Updated” date on each section.
Then, people like me could compare the date of the comment with the “Last Updated” date to see whether the comment was superceded by newer information.
Thanks.
Yes, I’m updating the guide periodically and will include update details at the bottom.
Weird how I am reading this article using chrome browser! 😂 😂
How about an alternative to Google Groups. I am in a relatively small group that left Yahoo Groups for Google Groups (over my strenuous objections). We need something simple and low tech. Thanx!
I read something about a Google Analytics Alternative that is Privacy Friendly.
Ticksel. But don’t know of this a good (privacy-friendly) option?
R.
Dude, you missed a very important one, the opera browser has a built in web VPN and is way better than any other browser.
No, Opera is not a good option in terms of privacy. They explicitly state in their privacy policy that they are collecting data and sharing it with third parties. I explained this in the secure browser guide.
My Son-in-law always advised me never to be me on Google.So I’m not there.
An alternative to YouTube was launched recently by Mike Adams “the health ranger” called Real.Video. Check it out and confirm. He’s very much into privacy and freedom of speech.
Hi, I can’t find Real.Video and would love a good alternative to YouTube. Is this service still working? What’s the URL? Thank you so much.
Excellent list! I have an email app that is focused on privacy. I would love it if you can add it to list of gmail alternatives- [https://www.thexyz.com]
This is why I root my devices out of the box.
Once I found out that my device is never truly ‘Resting’ because Google uses it a 24/ 7 tracking/ data scraping tool, I was thouroghly creeped out enough to learn about my device(s) operating system that hold our most personal secrets.
Getting a new phone and gutting Googles’ services (Or replacing the entire ROM) is the only way to enjoy the Android experience. Plus, the battery never dies mysteriously as an awesome side effect.
They won’t miss the 3+ GB of data no longer magically floating away from my phone, as I can hide behind those who are unaware, ambivalent, or ‘Have Nothing to Hide’.
This article is very well written and concise, and people will STILL refuse to wake up.
I also had a horrible time with Firefox and had numerous problems with it eating up my laptop memory and going through unnecessary rigmarole to actually use it effectively. It ended up causing more problems than it is worth. For the moment, I’ll stick with Windows (as I currently lack the funds to afford the more expensive Apple based system).
I have tried to get into Linux and I personally hate it. I would like more of a platform that works like Apple or Windows but without the downsides. I’m still waiting for a viable alternative to YouTube and MINDS is NOT a good social platform because I couldn’t care less about earning bit tokens to raise awareness of my posts – why should anyone need to do such bribery? Also, the platform itself, while still in its infancy, is nowhere near the multi-functional usage as Facebook, unfortunately. It basically is nothing more than a glorified soapbox where actual social interaction does not really occur other than getting likes. Its basically like a less interesting form of Instagram.
And nosey Facebook owns Instagram!
Regarding a reasonably secure & privacy “friendly” Mobile OS alternative to stock Android, what would be the better alternative:
✓ Copperhead OS (I have a Nexus 6P)
✓ Lineage OS for MicroG
✓ Official Lineage OS
What steps can be taken to make an Android device (such as the Nexus 6P) as security and privacy focused as reasonably possible (considering that mobile devices are inherently insecure and invasive)? Are the Nexus and Pixel devices the best for security and privacy if run with either Copperhead OS or Lineage for MicroG? The Librem phone is available yet. I am in need of an immediate solution. Someone posted this on a forum, what do the people here feel about this comment in relation to what I posted above?:
“The most basic requirement is a phone / OS with full security updates. There are very few Android devices where full security updates are possible, since it requires vendor support. For example, this month’s July security update requires Broadcom WiFi firmware security fixes along with a bunch of other fixes to proprietary components. If you don’t even have security updates fixing published vulnerabilities, it can’t be said that have even a minimal level of security. A third party OS cannot fix a lack of security updates to firmware and the proprietary userspace components. Only a subset of the supported LineageOS devices even have complete updates to the open source code, and you need to consider proprietary components too. Their security patch level field isn’t meaningful since it’s just set to a filler value across all supported devices, misrepresenting them as being patched.
In addition to that, nearly every third party OS rolls back standard Android security features. CopperheadOS is unique in that it starts from the position of proper production AOSP builds. It adds a lot of privacy / security features, but it’s doing that on top of the existing privacy / security features rather than rolling them back like everything else. Third party Android forks almost always degrade the security of the SELinux policies, disable verified boot and poke holes in other features. Google puts restrictions on what vendors can do in their forks and does some policing, but there’s nothing like that for aftermarket operating systems. Pulling in all of the half baked CAF code is a major security issue itself.”
Given all of this, what’s the best approach, given the limitations of choices (“lesser of all evils”)?????
I am very much in need of guidance. I am not a programmer or anything close to any kind of expert. As an ignorant consumer, what steps should I take regarding a mobile OS? I want a reasonable amount of security and privacy.
I think the best option for mobile privacy would be the Librem 5 phone when it eventually gets released.
Have a look at Sailfish OS. Previous Nokia staff in Finland
The hooktube doesn’t work that way any more, please update
[http://youtube-alternatives.wikia.com/wiki/Hooktube.com]
HookTube is now effectively just a light-weight version of youtube and useless to the 90% of you primarily concerned with denying Google data and seeing videos blocked by your governments.
Any alternatives to google sheets? I quickly glanced through the list and Ctrl+F but didn’t find anything.
Try [https://www.zoho.com/sheet/]
Are Apple services a good alternative to Google services?
Apple is be better than Google in terms of respecting user privacy, but there are better alternatives to Apple as well.
What hardware would you recommend running the alternative OS’s on? Or is that not necessarily relevant?
Is Epic Privacy Browser Good?
I’d opt for Brave, Waterfox, Firefox, Pale Moon, or perhaps the Tor browser instead.
I read recently that Firefox went to the dark side. With everything, trust is the basis and everyone’s trust is now so undermined it is hard to want to invest time on any new site. The only solution to this is true, New Testament Christianity. Without a moral code, you have corruption. And there is no excuse for it as we have been given and for the time being, have access to the most relevant moral code that will ever exist. The reason we see moral decay is that the New Testament is neglected, maybe the most by those who profess Christ but do not know or follow Him. May those who have ears to hear, hear. Please read and ponder the teachings of Jesus Christ for yourself in the New Testament. [https://onefaith.neocities.org/]
Let no man deceive you.
Jesus never used a computer. Just sayin’
https://archive.org/details/TheCompleteWorksOfFriedrichNietzschevol.17-EcceHomo/page/n7
You should read this and you may have true enlightenment. I really hope that will happen to you.
Capitalism is the corruption.
When making money is the only goal it can only lead to unlimited greed.
As for moral and Christianity, Nietzsche may explain you better what it is than me.
Can I please ask what the privacy issue is with gmx.com?
It doesn’t look too bad, and is based in Germany.
Awesome article – thank you!
One question – how does Vivaldi browser rate for privacy? I have had very poor performance with both Firefox and Brave, but Vivaldi is working great.
Hi Marilyn – there are a few issues with Vivaldi: it is based on Chromium (Google) and it’s propriety (not open source).
is outlook a safe alternative to gmail?
No. Outlook = Microsoft = bad for privacy.
Shoebox uses AI to scan all users images on their servers for data analysis, so no images uploaded to shoebox is private. Its written in their ToS. So isn’t that like ‘google photos’, where google scans all user images with AI while at rest on the google servers?
What Google Photos alternative are you using?
I think the Aurora Store project is the direct alternative of the Play Store, which could be installed from Fdroid or the Telegram Channel.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/galaxy-playstore-alternative-t3739733
For the Translation solutions, I would say dict.cc works great as a dictionary, but the others aren’t that much of a “translator”, I think Microsoft Translator mixed with an off-the-radar Attitude(GMS-free on android and no cookies on PC) could turn out to be a great choice.
one last thing, I know a lot of people question the security that Vivaldi provides, but undoubtly it’s one of the best “new generation” browsers from functionality side of things and I think it’s worth to be put beside Brave Browser.
Do you know feedburner alternative?
Perhaps Feedblitz.
Liferea
Hi Sven
Thanks for useful article
Please give me a Google Blogger alternative that no listed on the article
Thank you again
WordPress
There is another Android alternative: https://sailfishos.org
At the moment just a few devices are officially supported but there are community ports to other devices https://wiki.merproject.org/wiki/Adaptations/libhybris
A good Browser to use is Pale Moon at https://www.palemoon.org/. It is based on Firefox and you can add extensions to increase the safety from tracking, like BetterPrivacy, BlueHell Firewall, Cookie Controller, Disconnect, NoScript, Remove It Permanently, and uBlock Origin.
I have been online for close to 18 years, my “finger tips”.. are sore..lol but I just never have been able to AFFORD A GOOD ISP. HUGHESNET is putting me in poor house, I’ve been trying to SCRAPE by on my disability.. NOT FUN. I book marked this in hopes.. one day I will be able “to” use these.
“The best Google Calendar alternative seems to be Etar, which is open source, simple, and respects your privacy.”
This is obviously incorrect (did you ever install it to prove what you write ???).
I just installed it for Android; and :
– it requires a mandatory access to the (Google) Calendar (!!!) ;
– it requires access to the Contacts (!) and to the pictures
Needless to say, it uninstalled right away…
Thanks for the feedback – I updated the section a bit to put more of an emphasis on calendars from secure email providers, which is what I like and use. But to answer your question, no, I don’t use Android and did not test Etar on Android.
What? Just change the permissions and use the internal calendar. Using Etar for weeks now. Without Google Calendar. Without access to Contacts.
Brilliant article. Thank you so much. I see you’ve been working on it and updating it for a long time.
Have you considered pCloud as an alternative for Google Drive? Any reasons to distrust them? (I can’t find any)
Also, maybe an idea for a small update under “Other Google alternatives”, a list with Android keyboad/Gboard alternatives (AnySoftKeyboard or Hackers Keyboard found on F-Droid for maybe).
Cheers and keep up the good work!
Hi Verdana, thanks for the feedback, I’ll check those out.
pCloud looks good. what do you think. it’s based in switzerland.
Mycroft AI opensource personal assistant, instead of Google home
Hi Sven,
One thing I liked about Google Image Search was the ability to do the reverse image search (search by photo). Then, when looking for alternatives, I discovered Tineye. (https://tineye.com/) Is it any good, in terms of privacy? Or does it track too?
Or do you know any other alternatives?
This list of tools is wonderful. I can rebuild parts of my business with some of the tools. With all the privacy, I wonder how it would effect my business down the road. I believe I’d have to work harder at getting potential customers to my products and services. For personal use, it is a perfect fit. Maybe one day I’ll have two computers. One for business with the crappy mainstream corporations to run my business. And another for personal use to do my research, socializing, and entertainment. Great list. Looking forward to updates. Still looking for your newsletter. I’d love to keep up with your content.
There is good alternative for youtube
https://bit.tube/
both deepl and lingue is using google-analytics…
and dict.cc is using google tagservices. Maybe more of these links should have a second evaluation. Otherwise good list. I was also missing posteo.de.
The free software foundation is providing some similar lists.
Hi, maybe you should consider mentioning the /e/ project (formerly “eelo”) at https://e.foundation
They plan to provide a whole alternative ecosystem (including a ROM forked from LineageOS and various web services) to bring more privacy to “standard” users
Alternative to Youtube?
https://newpipe.schabi.org/
ALTERNATIVES OF GOOGLE ADSENSE
Google Adsense it will happy our heart because of alternatives of Google Adsense is the best way to earn money from websites.
ever heard of de-google-ify internet initiative ?
https://degooglisons-internet.org/?l=en
HookTube is now officially, as the changelog says, a simple lightweight facade for YouTube.
Disappointing…
There’s now invidio.us instead. Works even better than HookTube did.
The Youtube legal team was inevitably going to go after the developer, it was always going to be a matter of time, but the battle isn’t over yet.
I’d like to share Syncthing with you as a file synchronizing application that relies on no centralized service and is quite easy to setup while following good security principles. It works across most platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac OS, Android, etc).
https://syncthing.net/
I’ve been using it for a while and I’m happy with it.
Tutanota vs ProtonMail
Regarding e-mail clients, I’d say everything boils down to these 2 mail providers.
The most important point being Encryption at Rest feature, thus all e-mails remaining encrypted on theirs servers.
Mailfence confirmed that they do not offer that.
Coming back to PM and Tuta, both encrypt attachements and body of the message, but Tutanota also encrypts Subject lines. In addition, it doesn’t register your IP, whereas PM does, and Tuta costs less.
Speaking of the jurisdiction, Tutanota is under Germany’s Laws, Protonmail under Switzerland’s. Germany laws prevent retaining e-mail, whereas Switzerland enforces a 1-year data retention. In addition, speaking of the claims that Switzerland has supperior privacy laws, and the fact that datacenters have their servers in underground bunkers, I’d say that’s bogus. First of all, keeping the servers in bunkers doesn’t really matter, considering the data is encrypted. Moreover, Switzerland has a mutual treaty with USA which basically says Whatever data is available to Switzerland courts, is also available to US government
Not to be biased towards Tutanota, Protonmail does have more features (also has a nice @pm.me domain available =) ). Moreover, their interface is better, they have POP/IMAP available through a bridge they developed if you like to use Clients like Outlook or Thunderbird (available on all major OSes) and PGP integration.
Summing everything up, they both are solid choices, massively better than probably everything there is out in the world, and the choice comes down to the user’s matter of preferance: Do you want a service which is not very eye-appealing and feature rich, but does it’s job and has great security and privacy, or you are more inclined towards feature richness, with the tradeoff being small privacy flaws.
PS: e-mail was not developed with privacy in mind, so using a private messenger like Signal is a much better choice relating to privacy.
Tutanota has released a beta version of new Android app.
One more thing to note, Protonmail Android relies on Google Services Framework, whereas Tutanota doesn’t
Thank you very much for explaining this. I have a very good feeling, like trust… with Tutanota.
@las the only thing that is still missing, is the folder’s unread e-mails count on UI. It’s hard to use when you receive an e-mail, and need to check 10-15 folders to see where it went )))
Data retention in Switzerland is 6month
https://www.admin.ch/opc/fr/classified-compilation/20122728/index.html
Can you please suggest a sms app alternate to android messages?
Check out the secure messaging apps section in the privacy tools guide.
I think you have 2 choices in this matter which somewhat focus on different things:
1. Silence – a dedicated SMS/MMS App which encrypts text messages at rest, and also has the ability to send encrypted SMS/MMS messages in case the recipient has this app installed. You can start an encrypted session which will result in key exchange and voile, your phone communications provider won’t have the ability to read your messages.
2. Signal Messenger – This is actually an open-source messenger app. it encryption algorithm is now used in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype. However this does not mean that Facebook and Skype could not have tampered with it (the companies are notorious for working with government). Signal however had its trust tested, and Snowden recommends it 😉
It has the feature to be default SMS app, but it only encrypts the messages database at rest (not hiding it from communications provider).
Personally, I stopped using Silence only because I have an expense manager app which has automatic SMS parsing feature, which works only with default SMS app.
Is Vivaldi browser a good alternative to Chrome?
As a gmail alternative I would prefer to have a free version. Proton etc are providers with a subscription, or very small free storage. What do you think about Inbox.com , yahoo and outlook?
Well there are a few problems with Vivaldi. First, it’s closed source, so you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. Second, there aren’t many Vivaldi users, so you would stand out and be easier to track.
With email, I like Tutanota quite a bit, and they give you 1 GB of storage for free. Mailfence is also a good free option. But I also think it’s good to upgrade to premium if you can afford it, because it supports these products. I’d avoid the others you mentioned, especially Yahoo, which gives third parties access to your emails, and anything from Microsoft (Outlook).
Hi, I test Matomo today and I don’t know how to actually see current visitors? There is an option to see visitors in last 24h or 30m? But I want to see how many visitors browsing my website right now? If I use Google analytics and I click real time, it shows the number of visitors easily.
Under the dashboard there is an option to see “live” I believe.
Yes, you can see visits and actions in the last 3 minutes, I really wanted to use Mamoto but seems it does not show all visitors on my website. I browse my site with different browsers and seems it does not count it. No visitors from my country at all. Really Google analytics shows everything but Mamoto does not for some reason, I tested a lot and unfortunatelly I will need to use Google again.
Please someone consider to name an alternative to google captcha service, which is to find on so many sites…. Thank you.
My mail is hosted at servermx.com.
In terms of design it doesn’t spend time and money but in terms of reliability, features, and support it really does it all, give them a shot.
Whatsapp’s end to end encryption is probably well known but I just sent a 488mB video file to a friend which makes it better than e-mail routes too?
Based on the response to my suggestion that Etar-Calendar’s maintainers provide some user documentation, I think it is simply an alternative client for the Google Calendar service. It doesn’t sound like one can point it at some other calendaring server without significant additional effort.
You forgot Firefox Focus 🙂 blocks a whole load of junk by default!
You’re missing Fastmail, who provide very standards-based and security-focused e-mail, contacts, and calendaring. I’m a satisfied multi-year customer.
Dear Sven,
It should be noted that the default configuration of Mozilla Firefox has moved towards a surveillance platform following the acquisition of Pocket and a shift towards an advertising-based funding model.
Currently it is necessary to make significant modifications to the default settings through the about:config dialog to avoid dozens of outbound “privacy”-violating connections, many of which are now CloudFlare endpoints:
https://gist.github.com/haasn/69e19fc2fe0e25f3cff5
Moreover, “Safe Browsing” is cryptically enabled by default, sharing the user’s activity with Google.
Well, this Mozilla engineer says user activity is no longer shared with Google via the “safe browsing” settings. This issue is also discussed more in my Firefox privacy guide.
You should include Safari in the list of browsers, at least for Mac users. Apple has a long history of privacy controls in Safari that other browsers don’t have or only added much later. For example, I think Safari is still the only major browser to ship with third-party cookies turned off as a default. It has cross-site tracking prevention, configurable default search provider, granular permissions asked for use of the camera, microphone, and location, and optional per-site settings for some of those things. Plus, the upcoming macOS Mojave will include a version of Safari with fingerprinting prevention.
Hi Doug, I agree that Apple does some things right in regards to privacy. However, it still has a troubling history of “hoarding” users’ browsing history – even when using private browsing mode. And these are only the cases we know about.
I think we should judge Apple and other companies for what they are doing, not their history. Apple has improved users privacy a lot. If we dig deep enough i’m sure we could find something on most of the “good” companies you listed.
Good list. To add a few more:
Google docs alternative that is free and encrypted:
https://cryptpad.fr/
Google play alternative, the most complete that I know. Permits to install older versions of apps:
http://www.aptoide.com/
Could you add CryptPad to the alternatives to Google Drive too?
thanks
Paul
I found an other website about removing gafam called De-google-ify Internet (https://degooglisons-internet.org/).
They also provide FOSS alternatives to google products.
I see my website is found by the search engines that don’t use Google search results. Google can also help you not find things.
Hubic as Google Drive alternative 25 GB on start up to 50GB
Dear Sven,
Thank you for the post. It is an interesting list of products and activities.
Please also consider Kolab Now (https://kolabnow.com) as an open source/Free software alternative to
* Gmail
* Google calendar
* Google docs
Kolab Now has 30 days free trial, it has 2GB included in the price and, as mentioned above, it is open source and Free software.
Sincerely
Mads
Hi Mads, thanks for sharing that information. A secure email guide is soon forthcoming and it will include Kolab Now.
I’m current using Kolab and can’t recommend enouth.
The have calendar, email, contacts, notes, and file keeping for a fair price.
The only downside is that they still don’t suport 2 way auth. But outside that, still great service.
Hey Sven, fantastic round-up. Thanks for the thorough research!
For your email security and privacy article, please consider my new app https://zinc.email/
The system allows you to send & receive email without sharing your real email address. It can track who leaks your contact info and let’s you *unshare* your email address from anyone.
Again thanks for the great article. Looking forward to the next one.
A nice chrome alternative is missing: Ungoogled Chromium
“Modifications to Google Chromium for removing Google integration and enhancing privacy, control, and transparency”
https://github.com/Eloston/ungoogled-chromium
There’s an error in the article. Searx is NOT a single site but search aggregation software that anyone can run on their server. There are over 70 user-run servers to choose from (or the two randomizers listed can be used):
https://github.com/asciimoo/searx/wiki/Searx-instances
Correct, Searx is technically a metasearch engine – just updated the wording.
Hello Sven, and thanks for building this list.
I am cofounder of Countly, an open source product analytics platform for web, mobile and desktop. You can download it via Github (https://github.com/countly/countly-server) and run on your own machines, thus you don’t have to share any visitor information with 3rd parties. Countly is also plugin based, runs on Nodejs + MongoDB and has a really slick and intuitive UI.
You may also build your own Countly on Digital Ocean, using this 1-click installer: https://do.count.ly
PS: How about turning this list into a Github repo so others can also comment and contribute?
Hi Gorkem – thanks for the info. I’ll have Countly added here soon. Good idea on the Github repo.
You can also generate it using one of github-awesome-list templates. That will help get picked up by others easily.
Google Translate replacement: https://www.deepl.com/translator
We use https://goaccess.io instead of analytics. It’s real-time and open source, works awesomely.
For a Google Keep alternative, check out Standard Notes.
https://standardnotes.org
Open source, encrypted, and cross platform 🙂
Seconded, I love this software.
Shameless plug: at LINAGORA where I currently work, we are developing OpenPaaS, an open source collaborative platform and alternative to Google Suite and Co. At its core, OpenPaaS is made of an email server, James, and many other open source components (in one package, it offers an alternative to Gmail, to Google Calendar, etc). Do not hesitate to check it out: https://open-paas.org.
Any suggestions for using an alternative to Google Slide Show Sharing system…
I have been using it for my alternative news channel called, Digileakcanada.weebly.com
I can download and archive the slide shows to my own hard drive in case they disappear on line.
I like the slide format to layout my news research and share with others. Your suggestions would be appreciated.
Cheers, Ken
If you want to replace notes, this is great: https://standardnotes.org
Given you seem to care about performance in your reviews you might wanna consider mentioning and testing WireGuard in your VPN guide.
Another suggestion I have is mention alternatives to Android such as LineageOS + microG, CopperheadOS, SailfishOS, postmarketOS, etc.
I see you go on about logging policy; you can only verify such via auditing. Its their word against yours. Its snake oil.
As a final note I found it very entertaining how you were going on about 14 eyes in the ProtonVPN review. If you require that kind of anonymity, don’t use a VPN; use something like Tor in a VM. VPNs as mentioned here are meant to avoid things such as copyright infringement witch hunts or region locks.
WireGuard is under heavy development and is not recommended in its current state.
The Tor browser is an interesting project, but the Tor network comes with many drawbacks including horrible speeds, malicious exit nodes, and the fact that it has been compromised and exploited according to some reports – see here.
Hi Sven, very interesting article.
Your contact form seems to be down, is there some other way to contact you privately?
Hi Rune, indeed the form appears to be broken – thanks for the heads up. The contact page has been updated with additional contact details.
Update: contact form has been fixed.
Hello everyone!
Q: Is Apple REALLY safer ?
Joe
Why do you mind being the product tho?
An alternative view would be that it cost us nothing to have google launch worldwide projects.
Alternative to Google Voice: jmp.chat
Hello,
I would add an alternative to google firebase : https://kuzzle.io/ (Google’s mobile platform to develop apps ).
Many thanks for this article.
I cunningly outflank Google’s date collection by never doing anything interesting.
For OpenStreetMap, you forgot another great app: OsmAnd. Especially on Android, it works great. On iOS, only basic functionality works.
JotForm (https://www.jotform.com) is a good alternative for Google forms. It also allows importing forms from existing ones.
It all comes down to the efficience/anonymity ratio you want to acheive
Don’t forget about Sync.com – A Google Drive alternative that includes end to end encryption and privacy protection, and they have a totally free tier.
Hi, I’m running a website, MapHub (https://maphub.net/) which aims to be an alternative to Google My Maps, based on OpenStreetMap data. It does not collect any kind of location data and IP addresses are not stored. If you think it’d fit the list, feel free to include it.
I’d like to add airvpn.org to the list of recommended services. Many features similar to IVPN as mentioned in one comment, reliable in the 4 years I’ve been using, EU-based, accepts cryptos, insists on no tracking, many servers around the world, etc. 54€/year.
Don’t forget the famous DNS service 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 provided by Google.
Great point, Krouaton, Google DNS alternatives will definitely be provided with the next update to this guide (soon).
Dns 1.1.1.1
Does anyone know a good alternative to Google Keep and Chromecast?
1.1.1.1 is run by CloudFlare, and 9.9.9.9 by Quad9/IBM.
There’s also EteSync (www.etesync.com) for contact/calendar sync. It’s secure, end-to-end encrypted and open source, so a much better alternative than what suggested there.
Looks awesome, thanks!
Hi Sven, great article but would be good to mention Google Photos alternatives too. Did you try Yogile? They are based in Europe and do have a transparent Privacy Policy.
Hi Aleks, I haven’t looked into Google Photos alternatives yet, but I will for the next update to this guide.
Check out Shoebox (shoeboxapp.com). No ads, reasonable privacy policy, no ownership if your data.
Hey Sven,
Have you checked out d.tube (https://d.tube/) instead of youtube? It is awesome because it also works with a new technology called IPFS which makes censoring even harder than on regular internet. I think something like that will be the future for people with a free mind to exchange their ideas.
Hi Kantoku, thanks for the tip, I’ll check it out.
Google provides a centralized way to access all its applications. Unfortunately, this will not be achieved if different other sites are used instead. However, I am very optimistic about these alternatives.
There are multiples alternatives open source libre solutions of google products made by french “Framasoft” association : https://framasoft.org/
And for youtube there is peertube : https://joinpeertube.org/en/home/
Thank you for putting together this list!
Personally I have been pouring development time into another self-hosted OS alternative to Google Analytics as I feel there is a drastic need for more options in that space.
OpenWebAnalytics seems like a relic from a previous era. Matomo (formerly Piwik) is great, but not as simple as I think it could be.
That’s why we’re building Fathom Analytics.
– Self hosted
– Open-source (MIT licensed)
– Opinionated
We want to keep things as simple as possible while still providing you the information you need about your site, so you can make smarter decisions about your design and content.
Either way, keep on fighting the good fight!
Hi Danny, thanks for the heads up about Fathom Analytics – just added it to the guide.
How about zoho sven?
I didn’t include it because it’s based in the US (California to be exact).
What about zoho.eu?
Could I just ask please for a source behind the idea that “Google Chrome is a popular browser, but it’s recording and tracking everything you do”?
Hi Kieren, I just added an image to the Chrome section that illustrates a few of the privacy issues.
Hi Sven, good list, but it’s leaving out most of their commercial products (e.g. AdWords). As a business it would be great to find a workable alternative that is more privacy friendly – I know it seems a bit of a contradiction, but has anyone looked into responsible advertising?
Hi Chris, good question. I’ll check that out for the next update to this guide.
Hey,
I think it’s worth mentioning Runbox for email and Jottacloud for storage, maybe?
Thanks.
Hi Mike D, agreed on Runbox – just added it to the list. I’ll check out Jottacloud as well (also based in Norway).
Also recommend Posteo as an e-mail service provider alternative (I use it personally and it’s great).
They advertise themselves as privacy conscious, secure and operating sustainably.
Agreed – that’s another great service. I’ll have a list of secure email providers coming out soon and Posteo will be included.
I’m not willing to pay, what’s the alternative that can offer big storage like Google Drive/Gmail combo?
I’m not too sure about free cloud storage, but as a general rule…
“When something is free, you are the product.” -Google
Nextcloud can handle an unlimited amount of data, with a strong focus on security and is fully FOSS and self-hostable without too much effort. Combine with a static ip from ovpn VPN-service, and something like mail-in-a-box, mailcow or similar and you have the email/google drive combo.
Best option I know of. Also integrates well with things like LibreOffice Online, Etherpad, Email, XMPP, WebRTC (e2e audio-video chat) etc.
great list, but your still on Android. Do you have a list of alternative mobile os
Thanks for this list.
For Youtube alternative I think it’s important to mention PeerTube
https://joinpeertube.org/
It’s a federated peer to peer solution based on free software.
Not in v1 yet its already used by some conference like the last State Of The Map in France:
https://peertube.openstreetmap.fr/
It’s a very useful article. Thank you.
There is a French alternative to Google Drive with Cozy : https://cozy.io
You’re missing SpiderOak One which is an alternative to Google Drive. It’s encrypted (though proprietary).
And also based in the US.
Mega.nz too
I want to add one more gmail alternative, invmail.io
Sven, do you know about anything Ecosia.org ?
Not much, to be honest. From their site:
Ecosia.org page states its search engine is based on Bing. I don’t like that it requests to add to Firefox now, just ignore the warning. It is in the Firefox Add-on list the proper way to add it.
The controversy is are they just redirecting searches through their website and promoting Ecosia as a Homepage? Doesn’t every search engine do so?
This Addon requests permission to: “Access your data for sites in the ecosia.org domain” with 300 reviews 83% are 5-stars.
Did you try Shazzle Mail, it’s a free encrypted mail service, they don’t store mails in servers, works like messaging applications.
Thanks for the tip, BM.
I’ve noticed you recommend MAPS.ME, I would strongly disagree.
Even though their map are based on OpenStreetMap, they collect quite a bit of personal data, as it is stated in their Privacy Policy.
I would suggest Maps, which downloads the map you need from OpenStreetMap.
Wow, you are right about MAPS.ME and their privacy policy. I’m updating this guide now…
Thanks Josh.
Something you might want to mention (or know) is that the “MAPS” link to f-droid is just maps.me without the tracking stuff, provided by the same lovely people. both (f-droid or gplay versions) are based on OSM
Better alternative would be OsmAnd https://osmand.net/
FOSS, Available on F-Droid
Hello. I’ve been using Mailfence and OpenMailbox for years now and like them both. I’ve just discovered Mail2Tor recently and I like it and it’s easy to setup with no phone number required. I don’t know how much storage it has or how long before they delete inactive accounts. You need to have Tor to use Mail2Tor & can also email non-Tor email providers too.
http://mail2tor2zyjdctd.onion/
An alternative SWISS web search provider:
https://swisscows.com/about
Not keen on the layout…but…
Yep, I’m just about to publish a guide on privacy search engines, which includes Swisscows.
Do remember the Danish search engine FindX.com
Cool list otherwise
Hello Sven, brilliant website and one worth putting around! Please remember to tell all who are signing up for a Protonmail account to sign up for the protonmail.ch account and NOT the protonmail.com account, as this could be compromised in the future in the USA.
Please see Protonmail’s own review on this matter:
https://protonmail.com/support/knowledge-base/what-is-the-difference-between-protonmail-com-and-protonmail-ch/
Hi Tim, thanks for the feedback.
Hello…. I was looking for an alternative to Google photos..?? Any suggestions??
Hi Jedi, I don’t use any of these services, but there are some alternatives listed here that may be worth considering.
Hi,
after read your review about Proton VPN I’m more suspicious about Proton mail, all other alternatives from the 14 eye countries, is this important for a mail service?
Well it might depend on your situation, but I consider many of these providers in Europe to be good. I like Tutanota and Mailfence. And if you really want more privacy, you should just skip email altogether and go with a secure messaging with end-to-end encryption.
I’ve been using StartPage for years. I noticed shortly after the name change that the search results became much more limited, and has become progressively worse in more recent months. It’s now so bad that often times a search returns zero results, while google has plenty of valid hits. It’s to the point I deem StartPage useless. I’m curious, is this something ixquick is doing on purpose, or has Goggle figured out a way to limit results queried by 3rd party search engines as a way to force people back into the fold?
Yes, I have also noticed this with StartPage lately. I have no idea as to why, but searx.me seems to still be working well.
Hi Sven and markiteight,
Getting no results is highly unusual, so I’m wondering if something is amiss. You should alert the tech team: Support@StartPage.com
Note that as you scroll to the bottom of a search results page and click to see more search results, additional pages of options will display. So you may see 2 pages available initially, but as you click to new pages, more options should appear if there are more results available.
Hope this helps!
Hi Liz, thanks for the info.
Hello,
I am looking at e-mail alternatives and am confused about android integration on many services. It seems most of the secure e-mail services (such as mailfence which I had considered) are intended to be used with activesync which seems counter productive to me to use a secure service but access it through a Microsoft interface. Maybe I am missing something? I was hoping you could weigh in on this.
Also is the reason companies such as kolab and hushmail not on your recommendations because of their jurisdiction?
I had tried tutanota already but was a bit disappointed with the very slow speed and limited functions such as a poor search feature.
Thanks for the help.
Hi Jarrod, the list is not exhaustive, I just added a few providers that looked good, but I’ll work on a secure email guide in the coming months. I haven’t looked into the activesync issue to be honest. I think if you really want more security and privacy, an encrypted messaging app would be a better option than email. I like Wire and Keybase.
I use Threma for some years now. Very satisfied.
Hey Sven.
For e-mail services, what about Tutanota or SCRYPTmail?
Hi James, I like Tutanota, they’re also listed on the privacy tools page.
Hello Sven,
Thanks for that creating resotreprivacy. Great job!
I was reading about StartPage, which is now my default web search engine and I found that they also have a secure e-mail service called StartMail https://www.startmail.com
Maybe You will decide to add this one to Gmail alternatives.
Regards
Thanks Seweryn, I’ll check it out for the next update to this guide.
Hello,
I’m searchin for an app to sync my contacts, crossplatform (Mac, iOS, Android), any idea ? Thx
Not sure, but some email providers also offer ways to secure and sync contacts.
Kolab Now might be what @muhyidin is looking for? Not sure, but it is Swiss based, open and free software and it syncs stuff… https://kolabnow.com/
@Sven Thank you, I like many of your suggestions and you explain things well!
I recommend using Nextcloud which is not just for sharing files but also has an excellent Calendar-App which you can synchronize via CalDav and Contacts-App which you can synchronize with CardDav.
To sync it with Android you can use DAVDroid which is free.
Why is Aptoid listed as a good Playstore alternative? That site requires people to use their app to download stuff, and their app requires access to Camera, Contacts, and Location. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for that kind of app to access those things!
Hi John, yep, looks like you are correct. It seems F-Droid is the only decent option from a privacy perspective at this point. I’ve removed Aptoid from the list.
an another email provider, RunBox which has calendar and contacts sync utility.
Very cool company.
Hello Sven!
What would be a good Google Calendar alternative?
Thanks
Hi James, here are a few options.
Basically it is a choice between:
1. Etar
2. aCalendar
3. Kin (somewhat acceptable privacy policy)
4. fruux (not a very privacy-friendly privacy policy)
I initially though mostly of calendar back-ups as with Google Calendar when I asked the question, but on the second though, calendar back-up is not privacy-friendly by design =)
Thanks for this. I added a new section on Google Calendar alternatives.
After analyzing aCalendar a bit, it seems to have a lot of adds, which is not very nice. It does have a nice design though =)
One more calendar to mention is Simple Calendar, which is open-source, has import/export to .ics file feature, CalDAV sync and event type setting.
Overall, I’d recommend it over Etar as well.
Mailfence which is mentioned under mail also offers Calendar, Contacts and Documents tools all integrated in a suite, making it an alternative for Google Calendar, Google Docs,… More info about the calendar here: https://blog.mailfence.com/secure-online-mailfence-calendar/
Great article, finally cutting out google on my phone and it feels good. Hopped on protonmail and searchx.
What about Playstore alternatives?
Hi John, good point. I’ll research that question and add it to the next article update.
1. F-DROID –> Only Open-Souce contents available
2. Via F-DROID you can download YALP Store which is Google PlayStore without the need to login with your Google-Account
Thanks for the recommendation! First I tried Amazon, but I couldn’t get their app to work. Then I tried apkmirror and Fdroid, but their selections were just too small. They didn’t have any of the apps I use on a daily basis. Then I tried Aptoid, but their app was too invasive. It wanted access to Camera, Contacts, and Location! So far, Yalp is what I’ve been looking for. Thank you!
As Duderino suggested above, if you install F-Droid, and then got install Yalp Store, this basically removes the need for Google Play.
The only drawback I see is that you wouldn’t be able to buy apps, however there is a workaround that as well.
Speaking of users that only use free apps this is a golden mine, as you can really remove Google account completely.
Yes this appears to be the best option. I just added it to the list.
Yalp only omits the google play store UI. You are still using the play store when you download the apk from there.
So, it is not really an “alternative”.
Same for hottube.
For Chrome alternatives I highly recommend epic privacy browser, its open source and based off chromium, has its own privacy based search engine because “It dosen’t trust any other search engine,” built in proxy anti – tracking addons, disables all the data collecting and more, speeds are good, particularly if you do decide to use duck duck go instead of epicsearch.in (their search engine), if you want chrome without data collection (which you get anyway, even if you turn off all the addons), and you want privacy, I recommend epic. [link]
Hi Sven!
What’s your thoughts on Puffin browser?
Thanks!
Hi Gary, I have not heard of or tried out Puffin browser. As a general rule I like to stick with FireFox, however, for both mobile and desktop.
Hello Sven! Am very new to your site (brilliant BTW) and have a question re FireFox. When you say you like to stick to FF, which one do you mean? Seems to be various versions kicking around, e.g. FF Quantum, WaterFox, etc. (I’m on a Mac running macOS 10.12.6.) Thanks in advance!
Hi George, I just mean whatever is the latest version of the standard Firefox browser. The latest version as of now is Firefox Quantum.
The real question is if there is an alternative for Google Services. I mean for Android, there is Aptoide to use instead of Google Play Store but most of the Apps won’t work if you don’t have Google Services installed on your device. 🙁
There is a very time-expensive way.
It’s called Xposed Framework. I used it quite successfull on my Galaxy S4 several years ago. With that you can install a Google Service replacement. Also you can install several location services for GPS etc.
According to the developer you don’t even need to root your device for this.
Unfortunately I don’t know what’s the status of Xposed Framework these days.
What you really need for many apps to work without Google Play Services is an operating system with signature spoofing, such as microG: https://lineage.microg.org/ . The Xposed Frame work is still alive and well, and has a version for Android Nougat and Oreo, as shown here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
What you really need for many apps to work without Google Play Services is an operating system with signature spoofing, such as microG: https://lineage.microg.org/ . The Xposed Frame work is still alive and well, and has a version for Android Nougat and Oreo, as shown here https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3034811
Hello Sven,
Any thought on Synch.com for No-Knowledge cloud storage? They are based in Toronto which could be a drawback since Canada is part of five eyes. Then again Synch.com claims they do not have your key. They are a less expensive alternative to Tresorit.
I will probably get one of them, there doesn’t seem to be a perfect solution.
Hi TPaige, I haven’t looked into this area too closely, but will hopefully get a guide out after doing some research and testing the different providers.
Thank you in advance for the research. I’m sure there is something to this No-Knowledge approach like where is the key? What is the key? What happens if all of the uploads and downloads happens through the browser? Is it still Zero Knowledge and end to end encryption? There are quite a few questions to look into.
TPaige
How about ProtonMail as an alternative to Gmail?
Yep – also a good alternative.
Thank you for this article. It has been really educational
Happy to help, Nicolas.
Sven, here is one you need to add to the video section.
an alternative to youtube is “hooktube”.
Just copy the URL & replace it the youtube.com part with “hooktube.com” & it’ll do the same thing.
Of course, if you’re using something by a youtube content provider like VEVO (I imagine other major providers too), then it won’t work
Hi Richard, good suggestion – I have added it to the list.
Stop tracking me
Google doesn’t listen 🙂
Hi,
is Opera also considered as an Google alternative or it is near as good/secure/private as Firefox?
Cheers for that
Hi Tomtom, it is indeed an alternative, but not one that I would use. When I analyzed Opera’s Privacy Policy I found they collect vast amounts of user data – just like Google. Their “free VPN” is also not so good – see here.
A map alternative for PCs (Waze is only Android/iOS AFAIK) is openstreetmap.org. It’s more basic than Google Maps, but still.
Thanks Trond! It has been added to the list.
Didn’t Google acquire Waze?
Thanks for that information – you are correct. I removed it from the list.
OpenStreetMaps is also available for Android. The app is called OSMand