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Alternatives to Google Products – The Big List (2024)

By — 119 Comments
alternatives to Google

With growing concerns over online privacy and securing personal data, more people than ever are considering alternatives to Google products.

After all, Google’s business model essentially revolves around data collection and advertisements, both of which infringe on your privacy. More data means better (more targeted) ads and consequently, more revenue for Google. The company pulled in over $224 billion in ad revenue last year — and that number continues to climb higher.

But the word is getting out. A growing number of people are seeking alternatives to Google products that respect their privacy and data. Since you are reading this, we assume you are one of them.

Small steps to restoring your privacy

Before we dive in, a brief word of encouragement.

When beginning the journey of restoring digital privacy, some people get overwhelmed with all the work involved, and perhaps give up. Don’t let that be you. Understand that you don’t need to do everything right away. Instead, start small and go step by step at your own pace. With each step in the process, you get more security and control over your personal data, which is a small victory.

So don’t be overwhelmed and remember that there’s no “one size fits all” with this process. Even small changes, such as using a private search engine and a privacy-focused browser, are victories. So push on in your quest for more privacy and celebrate each step of the journey.

Note: The lists below are not necessarily in rank order. Choose the best products and services based on your own unique needs.

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 eight Google search alternatives to consider:

  1. Searx – A privacy-friendly and versatile metasearch engine that’s also open source.
  2. Brave Search – A new search engine from the Brave browser
  3. MetaGer – An open source metasearch engine with good features, based in Germany.
  4. Mojeek – The only true search engine (rather than metasearch engine) that has its own crawler and index (based in the UK).
  5. SwissCows – A zero-tracking private search engine based in Switzerland, hosted on secure Swiss infrastructure.
  6. Qwant – A private search engine based in France.
  7. DuckDuckGo – A private search engine based in the US.
  8. YaCy – A decentralized, open source, peer-to-peer search engine.
  9. Ecosia – The search engine that plants trees

Note: With the exception of Mojeek, all of the private search engines above are technically metasearch engines, since they source their results from other search engines, such as Bing and Google.

See our guide on the best private search engines for additional information.

Gmail alternatives

Gmail may be convenient and popular, but there are three major problems:

  1. Your inbox is used as a data collection tool. (Did you know Google tracks your purchasing history using the receipts in your inbox?)
  2. Rather than seeing just emails, your email inbox is also used for ads and marketing.
  3. The contents of your inbox are being shared with Google and other random third parties.

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).

Here are ten best alternatives to Gmail that do well in terms of privacy:

  1. ProtonMail – Best for strong encryption (33% off coupon)
  2. StartMail – Private email hosted in The Netherlands (50% off coupon)
  3. Mailfence – A secure and customizable email service
  4. Tutanota – Secure Email for Any Device
  5. Mailbox.org – Affordable private German email service
  6. Posteo – Reliable anonymous email service
  7. Runbox – Private email in Norway
  8. CounterMail – Swedish email with strong security features
  9. Kolab Now: Swiss email, compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI
  10. Soverin – Basic private email service

More information on these providers is available in the secure and private email services guide.

We also have a guide on the best Gmail alternatives.

Google Chrome alternatives

Google Chrome is a popular browser, but it’s also a data collection tool. Even major media outlets are starting to take notice, with the Washington Post stating that “Google’s web browser has become spy software” with 11,000 tracker cookies observed in a single week.

Google Chrome alternatives

Recently, Google has announced that it will ditch cookies in favor of a new tracking and data collection system called FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts). And as you would expect from the world’s largest advertising company, this new systems also comes with privacy problems.

Here are seven alternatives that offer more privacy while still being secure against hackers and other miscreants:

  1. Brave – Brave is a user-friendly, Chromium-based browser that is growing in popularity. It blocks trackers and ads by default while also implementing browser fingerprinting protection.
  2. Firefox browser – Firefox is a very customizable, open-source browser that is popular in privacy circles. There are also many different Firefox modifications and tweaks that will give you more privacy and security. Check out Firefox Focus for a strong mobile privacy option.
  3. Tor browser – A hardened and secured version of Firefox that runs on the Tor network by default. (It also does a good job against browser fingerprinting.)
  4. Ungoogled Chromium – Just as the name says, this is an open source version of Chromium that has been “ungoogled” and modified for more privacy.
  5. LibreWolf – A private and secure fork of Firefox
  6. Mullvad Browser – A privacy collaboration between Mullvad and Tor
  7. DuckDuckGo browser – A private macOS, iOS, and Android)
  8. Waterfox – Another private and secure fork of Firefox

Of course, there are other alternatives to Chrome. These include Safari (from Apple), Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi among others. But each of these comes with privacy drawbacks. More discussion on this topic can be found in the guide on secure and private browsers.

Google Authenticator alternatives

Google Authenticator makes it easy to use 2FA (two factor authentication) on sites and services that support it. But it only works on your smartphone, and doesn’t save backups of your authentication keys. If your mobile device is lost or stolen, regaining access to all your sites and services can be a real headache. There are a number of alternatives out there, including:

  1. Authy – The main competitor to Google Authenticator. Can back up your authentication keys making it much easier to recover after a problem. Includes versions for iOS, Android, and desktops and can sync your keys between all of them.
    google authenticator alternative
    There’s only one drawback to Authy for us privacy types – it is not open source.
  2. FreeOTP – A free and open source replacement for Google Authenticator on iOS and Android devices. Attractive and easy to use, but features are limited.
  3. AndOTP – Another free and open source authenticator with backup/restore capability. Only works on Android devices.

Other alternatives to Google Authenticator include the authenticator built into some password managers (LastPass, for example) and hardware security keys like the Yubikey line of products.

Google Drive alternatives

If you’re looking for a private, secure cloud storage option, you can check out these Google Drive alternatives:

  1. NordLocker – From the team behind NordVPN and also NordPass comes NordLocker. NordLocker is a hybrid encryption tool and secure cloud storage.
  2. Tresorit – Best secure cloud storage solution
  3. Sync.com – Based in Canada, Sync offers a secure, encrypted cloud storage solution for businesses and individuals.
  4. Nextcloud – Nextcloud is an open source, self-hosted file sharing and collaboration platform, based in Germany.
  5. MEGA – Based in New Zealand, MEGA offers very affordable plans and lots of secure cloud storage space.

There are many other well-known Google Drive alternatives like Dropbox, but they don’t score high marks in the privacy category.

Check out our roundup of the best cloud storage solutions for more info on these and others.

Google Calendar alternative

Here are some Google Calendar alternatives:

  1. Lightning Calendar – An open source calendar option developed by Mozilla. It is compatible with the Thunderbird email program and the Seamonkey software suite.
  2. Etar – An open source, basic calendar option for Android and iOS.

If you are looking for a solution that includes both email and calendar functionality, these providers offer that:

Google Docs / Sheets / Slides alternative

There are many solid Google Docs alternatives available. The largest offline document editing suite is, of course, Microsoft Office. As most people know, however, Microsoft is not the best company for privacy. Nonetheless, there are a few other good Google Docs alternatives:

  1. CryptPad – CryptPad is a privacy-focused alternative with strong encryption, and it’s free.
  2. Etherpad – A self-hosted collaborative online editor that’s also open source.
  3. Mailfence Documents – From the Mailfence team, this is a secure file sharing, storage, and collaboration tool.
  4. Zoho Docs – This is another good Google Docs alternative with a clean interface and good functionality, although it isn’t the best choice if privacy is your top priority.
  5. OnlyOffice – OnlyOffice feels a bit more restricted than some of the other options in terms of features.
  6. Cryptee – This is a privacy-focused platform for photo and document storage and editing. It’s open source and based in Estonia.
  7. LibreOffice (offline) – You can use LibreOffice which is free and open source.
  8. Apache OpenOffice (offline) – Another good open source office suite.

Google Photos alternative

Here are a few good Google Photos alternatives:

  1. Piwigo – Piwigo is a great option that you can self-host. It is also free and open source.
  2. Lychee – Lychee is another self-hosted, open source photo management platform.
  3. Cryptee – Mentioned already above, Cyrptee is also a great option for securely storing photos.
  4. PhotoPrism – is an open source photo app that can be self-hosted, or run on a private server.

YouTube alternatives

Unfortunately, YouTube alternatives can really be hit or miss, with most struggling to gain popularity.

  1. Odysee
  2. Rumble
  3. Vimeo
  4. Bitchute
  5. Peertube
  6. DTube
  7. Brighteon
  8. Bit.tube
  9. Dailymotion

Google Translate alternative

Here are a few Google translate alternatives I have come across:

  1. 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. Additionally, DeepL offers a Pro version that supports an unlimited number of characters. They also offer apps for Windows and Mac that are faster and easier to use than the web app.
    google translate alternative
  2. Linguee – Linguee does not allow you to post large blocks of text like DeepL. However, it will give you very accurate translations for single words or phrases, along with context examples.
  3. 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 a good choice.

Note: Swisscows used to offer a good translation service that supported many languages, but that has been discontinued.

Google analytics alternative

For website admins, there are many reasons to use an alternative to Google analytics. Aside from privacy concerns, there are also faster and more user-friendly alternatives that will respect your visitors’ privacy.

  1. Clicky – A great alternative to Google Analytics that truncates and anonymizes visitor IP addresses by default. It is lightweight, user-friendly, and fully compliant with GDPR regulations.
  2. Matomo (formerly Piwik) – An open-source analytics platform that respects the privacy of visitors by anonymizing and truncating visitor IP addresses (if enabled by the website admin). It is also certified to respect user privacy.
  3. Fathom Analytics – An open source alternative to Google Analytics that’s available on Github here. It’s minimal, fast, and lightweight.
  4. Get Insights – Another privacy-focused analytics platform, with a full analytics suite. The front-end client is open source and available here.
  5. AT Internet – A France-based analytics provider that is fully GDPR compliant, with all data stored on French servers, and a good track record going back to 1996.

Many websites host Google Analytics because they run Google Adsense campaigns. Without Google Analytics, tracking the performance of these campaigns would be difficult. Nonetheless, there are definitely better options for privacy.

Google Maps alternative

A map alternative for PCs is OpenStreetMap.

A few Google Maps alternatives for mobile devices include:

  1. OsmAnd – a free and open-source mobile maps app for both Android and iOS (based on OpenStreetMap data).
  2. Maps (F Droid) – uses OpenStreetMap data (offline).
  3. MapHub – based on OpenStreeMap data and it does not collect locations or user IP addresses.
  4. Here WeGo – a free (ad supported) service that complies with GDPR privacy requirements for all users worldwide.

Note: Waze was a popular alternative to Google Maps until it was acquired by Google.

Google Play Store alternative

Currently the best Google Play Store alternative is to use F-Droid. As explained on the official site, F-Droid is an installable catalog of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform.

See the F-Droid website or the official GitHub page for more info. Other alternatives to the Google Play Store include:

  • Aptoide – An independent marketplace for Android apps.
  • APKMirror – This is a large library of APK files uploaded by different users (be careful).
  • Aurora Store – A fork of the Yalp Store.

Google Chrome OS alternative

Want to ditch the Chromebook and Chrome OS? Here are a few alternatives:

  1. Linux – Of course, Linux is arguably the best alternative, being a free, open-source operating system with lots of different flavors. Versions of Linux are available for virtually any computing platform. We’re talking supercomputers (all of the top 500 supercomputers run Linux), standard desktops, Chromebooks, even tiny single-board computers like the Raspberry Pi.
  2. Tails – Tails is a free, privacy-focused operating system based on Linux that routes all traffic through the Tor network.
  3. QubesOS – Recommended by Edward Snowden, free and open source.

The two operating systems most popular with the general public are Microsoft Windows and Apple’s operating system for MacBooks – Mac OS. Techies have voiced privacy concerns about Windows for many years. For various reasons, Windows has earned a bad reputation for protecting your privacy. Windows 10, the newest version of the product, is also the worst when it comes to violating user privacy.

While slightly better than Windows, Apple uses Mac OS to collect user data and has partnered with government agencies for surveillance.

Android alternatives

The biggest alternative to Android is iOS from Apple. But iOS is no big winner when it comes to privacy either. Here are a few Android OS alternatives that can really boost your mobile privacy:

  1. LineageOS – A free and open-source operating system for phones and tablets based on Android.
  2. Ubuntu Touch – A mobile version of the Ubuntu operating system.
  3. Plasma Mobile – An open source, Linux-based operating system with active development.
  4. Sailfish OS – Another open source, Linux-based mobile OS.
  5. Replicant – A fully free Android distribution with an emphasis on freedom, privacy, and security.
  6. /e/ – This is another open source project with a focus on privacy and security.
  7. Purism is addressing the issue of mobile phone privacy by bringing out their own phone, called the Librem 5.

Google Hangouts alternatives

Here are some Google Hangouts alternatives:

  1. Wire – A great all-around secure messenger, video, and chat app, but somewhat limited on the number of people who can chat together in a group conversation via voice or video.
  2. Signal – A good secure messenger platform from Open Whisper Systems.
  3. Telegram – A longtime secure messenger app, formerly based in Russia, now in Dubai.
  4. Element.io – A privacy-focused encrypted chat service that is also open source. Formerly known as riot.im.

To learn about these and other Google Hangouts alternatives that protect your privacy, check out our guide to the best secure messenger apps available.

Google Domains alternative

Google Domains is a domain registration service. Here are a few alternatives:

  1. Namecheap – I like Namecheap because all domain purchases now come with free WhoisGuard protection for life, which protects your contact information from third parties. Namecheap also accepts Bitcoin and offers domain registration, hosting, email, SSL certs, and a variety of other products.
  2. Njalla – Njalla is a privacy-focused domain registration service based in Nevis. They offer hosting options, too, and also accept cryptocurrency payments.
  3. OrangeWebsite – OrangeWebsite offers anonymous domain registration services and also accepts cryptocurrency payments, based in Iceland.

Other Google alternatives

Here more alternatives for various Google products:

Google forms alternative – JotForm is a free online form builder.

Google Keep alternative – Below are a few 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.
  • Zoho Notebook from Zoho, with apps for desktop and mobile devices.
  • QOwnNotes is an open source file editor with Nextcloud integration.

Google Fonts alternative – Many websites load Google fonts through Google APIs, but that’s not necessary. 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 alternatives – JMP.chat (both free and paid), Line2 (paid)

G Suite alternative – Zoho is probably the best option

Google Firebase alternative – Kuzzle (free and open source)

Google Blogger alternatives – WordPress, Medium, and Ghost are all good options.

Want to continue on the journey of restoring your online privacy? Check out these guides:

This Alternatives to Google Products guide was last updated on April 26, 2024.

Avatar photo

About Alex Lekander

Alex Lekander is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of RestorePrivacy. With a passion for digital privacy and accessible information, he created RestorePrivacy in 2017 to provide you with honest, useful, and up-to-date information about online privacy, security, and related topics.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike

    In the past I have recommended downloading CalyxOS to replace the Android operating system. However, I have just learned that updates to the OS have been infrequent.

    https://github.com/privacyguides/privacyguides.org/pull/578

    https://review.calyxos.org/q/project:CalyxOS/platform_prebuilts_calyx_chromium_arm64

    Until this is rectified, for now, the best alternative OS is Graphene.

    https://grapheneos.org/

    Also, Simple Mobile Tools is selling smartphones called Simple Phone with an Android-based operating system preinstalled. YMMV.

    https://simplephone.tech/

    Reply

  4. Mike

    To my pleasant surprise, some people have created an unofficial F-Droid app for DeepL:

    https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.example.deeplviewer/

    Other good open source translation apps are:

    Lingva: https://lingva.ml/

    Language Tool: https://languagetool.org/

    Simply Translate: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.simplytranslate_mobile/

    Libre Translate: https://libretranslate.com/

    Translate Shell is an open source terminal-based translation program available for mobile or desktop:

    https://www.soimort.org/translate-shell/

    Reply

  5. Roald

    Thanks for this article. It’s really helpful. I’m trying to get away from Google with my new phone and it’s proven very difficult .

    Anyone have a good tip on how to get away from Google Location Services ?

    Reply

  6. Mark

    tired …. of Google, been using duck duck go. and Vivaldi, this is not enought .. got everything of Google turn off. thanks for the read here. slow is the key. I have over 100 passwords I save on my devises.. it’s the email change..it’s going to be a long process for me.. but it will get done.. again thanks

    Reply

  9. JMO

    Google FI alternatives ? Looking at my choices for cell service again…
    FI says my Samsung phone is designed to work at peak performance on Fi.
    Calls, texts, and 4G LTE data:
    Includes 24/7 human-to-human support. Nationwide 5G included for supported phones.
    Data & texts included in 200+ destinations.
    Enjoy coverage abroad for the same price as home.
    Extra privacy & security:
    Get a built-in VPN, spam detection and blocking, and more.
    Network switching:
    Automatically switch among networks for an even more reliable connection.

    Learn more about Network Management with Google Fi Network Policy, more about network policies for our carrier partners T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular. https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6343762
    This Privacy Policy is meant to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and how you can update, manage, export, and delete your information
    https://policies.google.com/privacy
    Google Fi Privacy Notice
    https://fi.google.com/about/tos/#project-fi-privacy-notice

    Many of the best Android phones will work with Fi’s combined network and 5G however some less popular models will fall back to the T-Mobile network. In many ways, and for many people, it’s the ideal network provider.
    Is Visible better as a prepaid phone carrier from Verizon that has left analog connectivity in the past and offers just one plan. Visible originally had hard speed limits, but it now offers the full speed of the Verizon network as long as the tower isn’t congested. Visible has also added some new features to lower the cost of the service and make it easier to sign up and use.

    Visible uses Verizon’s LTE and nationwide 5G network for coverage, with no 3G or roaming options. While this won’t be an issue for many, rural coverage may suffer. Still, for most people, Visible will be fast enough for day-to-day usage and many people may not notice a difference compared to their old carrier.
    https://www.androidcentral.com/visible-review
    Which would you go with of the two?

    Reply

    • JMO

      Well I’ve had a horrid experience with Visible by Verizon probably because I used the e-sims service option instead of them mailing me a regular sim card to use. Anyone calling my Visible # got hung up on. Texts worked both ways fine though and outgoing calls seemed to work too. I liked for 45.00 you got 50GB of Premium data unthrottled, 5G Ultra Wideband Access. Premium data is data that doesn’t slow down when compared to other customers on the same network when the network is busy with traffic.
      [https://bestmvno.com/view-cell-phone-plans-comparison-results/?post_ids%5B%5D=36770&post_ids%5B%5D=61073]

      Visible is not actually an MVNO but is a prepaid wireless brand owned by Verizon. It was launched in 2018. Visible’s privacy policy is something you may want to be aware of if you are considering signing up for service. The privacy policy states:

      “We collect information when you use our service. This includes information about the calls you make and receive, text messages you send and receive, websites you visit, mobile applications you use, and wireless network and device information, including location, Internet protocol (IP) address and connection speed, mobile telephone number, device and advertising identifiers, browser type, and operating system.” [https://bestmvno.com/mvnos/visible/]

      * Visible by Verizon customer support is chat/text based and why I asked for refund besides dropping incoming calls.
      ** Google Fi is an MVNO of T-Mobile and US Cellular.
      *** I’ve herd one can call 844-Talk-2-F and speak to a human but following link has a past lowdown… ( https://support.google.com/fi/search?q=talk+in+person+to+a+FI+repersentative&from_promoted_search=true)

      Reply

      • Mike

        The best way to maintain some semblance of privacy is to use pre-paid plans. Otherwise, the best one can do in terms of cellular service is to see about opting out of a lot of the ways Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T collect data and be aware of any apps that might compromise it. When it comes to cellular service, expectations in terms of privacy should be low.

        I recently looked over Mint Mobile’s privacy policy and it isn’t too shabby. They are a T-Mobile MVNO and transparent about what information they collect and explain why. Mint Mobile might be worth a look.

        https://www.mintmobile.com/privacy-policy/

        Reply

  10. Marc

    Thank you for the article.
    Privacy is such an important topic.
    I’m using [https://bitdomain.biz] as an alternative for domain services. It’s completely anonymous as well.

    Reply

  12. Chris

    Why is piped.kavin.rocks (official instnce but other instances can be found on github) not mentioned as a free open-source alternative to youtube? IMHO better than the other alternatives on the list?

    Reply

    • Tom J.

      Hey man, thanks for the suggestion! I think the dudes running this site got busy that’s all. Pretty sure they welcome any comments and suggestions so keep ‘em coming.

      Reply

  13. Mike

    For those of you looking for a good dictionary app or website, the best I have found so far is WordWeb. It is ad-free and can be downloaded on Windows computers for free and is a thesaurus too. There are apps for WordWeb on Android and iOS.

    https://www.wordwebonline.com/

    Reply

  15. Mike

    There are open source keyboards you can use in place of the one provided on your mobile devices. Doing this makes it harder to record your keystrokes. For iOS users:

    1) Kif – https://appadvice.com/app/kif-keyboard/1434021039

    2) Scribe – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scribe-language-keyboards/id1596613886

    3) Tyewise – https://www.typewise.app/

    Android has a number of open source keyboards. Among them are:

    1) OpenBoard – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dslul.openboard.inputmethod.latin

    2) AnySoftKeyboard – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.menny.android.anysoftkeyboard

    3) FlorisBoard – https://github.com/florisboard/florisboard

    All of the above Android keyboards are on F-Droid too.

    Reply

  16. Mike

    A while ago someone asked about an alternative to Google Pay and this might be a good alternative. There is a way to make payments by credit card online anonymously. Pay With Privacy creates virtual credit cards for one time or limited transactions directly from your browser. They have also have apps available for iOS and Android.

    https://privacy.com/

    Reply

  17. Mike

    Since Mega was mentioned as an alternative to Google Drive, it was recently revealed that Mega’s encryption is, essentially, broken.

    https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/06/mega-says-it-cant-decrypt-your-files-new-poc-exploit-shows-otherwise/

    In my view, an alternative to Mega if not Google Drive, is Filen (https://filen.io). They are a relatively young cloud service out of Germany and they have made some decent changes recently that makes their service more user friendly. An in-depth review is below:

    https://www.cloudwards.net/review/filen/

    Reply

  20. Jamie

    Surprised you didn’t mention Aegis for a Google Authenticator replacement.
    Open source, and attractive design with encrypted backups.

    Reply

  26. Mike

    Some people use RSS Feeds for keeping up on their favorite websites or newscasts but, unfortunately, they can also be used to mine your data too. Thankfully, there are privacy-oriented alternatives.

    1) NetNewsWire (iOS Only) – https://netnewswire.com/

    2) Feeder (Android Only) – https://feeder.co/

    Feeder also has an extension available for Chrome browsers too and is on F-Droid. Both services are open source.

    Reply

  27. Mike

    For a time I used DeepL interpreter but their Android app was sacked leaving me to have to use my browser in order to translate websites or messages I got in foreign languages. I have, however, found some alternatives.

    1) LibreTranslate – https://libretranslate.com/

    2) Lingva Translate – https://lingva.ml/

    I have used LibreTranslate for a few months and it does very well. The languages Libre can translate may be limited. Both of these translators are open source.

    Reply

  28. Mike

    I think this might be the maps app that outdoes all of the others. Organic Maps is a free, open source maps application available for Android and iOS, can be downloaded with F-Droid that is built on OpenStreetMap and is made by MapsWithMe founders. No ads, no tracking or phoning home.

    https://organicmaps.app/

    Reply

  29. Séguy

    Hi,
    On android 10.
    About “services google play”, J say “services” not google play alone, without it you can’t make a click, you can stop it, you can deactivate it, but even stopped and deactivated this sort of OS returns to run despite its alarm message to reactivate it, it is executing automatically again at the slightest click.
    In your article do you spell this service google play : google chrome OS ?
    J want to work on my tablet without it, what is the alternatif please ?
    About clipboard, all copy-cut-paste are stored in the clipboard, not all just about 40, you can delete them, but j know they are stored even you delete them, following the reappearance of a deleted clipboard several days after. They are stored in the clipboard of the samsung keyboard even you use anysoftkeyboard.
    What kind of keyboard can avoid this clipboard storage by google ? Or any other général solution involving OS change.
    Regards and thanks for your answer.

    Reply

    • Mike

      @seguy the only way to stop Google from monitoring you is to replace your device’s operating system. There are some OS’s listed above save for one I like called Calyx. There are instructions on how to do this on YouTube.

      As to keyboards and your clipboard retention, there are open source keyboard apps such as Open Keyboard or FlorisBoard you can use that might make it harder to monitor you. But be aware Google may have algorithms that can monitor and record your key strokes too and even your cellular company can have mechanisms in place with their apps to accomplish the same thing.

      While you use Android you are subject to Google’s rules and the same is true if you were an iPhone customer being subject to Apple’s. There are trade-offs but if you want to get away from Google, it would be best to replace your device’s operating system(s). Hope this answers and good luck!

      Reply

  30. Lance

    Why would you recommend Namecheap. Look at Spamhaus and see the true Namecheap.

    Namecheap is consistently at the top or very near the top as the most abused registrar quarter after quarter and year after year. Other registrars that are the same size (in terms of domains registered through them) and even larger registrars don’t even make the top 20. So it is not the number of domains held by a registrar that means they are on the list, but the practices that the registrar has in place. In many cases, Namecheap has refused to take action against domains registered through them as there is not enough evidence. The gTLD on the other-hand used the same information and immediately removed the domain. The evidence clearly showed the domain was used for illegal purposes and was registered using fake information. In another case, the gTLD saw that hundreds and hundreds of domains were all registered by the same person and they removed them all. When someone buys a domain that is just random words put together or just random letters that mean nothing, the very next day is used for illegal purposes, it speaks to what those domains will be used for. Namecheap doesn’t care based upon their actions. Don’t let their AUP fool you, it is just words.

    Their Whois server at one point was also down, which is a violation of ICANN requirements. Did Namecheap do anything when they were notified? Nope. Did they do something after ICANN was notified and ICANN told them to fix it? Yep. So why couldn’t they fix it after they were notified?

    There are much better registrars out there. I wouldn’t trust Namecheap with anything; not even a dirty diaper.

    Reply

  32. Mike

    This article is very encouraging news! It makes the case that the increased interest in privacy-oriented web browsers, pointing to Brave’s recent success and popularity, demonstrates that privacy overall is gaining traction with the general population.

    That could also include other services such as those used for communication or other protections (like VPN’s). It is largely being driven by tech companies, like Google and Facebook, and the growing distrust being directed at them resulting from the many times they have violated consumer privacy despite claiming the companies were protecting it.

    https://www.techradar.com/news/the-success-of-web-browser-brave-is-a-bad-sign-for-google-heres-why

    Reply

  35. Felix

    What is the best alternative to Google Contacts, which is either free or reasonably priced? I am looking for something which can be accessed by Web browser and multiple Android phones and synchronised.

    Reply

    • Mike

      The “Contacts” app with Simple Mobile Tools is the best I have used so far. It will run you a little over $1US and I do not think it can be accessed via a web browser. If you still want one that does that, the best place to find it is at AlternativeTo:

      https://alternativeto.net

      Reply

      • Felix

        Thanks for your response. I’ve been saving and transferring my contacts over the years from Nokia PC Suite to Palm Desktop and finally to Google Contacts, having not lost a single detail over the years.

        Presently, any change I make (reference to contacts) in either one of my two Android phones is immediately seen in the other. For convenience date, I can access Google Contacts in the web browser to make similar changes and save then across my devices.

        I therefore consider that a prime requirement before I can consider moving out of the Google stranglehold.

        You have rightly pointed out several good and probably better Google alternatives, but in IMHO, at least for me, the critical point is the Contacts.

        Could you share your thoughts on that?

        Reply

        • Mike

          @Felix I cannot but can only speak conceptually. If you want the same conveniences with other apps to use on your computerized devices like you have with Google, than one option might be to try to sync them with apps like DAVx5 or Nextcloud Dev.

          Either can be found on F-Droid. Otherwise I do not know. That is also why I suggested checking out AlternativeTo since it might have some other choices there. Good luck!

  36. Mike

    With Germany’s pondering shutting down Telegram, it reminds me how I am never ceased to be amazed when politicians and even police cut their nose off despite their faces. If there is radicalization and illegal activity going on in Telegram, they’re going to force the closure of an app that makes it easier for cops to monitor and take action to stop them.

    I see their point saying that Telegram unevenly applies their rules since app administrators regularly shut down chats used by Islamic terrorists. But 2 weeks ago German police arrested a group of neo-Nazis in Saxony that used the app to plot a series of murders.

    https://www.yahoo.com/now/telegram-could-shut-down-germany-130808421.html

    Reply

  37. a5

    Great article! Just wanted to point out that calling Telegram a “secure messenger” isn’t very accurate. It has “secret chats” which are end-to-end encrypted (although with a dodgy home-grown encryption algorithm), but not enabled by default and frankly not easy to find and enable either. Further more, secret chats are only available between two users, not in groups or channels. So just about everything that people do on Telegram is stored unencrypted on the servers, and could be sold or accessed by law enforcement.

    Reply

  38. Suse

    Hi all,

    I installed Lineagues OS lately on my phone and found a lot of great alternatives. The only thing I’m missing is something replacing Android Auto for communication with my car. If anyone has an idea?

    Regards,
    Suse

    Reply

      • Felix

        Thanks for your response. I’ve been saving and transferring my contacts over the years from Nokia PC Suite to Palm Desktop and finally to Google Contacts, having not lost a single detail over the years.

        Presently, any change I make (reference to contacts) in either one of my two Android phones is immediately seen in the other. For convenience date, I can access Google Contacts in the web browser to make similar changes and save then across my devices.

        I therefore consider that a prime requirement before I can consider moving out of the Google stranglehold.

        You have rightly pointed out several good and probably better Google alternatives, but in IMHO, at least for me, the critical point is the Contacts.

        Could you share your thoughts on that?

        Reply

  39. A.C.

    You are wrong dear Mario, actually LBRY is the open source and decentralized protocol that Odysee uses for stream their video on their platform. Just a few weeks ago, they became two separate entities. This means that the LBRY protocol can be used for hosting content on other kind of websites like hound.fm (music of LBRY), odysee.com can apply their TOS as they want and LBRY will keep maintaining their purpose to never be a Youtube 2.0. Anyways your comment is very accurate, I found very interesting content right there.

    Reply

  40. BugSquash

    For Google Photos, both http://ente.io and http://stingle.org are decent alternatives.
    Cryptee works great but it doesn’t automatically backup your photos and video support is missing. which, in my opinion, are strong requirements for any Google photos alternative.

    Reply

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