• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
RestorePrivacy

RestorePrivacy

Resources to stay safe and secure online

  • Tools
    • Secure Browser
    • VPN
    • Ad Blocker
    • Secure Email
    • Private Search Engine
    • Password Manager
    • Secure Messaging App
    • Tor
    • Identity Theft Protection
    • Unblock Websites
    • Privacy Tools
  • Email
    • Secure Email
    • ProtonMail Review
    • Tutanota Review
    • Mailfence Review
    • Mailbox.org Review
    • Hushmail Review
    • Posteo Review
    • Fastmail Review
    • Runbox Review
    • CTemplar Review
    • Temporary Disposable Email
    • Encrypted Email
    • Alternatives to Gmail
  • VPN
    • What is VPN
    • VPN Reviews
      • NordVPN Review
      • Surfshark Review
      • VyprVPN Review
      • Perfect Privacy Review
      • ExpressVPN Review
      • CyberGhost Review
      • AVG VPN Review
      • IPVanish Review
      • Hotspot Shield VPN Review
      • ProtonVPN Review
      • Atlas VPN Review
      • Private Internet Access Review
      • Avast VPN Review
      • TorGuard Review
      • PrivadoVPN Review
    • VPN Comparison
      • NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
      • NordVPN vs PIA
      • IPVanish vs ExpressVPN
      • CyberGhost vs NordVPN
      • Surfshark vs NordVPN
      • IPVanish vs NordVPN
      • ExpressVPN vs PIA
      • VyprVPN vs NordVPN
      • CyberGhost vs ExpressVPN
      • NordVPN vs HideMyAss
      • ExpressVPN vs ProtonVPN
      • ProtonVPN vs NordVPN
      • ExpressVPN vs Surfshark
      • Surfshark vs CyberGhost
      • Surfshark vs IPVanish
    • Best VPNs
      • Best VPN for Torrenting
      • Best VPN for Netflix
      • Best Free VPN
      • Best VPN for Fire TV Stick
      • Best VPN for Amazon Prime
      • Best VPN for Android
      • Best VPN for Gaming
      • Best VPN for PC
      • Best VPN for Disney Plus
      • Best VPN for Hulu
      • Best VPN for Mac
      • Best VPN for Streaming
      • Best VPN for Windows
      • Best VPN for iPhone
    • VPN Coupons
      • ExpressVPN Coupon
      • NordVPN Coupon
      • VPN Black Friday
    • VPN Guides
      • Free Trial VPN
      • Cheap VPNs
      • Static IP VPN
      • Chrome VPN
      • No Logs VPN
      • VPN for Binance
      • WireGuard VPN
      • VPN for Linux
      • VPN for Firefox
      • VPN for BBC iPlayer
    • By Country
      • Best VPN Canada
      • Best VPN USA
      • Best VPN UK
      • Best VPN Australia
      • VPN for Russia
    • VPN Router
  • Password
    • Best Password Managers
    • KeePass Review
    • NordPass Review
    • 1Password Review
    • Dashlane Review
    • LastPass Review
    • Bitwarden Review
  • Storage
    • Best Cloud Storage
    • pCloud Review
    • Nextcloud Review
    • IDrive Review
    • SpiderOak Review
    • Sync.com Review
    • MEGA Cloud Review
    • NordLocker Review
    • Tresorit Review
    • Google Drive Alternatives
  • Messenger
    • Secure Messaging Apps
    • Signal Review
    • Telegram Review
    • Wire Review
    • Threema Review
    • Session Review
  • News
  • Info
    • Mission
    • Press
    • Contact
  • Tools
    • Secure Browser
    • VPN
    • Ad Blocker
    • Secure Email
    • Private Search Engine
    • Password Manager
    • Secure Messaging App
    • Tor
    • Identity Theft Protection
    • Unblock Websites
    • Privacy Tools
  • Email
    • Secure Email
    • ProtonMail Review
    • Tutanota Review
    • Mailfence Review
    • Mailbox.org Review
    • Hushmail Review
    • Posteo Review
    • Fastmail Review
    • Runbox Review
    • CTemplar Review
    • Temporary Disposable Email
    • Encrypted Email
    • Alternatives to Gmail
  • VPN
    • What is VPN
    • VPN Reviews
      • NordVPN Review
      • Surfshark Review
      • VyprVPN Review
      • Perfect Privacy Review
      • ExpressVPN Review
      • CyberGhost Review
      • AVG VPN Review
      • IPVanish Review
      • Hotspot Shield VPN Review
      • ProtonVPN Review
      • Atlas VPN Review
      • Private Internet Access Review
      • Avast VPN Review
      • TorGuard Review
      • PrivadoVPN Review
    • VPN Comparison
      • NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
      • NordVPN vs PIA
      • IPVanish vs ExpressVPN
      • CyberGhost vs NordVPN
      • Surfshark vs NordVPN
      • IPVanish vs NordVPN
      • ExpressVPN vs PIA
      • VyprVPN vs NordVPN
      • CyberGhost vs ExpressVPN
      • NordVPN vs HideMyAss
      • ExpressVPN vs ProtonVPN
      • ProtonVPN vs NordVPN
      • ExpressVPN vs Surfshark
      • Surfshark vs CyberGhost
      • Surfshark vs IPVanish
    • Best VPNs
      • Best VPN for Torrenting
      • Best VPN for Netflix
      • Best Free VPN
      • Best VPN for Fire TV Stick
      • Best VPN for Amazon Prime
      • Best VPN for Android
      • Best VPN for Gaming
      • Best VPN for PC
      • Best VPN for Disney Plus
      • Best VPN for Hulu
      • Best VPN for Mac
      • Best VPN for Streaming
      • Best VPN for Windows
      • Best VPN for iPhone
    • VPN Coupons
      • ExpressVPN Coupon
      • NordVPN Coupon
      • VPN Black Friday
    • VPN Guides
      • Free Trial VPN
      • Cheap VPNs
      • Static IP VPN
      • Chrome VPN
      • No Logs VPN
      • VPN for Binance
      • WireGuard VPN
      • VPN for Linux
      • VPN for Firefox
      • VPN for BBC iPlayer
    • By Country
      • Best VPN Canada
      • Best VPN USA
      • Best VPN UK
      • Best VPN Australia
      • VPN for Russia
    • VPN Router
  • Password
    • Best Password Managers
    • KeePass Review
    • NordPass Review
    • 1Password Review
    • Dashlane Review
    • LastPass Review
    • Bitwarden Review
  • Storage
    • Best Cloud Storage
    • pCloud Review
    • Nextcloud Review
    • IDrive Review
    • SpiderOak Review
    • Sync.com Review
    • MEGA Cloud Review
    • NordLocker Review
    • Tresorit Review
    • Google Drive Alternatives
  • Messenger
    • Secure Messaging Apps
    • Signal Review
    • Telegram Review
    • Wire Review
    • Threema Review
    • Session Review
  • News
  • Info
    • Mission
    • Press
    • Contact

Alternatives to Google Products for 2021

August 24, 2021 By Sven Taylor — 490 Comments
alternatives to Google

This guide aims to be the most exhaustive resource available for documenting alternatives to Google products. It has become one of the most popular guides on Restore Privacy and is now updated for 2021.

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 $146 billion in ad revenue in 2020 — and that number climbs higher every year.

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. MetaGer – An open source metasearch engine with good features, based in Germany.
  2. SwissCows – A zero-tracking private search engine based in Switzerland, hosted on secure Swiss infrastructure.
  3. Searx – A privacy-friendly and versatile metasearch engine that’s also open source.
  4. Qwant – A private search engine based in France.
  5. DuckDuckGo – A private search engine based in the US.
  6. Mojeek – The only true search engine (rather than metasearch engine) that has its own crawler and index (based in the UK).
  7. YaCy – A decentralized, open source, peer-to-peer search engine.
  8. Givero – Based in Denmark, Givero offers more privacy than Google and combines search with charitable donations.

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 the new and updated best private search engines guide for additional information. Here we also explain that some “private search engines” are actually owned by advertising companies. Three examples of this are Startpage, Search Encrypt, and Ghostpeek.

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 twelve alternatives to Gmail that do well in terms of privacy:

  1. ProtonMail – based in Switzerland; free accounts up to 500 MB
  2. Mailfence – based in Belgium; lots of features; free accounts up to 500 MB
  3. Tutanota – based in Germany; very secure and private; free accounts up to 1 GB
  4. Mailbox.org – based in Germany; €1/mo with 30 day free trial
  5. Posteo – based in Germany; €1/mo with 14 day refund window
  6. Runbox – based in Norway; lots of storage and features; $1.66/mo with 30 day free trial
  7. CounterMail – based in Sweden; $4.00/mo with 7 day free trial
  8. CTemplar – based in Iceland; free accounts up to 1 GB
  9. Kolab Now – based in Switzerland; €4.41/mo with 30 day money-back guarantee
  10. StartMail – based in Netherlands; $5.00/mo with 7 day free trial
  11. Soverin – based in Netherlands; €3.25/mo with partial 30 day refund window
  12. Thexyz – based in Canada; $1.95/mo with 30 day refund window

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. 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.
  2. 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.
  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. Bromite (for Android) – For those who are still using Android devices, the privacy-focused Bromite browser is a great alternative to Chrome. It has ad-blocking and other privacy enhancements by default, but no support for desktop operating systems.

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

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:

  • Mailfence
  • Kolab Now
  • Posteo
  • Mailbox.org
  • Tutanota
  • ProtonMail

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.

Note: In November 2020, Google announced major changes to their policy of free, unlimited photo storage. These changes go into effect June 1, 2021, making now the time to move to an alternate service.

YouTube alternatives

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

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

Note: Invidio.us was one of our favorite Youtube alternatives. It worked as a proxy, allowing you to watch any Youtube video without logging in, even if the video is somehow restricted. Unfortunately, Invidious.us shut down on September 1, 2020. There are some alternative sites out there, but we can’t vouch for their security, privacy, or anything else. If you want to give one or more of them a try, you’ll find a list of alternate Invidious instances here.

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. Be aware that Aptoide suffered a major hack in 2020, exposing more than 20,000,000 accounts. You’ll have to decide for yourself whether you are willing to use this service.
  • 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.


Do you care about your privacy?

Most people looking for Google alternatives have woken up to the fact that they are paying for free products with their private data.

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 (UK, US, and Australia).

Aside from government surveillance agencies, there are many private companies tracking your data (in addition to Google, Facebook, and the other usual suspects).

To retain a basic level of privacy and security online, you need three tools:

1. Private and secure browser

We covered seven Chrome alternatives above, but the secure and private browser guide dives into this issue more intensely. Your browser can reveal lots of private and sensitive data to third parties; be sure to choose carefully.

2. Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A VPN will encrypt and anonymize your online activity from third parties, while also hiding your true IP address and location. Simply install the VPN app on your device, connect to a VPN server, then go about your business as normal. This effectively solves the ISP spying problem.

A VPN will effectively block your internet provider and third parties from snooping your activity and tracking you by your real IP address. In the best VPN services list, I examine some of the top VPN providers while also looking at a few direct comparisons. Here are my favorites:

  1. NordVPN – A privacy-focused VPN with no logs, user-friendly apps, fast servers, and many privacy features [68% discount coupon]
  2. Surfshark – This VPN is user-friendly and also fully-featured with good speeds and support
  3. ExpressVPN – A reliable and secure VPN, also works well for streaming and general privacy

3. Ad blocker

Many ads also function as tracking for large advertising networks. A good ad blocker is an important privacy tool that will also improve page load speeds and de-clutter your browser. For a good understanding of the issues along with recommended products, check out this ad-blocker guide.

The privacy tools guide discusses other solutions as well, including password managers, secure messenger services and more.

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.

Stay safe and secure in 2021 and beyond!

Related guides on Restore Privacy:

How to Secure Your Android Device and Have More Privacy

Change These Windows 10 Settings Right Now to Protect Your Privacy

This Alternatives to Google Products guide was last updated on August 24, 2021.

About Sven Taylor

Sven Taylor is a digital privacy expert who has been writing about privacy and security online since 2016. With a passion for digital privacy and online freedom, he created RestorePrivacy to provide you with honest, useful, and up-to-date information about online privacy, security, and related topics.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike

    December 17, 2021

    https://www.techradar.com/news/google-drive-could-soon-start-locking-your-personal-files

    Google recently announced a new policy for their Drive cloud storage service and will soon begin restricting access in order to crack down on “abuses” of its platform.

    Reply
  2. Moshe

    December 17, 2021

    Hi,

    any alternative but trustworthy google password manager, pls ?

    Reply
    • Mike

      December 17, 2021

      @Moshe they’re all listed above, my friend.

      Reply
    • Mike

      December 17, 2021

      @Moshe my mistake, I thought this page listed password managers. The best one I have used is Bitwarden. However, there are other choices too:

      https://restoreprivacy.com/password-manager/best/

      Reply
  3. Mario

    December 13, 2021

    Vimeo is also a heavily censored platform. Governments and corporations are terrified by people waking up to their crimes. Censorship is for liars like governments that have painted themselves in a corner!

    Reply
    • Mike

      December 24, 2021

      @Mario I agree with you. Vimeo would not be my first choice for a YouTube alternative. Odysee, NewTube, or even Rumble are far better choices.

      Reply
  4. Bill

    December 9, 2021

    SITUATION: I want to sync calendars on my Android calendar app (probably Business Calendar) and contacts in an Android contacts app (probably DW contacts) with apps on my PC. I have read that I need something like Davx5 + NextCloud + a server for NextCloud.

    QUESTION: Apparently I have to give permission to share my calendars and contacts in order for Davx5 to pick them up. If I do this, will the dreaded Google then have access to my calendar and contact data?

    FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: If the answer is ‘Yes’, how on earth do ProtonMail and Tutanota manage to keep the data private on their Android apps and still sync with the PC?

    Reply
    • Mike

      December 14, 2021

      @Bill I am unsure but it might and you really have to look in to it. I can’t give you a straight answer without knowing your device or terms of service. One way that might prevent it is to use open source contact and calendar apps, like what Simple Mobile Tools has. Here is the link: https://www.simplemobiletools.com/.

      As to your question about ProtonMail and Tutanota, the best way to find out is to contact them and ask. Hope this helps!

      Reply
    • Peter

      December 17, 2021

      You can also store your calendar and contact with these providers, If you are looking for a solution that includes both email and calendar functionality, the following providers are offering that:

      Mailfence, Kolab Now, Posteo, Mailbox.org, Tutanota, ProtonMail

      I personally use mailbox.org and posteo for email, calenday and contact. To sync your calendar and contact on your android devices, you need to install Davx5.

      But here is the catch: Which devices are you going to use to consult and edit your calendar and contact. . It is where the leak to Big tech is happening. If you allow an App access to your calendar or your contact list, you are zuck. ALSO, you need to use a degoogle phone and a linux desktop. You could use windows 10 if you go through the process of anonymizing it . Stay away from Apple devices as their are no way around it.

      Reply
  5. Mike

    December 8, 2021

    Is there an alternative to Google Scholar?

    This is one of the big sticking points for me leaving Google behind.

    Reply
    • Mike

      December 14, 2021

      @Mike This looks promising: http://www.arxiv-sanity.com/

      However, if it doesn’t meet your needs, I suggest you look up some others at: https://alternativeto.net/

      Good luck!

      Reply
    • Pedro

      December 17, 2021

      If you need to use Google Scholar: adopt the browser isolation technic on desktop computers (never on a google & Apple phone or tablet. This mean that you use a specific browser for your google activities. Your google activities are going to be on one specific browser and only on that one. Their are no cross tracking between different browser if : you use a vpn to hide your IP address and you do not sign in to other google services with an other browser.

      Reply
  6. Amine Mzoughi

    December 5, 2021

    and a better alternative to YouTube is Odysee.com

    Reply
    • Clint

      December 10, 2021

      I’ve been hearing more about Odysee too. I was planning on checking that out.

      Reply
      • Mario

        December 13, 2021

        LBRY is the real deal, with high quality videos, high quality content from those banned from youtube, and no political censorship. Bitchute has been useful but they also began banning stuff and blocking people’s access to their accounts.

        Reply
    • Mario

      December 13, 2021

      Correction. LBRY is now odysee.

      Reply
      • A.C.

        January 14, 2022

        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
  7. Amine Mzoughi

    December 5, 2021

    PCloud is a good alternative to GDrive.

    Reply
  8. rosewell

    December 3, 2021

    I am really happy to say it’s an interesting post to read . I learn new information from your article , you are doing a great job . Keep it up

    Reply
  9. Mike

    November 25, 2021

    It is looking like DuckDuckGo will try to configure its privacy browser to also act as a kind of ad blocker and no root firewall combination similar to Blokada and NetGuard.

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/11/duckduckgo-wants-to-stop-apps-tracking-you-on-android/

    Reply
  10. Timmy

    November 24, 2021

    https://ente.io is another potential alternative for Google photos. It’s sad that you can’t self-host it but it’s very simple to use and just works for basic use-cases.

    Reply
  11. Wello

    November 23, 2021

    Organic Maps should be added to the list of maps alternatives
    https://organicmaps.app/

    Reply
  12. Speedo

    November 19, 2021

    Many ads also function as tracking for large advertising networks. A good ad blocker is an important privacy tool that will also improve page load speeds

    Reply
  13. A.C.

    November 18, 2021

    You should consider add Piped as a alternative to Youtube. Here are the info: https://github.com/TeamPiped/Piped
    https://piped-docs.kavin.rocks/

    Reply
  14. Wello

    November 18, 2021

    Is there any alternative to fruux for Android/iOS? Unfortunately Thunderbird is only available for desktop
    Also, any Google Tasks alternative?
    Please

    Reply
    • Mike

      November 23, 2021

      @Wello I would suggest using the Simple Mobile Tools apps as an alternative to Fruux. They’re all open source but the free versions are no longer supported so, depending on which app you use, will cost you a little over $1US.

      https://www.simplemobiletools.com/

      As to a Google Tasks Alternative, so far, this one is the best I have come across:

      https://tasks.org/

      Reply
      • Wello

        December 2, 2021

        Thanks a lot!!!

        Reply
  15. Wello

    November 18, 2021

    Is the recently released Brave Search a worthy alternative to Google Search?

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      November 18, 2021

      We discuss Brave Search and other options in our updated private search engine guide.

      Reply
    • Allysonmers

      November 19, 2021

      The brave app lets you connect to multiple different search engines by default, I chose duckduckgo

      Reply
  16. James Anthony

    November 17, 2021

    Is there an alternative to Google Civic Information API?

    Reply
    • Mike

      November 24, 2021

      @James Anthony no idea. I suggest searching this website for one:

      https://alternativeto.net/

      Reply
  17. André Gompel

    November 6, 2021

    Sven :
    are you aware of a server based alternative (or better) to google group ?
    AhGé

    Reply
  18. Kosmos

    November 4, 2021

    The Free Software Foundation also publishes this

    I think some can also be used as Google Hangouts alternatives…

    https://libreplanet.org/wiki/Group:Skype_Replacement#Free_clients

    Reply
  19. Mike

    October 31, 2021

    In case you’ve ever wondered if Android wallpapers can affect your privacy.

    https://fingerprintjs.com/blog/how-android-wallpaper-images-threaten-privacy/

    Reply
  20. Wello

    October 30, 2021

    Any private and secure task/to-do app?

    Reply
    • Mike

      October 31, 2021

      Yes there is.

      https://tasks.org/

      Reply
  21. Kosmos

    October 30, 2021

    Please add Magic Earth, and WEGO for desktop.
    To be complete. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Mike

      October 31, 2021

      Are they open source? What are their privacy policies like?

      Reply
      • Kosmos

        November 4, 2021

        They use OpenStreetMap.
        The Android app is closed source/propriatary.

        Based on the detailde explanation below, I think it can be more or less trusted, until hopefully they release it as FOSS.
        https://doc.e.foundation/maps

        Reply
  22. Mike

    October 29, 2021

    But, like with the end-to-end encryption with their messenger app, Google holds the encryption keys and can listen in anytime on their Fi customers.

    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/10/google-fi-is-getting-end-to-end-encrypted-phone-calls/

    Reply
    • KirkH420

      October 30, 2021

      Any cellular phone is going to be a tracking device. As far as I’ve seen, there aren’t many options to lessen the tracking other than general good habits. There was a couple of Google Android replacement operating systems, one is called CopperheadOS. It’s Android but all the google stuff has been stripped out of it. They tell you up front that you’ll have some hoops to jump through to get it up and running. You’ll also learn that there are a lot more things on your phone that are tied to google than you thought. You’ll need a phone with an unlocked bootloader (not necessarily root, but it would probably help.) I’ve never tried it, but it’s interesting.

      Reply
      • Mike

        October 31, 2021

        There is another option. CalyxOS looks like an excellent choice to replace Google’s operating system on an Android phone. It is an Android-based, open source, privacy focused operating system and I am looking in replacing Google’s OS with Calyx on my device after Google’s updates expire for phone early next year.

        https://calyxos.org/

        Reply
  23. John

    October 12, 2021

    I am slowly phasing out Google for many of the reasons stated above.

    However, I cannot find a good substitute for Google Sheets. There are time when it just freezes up while my internet speeds are fine.

    I love their script editor for the macros I use for analyzing and charting data.

    However, I do not need a web based service and I do not have any plans for sharing my macros.

    Most of the substitutes seem focused on sharing sheets and the like.

    Is there nothing better out there?

    Reply
    • Mike

      October 13, 2021

      Here are 5 open source alternatives. Of those listed, OnlyOffice might be along the lines of what you want:

      https://opensource.com/business/15/7/five-open-source-alternatives-google-docs

      CryptPad may also be an alternative too:

      https://cryptpad.fr/

      Hope these help and good luck!

      Reply
      • Mike

        October 13, 2021

        @John a third option I forgot to mention is EtherPad. Some of the others might require you to set up a server. EtherPad does not.

        https://etherpad.org/

        Reply
  24. Mira Slunicko

    October 12, 2021

    Concerning maps, I’d definitely recommend mapy.cz, free maps with off-line mode and navigation

    Reply
  25. Soaring Cheetah

    October 10, 2021

    Thanks for this amazing resource and list.

    What’s a good, private-centric, alternative to Google Pay (G-Pay)?

    Reply
    • Mike

      October 12, 2021

      An open source alternative that looks good is Dash Wallet.

      https://www.dash.org

      One other option is Cash App. However, aside from not being open source, it has some drawbacks.

      https://www.businessinsider.com/is-cash-app-safe?op=1

      Reply
  26. Jonas

    October 6, 2021

    Great list. On my way to go Google, Facebook and Amazon free I found Fastmail.com incredibly good. Based in Australia, its a privacy friendly alternative to Gmail, Calendar, contacts and even Drive to some extent.

    Maybe not suited for people who need 100% privacy and anonymity but an amazing way to get off Google and still keep some of the convenience abs user friendly features.

    Reply
  27. J.M.

    October 2, 2021

    Great article!

    https://www.businessinsider.com/how-do-i-hate-google-let-me-count-the-ways-2011-8

    Really goes into the conglomerate called Google.

    Reply
  28. name

    September 30, 2021

    excellent list

    Reply
  29. cyberxspeed

    September 21, 2021

    Google contact/phone/text alternative?

    Reply
    • Mike

      September 22, 2021

      I like Simple Mobile Tools’ contact app. I suggest you use the Pro version which is a little over $1 since the free app is no longer supported.

      https://www.simplemobiletools.com/

      Reply
      • J.M.

        September 26, 2021

        How does their messaging work for you? It never really did for me. Lot of bugs in sending and receiving.

        Reply
        • Mike

          September 29, 2021

          It worked alright. I didn’t use it too long to really form an opinion.

        • J.M.

          September 30, 2021

          Ok. Just wondering.

    • Mike

      October 29, 2021

      @cyberxspeed one other thing, in terms of a phone and text alternative, I suggest using Signal. Simple Mobile Tools’ contact app is very good, but I have very little experience with SMP’s dialer and texting apps to say if their any good so YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

      Reply
  30. Jeff

    September 14, 2021

    Is there an alternative speech engine for google speech services? It is the default for their TTS.

    Reply
    • Mike

      September 15, 2021

      Do you mean Google Voice, speech-to-text, or for the purposes of speech recognition? Please elaborate or clarify.

      Reply
      • Jeff

        September 21, 2021

        No, this is the reverse. This is text to speech. I have a navigation app that uses openstreetmaps instead of google maps and Google Speech (text to speech) is what it’s using now for the voice navigation. I found a few open source alternatives but all were old and incompatible with my phone. I’m not even sure there are privacy issues with this particular application. I just generally avoid Google anywhere I can just to be safe.

        Reply
        • Jeff

          September 21, 2021

          It’s called “Speech Services by Google” in my apps.

        • Reed

          September 21, 2021

          Thanks for all the good info! Not sure how to use this comment section. Is there a way to get location services without Google?

        • Mike

          September 22, 2021

          This app seems to be along the lines of what you are looking for.

          http://espeak.sourceforge.net/

          If not, try looking for other choices here:

          1) Alternative to: – https://alternativeto.net

          2) Open Source: – https://opensource.com

          3) https://sourceforge.net/

          Good luck!

        • Mike

          September 22, 2021

          @Reed I am unable to find anything. I suggest you try searching at the 3 linked sites I provided in my last response to Jeff.

« Older Comments
Newer Comments »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RestorePrivacy Checklist

  1. Secure browser: Modified Firefox or Brave
  2. VPN: NordVPN (68% Off Coupon) or Surfshark
  3. Ad blocker: uBlock Origin or AdGuard
  4. Secure email: Mailfence or Tutanota
  5. Secure Messenger: Signal or Threema
  6. Private search engine: MetaGer or Swisscows
  7. Password manager: NordPass or Bitwarden

Support this Project

RestorePrivacy was created to provide you with honest, useful, and up-to-date information about online privacy and security topics. You can support this project through donations, purchasing items through our links (we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you), and sharing this information with others. See our mission here.

RestorePrivacy is also on Twitter

We’re available for Press and media inquiries here.

COPYRIGHT © 2022 RESTORE PRIVACY, LLC · PRIVACY POLICY · TERMS OF USE · CONTACT · SITEMAP