What sounds like a line from a dystopian thriller is, in fact, the reality for billions of people. Behind the sleek interfaces and free services lies a massive surveillance system that thrives on your personal data. Google's $230 billion advertising empire is not built on innovation alone. It is built on you: your clicks, your voice, your location, your life.
The truth is, most users have no idea just how deep the rabbit hole goes. But if you're here, you're starting to ask the right questions. You're not alone - and you do have many options, as you're about to discover.
Small steps to restoring your privacy
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.
Editor's Note:
Guest author Bill Mann writes for Cyber Insider, specializing in translating complex technical topics for a non-technical audience. With over 30 years of experience, he has covered many of the technological advances that shape our daily lives.
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:
- Ecosia - The search engine that plants trees
- Qwant - A private search engine based in France
- DuckDuckGo - A private search engine based in the US
- Brave Search - A new search engine from the Brave browser
- MetaGer - An open source metasearch engine with good features, based in Germany
- Mojeek - The only true search engine (rather than a metasearch engine) that has its own crawler and index. Based in the UK
- SwissCows - A zero-tracking private search engine based in Switzerland, hosted on secure Swiss infrastructure
- YaCy - A decentralized, open source, peer-to-peer search engine
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 this guide on the best private search engines for additional information.
Gmail alternatives
Gmail is widely popular, but it has raised serious privacy concerns over the years, prompting many users to look for alternatives. A major issue is Google's history of scanning emails to support targeted advertising. In addition, Google's vast ecosystem allows data collected from Gmail to be combined with information from its other services, creating a detailed user profile that many consider intrusive.
Here are some of the best alternatives to Gmail that do well in terms of privacy:
- Proton Mail - Best all-around secure email service based in Switzerland
- StartMail - Private email hosted in the Netherlands with unlimited aliases
- Mailfence - Secure email for professionals and teams
- Tuta Mail - Secure email for any device
- Mailbox.org - Affordable private German email service
- Posteo - Reliable anonymous email service
- Runbox - Private email in Norway
- Zoho Mail - Secure business email service
- Kolab Now - Swiss email, compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI
- 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
Like many other Google products, Chrome is highly intrusive when it comes to tracking its users. This includes collecting browsing history, search queries, and even location data, which can be concerning for those who value privacy. Let's explore some alternatives.
- Vivaldi browser - A Chromium-based browser created by former Opera developers that focuses on privacy, customization, and productivity for users seeking an alternative to mainstream browsers
- 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
- DuckDuckGo browser - A private macOS, iOS, and Android
- 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
- 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
- Waterfox - Another private and secure fork of Firefox
- Ungoogled Chromium - Just as the name says, this is an open source version of Chromium that has been "ungoogled" and modified for more privacy
- LibreWolf - A private and secure fork of Firefox made for desktops
- Mullvad Browser - A privacy collaboration between Mullvad and Tor, available on desktop
Of course, there are other alternatives to Chrome. These include Safari (from Apple), Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge, and Opera, 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 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:
- FreeOTP - A free and open source replacement for Google Authenticator on iOS and Android devices. Attractive and easy to use, but features are limited.
- 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 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:
- Proton Drive - The team behind Proton Mail and Proton VPN launched an encrypted drive option you should consider.
- NordLocker - From the team behind NordVPN and NordPass comes NordLocker. NordLocker is a hybrid encryption tool and secure cloud storage.
- Tresorit - A premium secure cloud storage solution that includes business-oriented features.
- Sync.com - Based in Canada, Sync offers a secure, encrypted cloud storage solution for businesses and individuals.
- Nextcloud - Nextcloud is an open source, self-hosted file sharing and collaboration platform, based in Germany.
- 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:
- Lightning Calendar - An open source calendar option developed by Mozilla. It is compatible with the Thunderbird email program and the Seamonkey software suite.
- 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 alternative
There are many strong alternatives to Google Docs. The most well known offline document editing suite is Microsoft Office. However, Microsoft does not have a strong reputation for privacy. Fortunately, there are several other excellent options to consider:
- LibreOffice (offline) - A free and open source option.
- CryptPad - CryptPad is a privacy-focused alternative with strong encryption, and it's free.
- Etherpad - A self-hosted collaborative online editor that's also open source.
- OnlyOffice - OnlyOffice feels a bit more restricted than some of the other options in terms of features.
- Apache OpenOffice (offline) - Another good open-source office suite.
- Mailfence Documents - From the Mailfence team, this is a secure file sharing, storage, and collaboration tool.
- 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.
- Cryptee - This is a privacy-focused platform for photo and document storage and editing. It's open source and based in Estonia.
Google Photos alternative
Here are a few good Google Photos alternatives:
- Piwigo - Piwigo is a great option that you can self-host. It is also free and open source.
- Lychee - Lychee is another self-hosted, open source photo management platform.
- Cryptee - Mentioned already above, Cryptee is also a great option for securely storing photos.
- PhotoPrism - 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. Some options to consider:
Google Translate alternative
Here are a few 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. 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.
- 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.
- dict.cc - This Google Translate alternative seems to do a decent job on single-word 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. Swisscows used to offer a good translation service that supported many languages, but that has been discontinued
Google Analytics alternative
Google Analytics is not what it used to be. Many website owners now find it frustrating and overly complex. Beyond privacy concerns, it has become slower, harder to use, and less intuitive. Fortunately, there are faster and more user friendly alternatives that respect both your privacy and your visitors' privacy.
- 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.
- Matomo - 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.
- Fathom Analytics - An open-source alternative to Google Analytics that's available on GitHub here. It's minimal, fast, and lightweight.
- Get Insights - Another privacy-focused analytics platform, with a full analytics suite. The front-end client is open source and available here.
- Piano Analytics - 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 keep using Google Analytics because they run 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:
- OsmAnd - a free and open-source mobile maps app for both Android and iOS (based on OpenStreetMap data).
- MapHub - based on OpenStreetMap data, and it does not collect locations or user IP addresses.
- Here WeGo - a free (ad-supported) service that complies with GDPR privacy requirements for all users worldwide.
Waze was a popular alternative to Google Maps until it was acquired by Google.
Google Play Store alternative
The best alternative to the Google Play Store is F-Droid, an installable catalog of free and open source software applications for the Android platform. You can learn more on the F-Droid website or the official GitHub page. 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
Looking to move away from Chromebooks and Chrome OS? Here are some excellent alternatives to consider:
- Linux – Of course, Linux is arguably the best alternative to Chrome OS. It is free, open source, and available in many different "distros." Linux can run on almost any device, from powerful supercomputers (all of the world's top 500 supercomputers use Linux) to standard desktops, Chromebooks, and even tiny single board computers like the Raspberry Pi.
- Popular Linux distros (in addition to the ones below): Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, Kali Linux
- Tails - Tails is a free, privacy focused operating system designed to protect you from surveillance and censorship. It routes all of your internet traffic through the Tor network and leaves no trace on the computer you use.
- Qubes OS - Qubes OS takes security to the next level by isolating different parts of your system into separate virtual machines. It is free, open source, and famously recommended by Edward Snowden for maximum privacy.
Most people are familiar with Windows and macOS, but both have privacy concerns. Windows has long been criticized for extensive data collection and poor privacy practices, while macOS is only slightly better. Apple still gathers user data and has been known to cooperate with government surveillance programs.
Android alternatives
The main alternative to Android is Apple's iOS, however that's not necessarily a clear winner when it comes to privacy. Here are a few Android operating system alternatives that can significantly improve your mobile privacy:
- GrapheneOS - A privacy and security-focused mobile OS with enhanced app permissions and no Google services.
- LineageOS - An open-source Android-based OS that allows users to control their privacy settings and remove unwanted bloatware.
- /e/ (e Foundation) - A de-Googled version of Android that emphasizes privacy by removing Google services and offering alternative apps.
- Sailfish OS - A Linux-based mobile OS that prioritizes user privacy and allows the installation of Android apps.
- Ubuntu Touch - A mobile version of the popular Ubuntu OS, focusing on open-source principles and user privacy.
Other Google alternatives
Here are 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:
- Joplin is another great option that is open source and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- Standard Notes is a great alternative note-taking service. It is secure, encrypted, and free with apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android (web-based also available).
- Zoho Notebook from Zoho, with apps for desktop and mobile devices.
- QOwnNotes is an open-source file editor with Nextcloud integration.
Google Voice alternatives - JMP.chat (both free and paid), Line2 (paid)
Google Firebase alternative - Kuzzle (free and open source)