Dark Mode

This website is a simple list of alternatives to common Google software. Not all listings are privacy-focused, nor endorsed. If privacy is a big concern for you, make sure you read the privacy policy of software and services before using them. Alternatives are listed alphabetically.

Those with large privacy concerns are marked in red and should be avoided when possible.

Those with questionable privacy are marked in orange. Be careful.

Those with a privacy focus are marked in turquoise.

Those left unmarked should be fine, but don't make privacy a focus.

Wondering why something wasn't included? Check out the FAQ, it might answer your question.

Search

Bing is one of the largest search engines in the world, owned by US-based Microsoft, it utilises its own web crawler and generally has results on par with Google. Using Bing while signed in to your Microsoft account allows you to earn Microsoft Rewards points, which can be redeemed in exchange for various rewards such as gift cards.

Unfortunately, Bing falls victim to many of the same problems Google has. It tracks users and personalises results, so this is really only a good alternative for those who don't like Google in particular.

US-based DuckDuckGo is the most well-known privacy-focused search engine. It claims to not track user data or personalise search results, avoiding the filter bubble that search engines like Google create. Its results are gathered “from over four hundred sources” including its own web crawler. One of DuckDuckGo's most popular features is the ability to easily query a large number of other search engines with what it calls “bangs”. It also has an Tor onion service available.

It's worth noting that DuckDuckGo was founded by Gabriel Weinberg, who also founded the now-defunct social media site Names Database. While there is no evidence of any personal data collection through DuckDuckGo, the connection is cause for concern for some privacy-concious users.

Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine based in France. Much like DuckDuckGo, it claims to not track users and avoid personalisation bubbles, as well as having a function similar to DuckDuckGo's bangs. Qwant also provides a stripped down “lite” version for those on extremely low-end hardware, or those who want nothing more than a barebones search engine.

Searx is a completely open-source, self-hostable metasearch engine. Searx pulls results from many different search engines and allows easy filtering of results based on category (such as files, IT, or science). It currently has dozens of instances running across a variety of domains (including onion services). The user interface is not as friendly as some of the others, but it is extremely powerful, and being able to audit the code and self-host makes it by far the best option for privacy-focused users. That being said, there is no official Searx instance, so users who don't plan to self-host should be careful as it's entirely possible that some instances are modified to log.

Self-described as “the world's most private search engine”, Dutch search engine Startpage is essentially a proxy for Google. You enter your query, Startpage strips any identifying information, sends it to Google, and returns it to the user. This means you get the quality results of Google without the personalisation bubble or tracking. Much like DuckDuckGo and Qwant, Startpage claims to not log or share any personal information.

Note: In late 2019, an advertising company became Startpage's majority shareholder. They claim to be privacy-focused and to respect Startpage's current policy, but whether you trust them is something you should decide for yourself.

Android

Custom ROM

As a permissively licensed open source project, Android has a very active development community that produces custom builds for a multitude of devices. The most popular ROM is LineageOS, which is a widely compatible, well-maintained fork of AOSP with some tweaks. There are also a number of other popular ROMs such as Resurrection Remix, OmniROM, Paranoid Android, and Replicant.

These ROMs do not come with any Google apps pre-installed, so an alternative app store such as F-Droid for free and open source software, or Aptoide for general software, can be installed to replace the Play Store. If you really need apps directly from the Play Store, you could also use an alternate client such as Yalp Store. A number of apps require Google Play Services to function correctly, however the free and open source microG can restore most of the functionality that Play Services provides.

It's worth noting that due to the LineageOS team refusing to implement signature spoofing patches needed for microG to have full functionality, the microG team maintain a fork with these patches as well as microG and F-Droid pre-installed.

While custom ROMs are generally the best solution for Android users, they do have downsides. For starters, if your device doesn't allow you to unlock your bootloader then you're almost certainly out of luck. It can also hinder some device features, most notably the camera quality. This can be mitigated to an extent with GCam ports, but these are often buggy. Depending on your region, flashing these may also void your warranty, so make sure to research your local laws before doing anything.

Disable Google Apps

If your device does not have custom ROM support, the next best thing you can do is disable Google apps. Depending on the device, this may not completely remove all Google integration. It's also likely that it will cause stability issues and that you won't be able to use microG properly on the stock ROM, so you'll lose some functionality.

iOS

Although it's not a feasible option for most people to just go out and grab a new phone, Android users who are looking to upgrade should consider an iOS device. It does not come with any Google services out of the box and is generally considered more private, at least when comparing stock versions. Despite its participation in the PRISM program, Apple has made privacy a selling point of their products. As they not an advertising company like Google or Microsoft, instead making large profits from the devices themselves, they don't have nearly as much of an incentive to betray user trust as a company like the aforementioned Google or Microsoft do. That being said, iOS is also very locked down in comparison to Android, so potential customers should play around with an iOS device before purchasing.

Browser

Bromite is a free and open source Chromium-based browser for Android. It integrates patches from a number of privacy-focused Chromium forks such as Iridium and ungoogled-chromium to remove all Google tracking, as well as integrating an ad-blocker and numerous anti-fingerprinting measures. It also supports removing click-tracking and AMP links from search results. Although it only exists for Android, the lack of syncing means you aren't missing out on any multi-device integration anyway, so you can use it in conjunction with a desktop browser like Iridium without sacrificing any functionality.

Brave is a free and open source Chromium-based browser founded by JavaScript creator and Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich. It comes with in-built ad, tracker, and script blocking, as well as a number of privacy patches from other Chromium-based projects to largly remove the Google integration in vanilla Chromium. It also automatically upgrades supported sites to HTTPS, and supports browsing over the Tor network. Though core functionality works, it is still currently in beta, with plans for sync support and its own extension store in the future.

Its standout but highly controversial feature is integration with the Basic Attention Token, which users can purchase and automatically donate to websites and creators. There are also plans to allow users to earn BAT by replacing native ads with Brave ads that are locally targeted. For those uninterested in BAT, the system is opt-in and largely ignorable.

Mobile versions are available for Android and iOS with most of the privacy protection features available in the desktop version (with the notable exception being Tor browsing). They are planned to have sync capabilities when syncing is rolled out.

Firefox is a free and open source web browser developed by the US-based Mozilla Corporation (owned by the not-for-profit Mozilla Foundation), and is the 2nd most popular desktop browser after Chrome. It is one of the few well-known browsers that don't use The Chromium Project's Blink engine, instead using Mozilla's Gecko engine.

A lot of Firefox's appeal comes from its customisability, allowing users to extensively change the browser's appearance to their liking, and providing a page where users can tweak advanced settings to get the browser running how they want it to. Despite its shrinking market share, Firefox still has a very active add-on development community, with plenty of add-ons to make the browser fit the user's needs. Over the years, there have been a number controversial changes to the browser, but due to its free and open source nature, there are a multitude of maintained forks without these changes (notably Pale Moon and Waterfox).

Users are able to sync their data across devices using Firefox Sync, which can either be self-hosted or use Mozilla's official servers. Firefox also has versions for Android and iOS, though its Android version is infamous for its poor scrolling performance, and its iOS version is essentially just a Safari skin with sync capabilities due to OS limitations. Android also has a “lite” version available in some regions, and both Android and iOS also have Firefox Focus, which distinguishes itself by its ability to wipe user data in 1 tap.

Iridium is a free and open source, privacy-focused fork of Chromium backed by the Open Source Business Alliance, a German not-for-profit. Iridium's goal is to strip Chromium of potentially invasive activities while maintaining its strong feature set and compatibility. Due to some of the patches made to Chromium, extensions do not update automatically, nor does the browser. It currently does not have a mobile version, although Bromite for Android is pretty similar.

Opera is a Chromium-based browser developed by Opera Software, a company that, while technically Norwegian, is wholly owned by Chinese investors. It distinguishes itself from Chrome largely by its user interface and support for customisable mouse gestures and keyboard shortcuts.

Opera also comes with a built-in VPN, though it's really more of a proxy as it does not have proper encryption and only applies to the browser. The servers are provided by Canadian VPN company SurfEasy (which is owned by US-based Symantec), which claims it does not log, although it is unclear whether these policies also apply to Opera users. It is restricted to 3 unspecific regions ("Americas", "Asia", and "Europe"), and is rather slow. Opera also provides another service called Turbo, which routes sites through Opera's servers for compression. This is good for users with a slow connection, but does keep some logs.

In terms of the browser itself's privacy, it's basically no better than Chrome, with most data going to Opera Software instead of Google. Most tracking can be disabled, however it is still not recommended for privacy purposes, only for those who like the features and want to get away from Google's offerings in particular.

Opera also provides a service for syncing user data between devices. This includes mobile devices using their applications, which there are a number of. Opera for Android and Opera Mini, a lightweight browser with Opera Turbo, for Android and iOS both support sync. Opera Touch, a newer browser for Android and iOS with a different interface, does not support syncing like the others, but instead supports “Flow”, which allows easy sharing of content between devices.

Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser developed by Norwegian company Vivaldi Technologies, headed by the co-founder and ex-CEO of Opera Software. The development team's goal is to create a highly customisable browser with many of the features lost by Opera after its transition to a Chromium base. Almost everything about the user interface can be customised to the user's liking, however the heavy interface has also caused many users to report that it's noticably slower than other browsers. There is currently no mobile version, but sync between desktop devices is available. While source code is available, Vivaldi is not licensed permissively.

Drive + Photos

US-based Dropbox is one of the oldest cloud storage services still popular today. It has a 2GB free tier, with paid tiers starting from 10 USD/month for 1TB. It also lets users earn more storage for free by referring others or completing various tasks. It is extremely easy to use and integrates with Microsoft Office Online, as well as providing its own collaborative document editor named Paper. There are clients for all major operating systems, and the Android and iOS apps provide automatic photo backup functionalities similar to Google Photos. Unlike most competitors, Dropbox uses block-level transfers, meaning files don't have to be entirely reuploaded when edited.

Unfortunately, Dropbox has had a number of security incidents in the past including numerous accusations of sharing user data, a leak of 68 million passwords in 2016, and years-old deleted files reappearing in accounts in 2017.

Norwegian cloud storage provider Jottacloud is less known, but provides a gallery almost identical to Google Photos. They offer a free tier with 5GB of storage, and an unlimited (with a fair usage policy that users report to be around 10TB) paid tier from 6.25 EUR/month. There are easy to use clients for all major operating systems except Linux, which only has a command line tool. As previously mentioned, the mobile apps have a gallery with an almost identical layout to Google Photos, and support automatic photo backup, so this service is good for users who like Google Photos.

Unfortunately Jottacloud does not provide at-rest encryption, only SSL encryption during transfers, and their privacy policy states that staff may access file metadata such as the name and size.

MEGA is a cloud storage service based in New Zealand. Founded after the demise of Megaupload by its founder Kim Dotcom, MEGA offers a free 15GB tier with additional storage earnable for 180 days by completing tasks. Paid tiers start at 5 EUR/month for 200GB of storage and 1TB of bandwidth. MEGA encrypts and decrypts all data client-side, and all of its clients are open source. There are official MEGA clients for all major operating systems, and the mobile clients support automatic photo backup. Due to browser limitations, Firefox users are unable to download files larger than 2GB without installing MEGA's desktop client.

While MEGA appears to be a good option for privacy, it has been denounced by its founder who says he does not trust it. Although there is currently no evidence of any wrongdoing or breach of trust, Dotcom claims that the company “suffered from a hostile takeover by a Chinese investor who is wanted in China for fraud”, and that shares were then seized and control was taken by the New Zealand government. MEGA denies that authorities have interfered with its operations, although it may be best to err on the side of caution if you need absolute privacy.

Nextcloud is a free and open source, self-hostable cloud storage solution. It can be configured to the users needs, with a number of security options including end-to-end encryption, and a large selection of both 1st-party and 3rd-party apps available for additional functionality such as contact and calendar syncing, document editing, playing music, and two-factor authentication. The web interface is easy to use, and there are official clients for all major operating systems, with the mobile apps supporting automatic photo backup. There are a multitude of Nextcloud hosts available for those who don't want to self-host, but it's important that you read their privacy policy to make sure you're getting the privacy you want.

OneDrive, previously known as SkyDrive, is US-based Microsoft's cloud stoage offering. It comes with 5GB of free storage, with a 50GB plan for 3 USD/month, and a 1TB plan as part of Office 365 from 8.25 USD/month. It comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and is heavily integrated with Microsoft Office, with the web version of OneDrive allowing editing of Office formats through Office Online. It has an official client for all major operating systems except Linux, with the Android and iOS versions allowing automatic backup of photos.

It is not a good option for privacy, however, as Microsoft is open about content being scanned by AI for Code of Conduct violations.

The aptly named Sync is a Canadian cloud storage service focused on privacy. It has a free tier that comes with 5GB of storage, and paid tiers starting at 49 USD/year for 500GB. Bitcoin is accepted for payment. Sync utilises end-to-end encryption and all data is encrypted at rest. They claim that they have no access to your files, and that no personal or usage data is collected. There are easy to use clients available for all major operating systems except Linux, and a web client is also available. The clients for Android and iOS also support automatic backup of photos.

Tresorit is a cloud storage service based in Switzerland. It has a free tier with 3GB of storage, and one paid consumer tier, 2TB from 24 USD/month, with a free 14 day trial. It utilises end-to-end encryption, password-protectable link sharing, advanced version management and recovery, and remote wipe. They claim to not have any access to any uploaded data, and do not log unless a file owner has requested that users access that file be logged. Tersorit also offers free encrypted file hosting for files up to 5GB. There are easy to use clients available for all major operating systems, and even more niche ones like Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS. Its mobile applications support automatic photo backup.

Email

mailbox.org is an email provider based in Germany. It starts at 1 EUR/month for 2GB of email storage and 100MB of cloud storage, with a 30-day free trial available. Bitcoin is accepted as a payment method. It allows users to choose their own domain, sync contacts and calendar events via the open WebDAV protocol, and supports full inbox encryption with the user's public PGP key. This method of encryption allows it to retain support for traditional email clients such as Thunderbird, which other private email services like ProtonMail can't do without the use of 3rd-party plugins, however it only encrypts the message itself, not the subject or addresses.

Outlook.com, previously known as Hotmail, is US-based Microsoft's free email service. There isn't much to say here, it just works. Each account comes with 15GB of free storage, and it integrates well with Office Online, Microsoft's web alternative to their full Office suite. Starting at 8.25 USD/month, users can get a subscription to Office 365 to get 1TB of storage as well as access to the traditional Office suite basics.

While convenient, Outlook.com falls behind on privacy. Microsoft is known to collect large amounts of data on users to target advertising. For this reason it shouldn't be used by those looking for something more private than Gmail.

Swiss provider ProtonMail is one of the most popular private email services. It offers a free tier with 500MB of storage and a limit of 150 messages/day, but offers paid plans starting at 4 USD/month for 4GB of storage and sending 1000 messages/day, as well as other features like a custom domain, sending encrypted messages to users not using ProtonMail, and creating up to 5 aliases. It accepts Bitcoin as payment, and its web client is free and open source.

ProtonMail accounts have two passwords, one to log in, and the other to decrypt the mail client-side. All mail between ProtonMail users is end-to-end encrypted, and encrypted messages can be sent to those without the service by sending them a password-protected link that they can use to read and reply. Subjects are encrypted at rest, but not end-to-end encrypted. Due to the way ProtonMail encrypts, it does not natively support clients such as Thunderbird, instead requiring a plugin. Fortunately it has a very easy to use web client as well as applications for Android and iOS.

Tutanota is a German email provider focused on privacy. It offers a free tier with 1GB of storage, and paid tiers starting at 1 EUR/month that unlock features such as custom domains and alises. It does not currently accept any crypto-currency for payment, although staff say it is planned. All mail stored on the server is encrypted and then decrypted client-side. Mail between Tutanota users are also end-to-end encrypted (including the subject), with the ability to send a password-protected link to non-Tutanota users to read and reply for the same level of security. It does not currently support 3rd-party clients, however the web client is easy to use, Android and iOS apps are available, and a desktop client is currently in beta. All clients are free and open source.

Google+

Mastodon is a free and open source, self-hostable social media platform that allows cross-site interaction with other instances. It serves as an alternative to Twitter, with an almost identical layout and very similar functionality. Each instance has a different focus, as well as its own content and privacy policy, so there is a site to suit anyone's needs. There is no official mobile app, but plenty of unofficial clients for both Android and iOS, most of which are open source.

US-based Reddit is a user-voted content aggregator. Split into topic-specific “subreddits”, the site allows users to submit text, images, videos, or any other link, which can then be upvoted or downvoted and commented on by other users. It has thousands of highly active communities spanning a variety of topics, from gaming, to politics, to fashion. If there is not yet a subreddit for a topic, users can create their own. There are official apps for Android and iOS, as well as a large number of unofficial clients with unique features.

It's important to note that Reddit utilises trackers for targeted advertising and does not honour Do Not Track requests, instead requiring users to create an account to disable outbound logging and personalised ads.

Twitter is a US-based social media platform and one of the most popular websites in the world. It allows users to post “tweets” - short text posts up to 280 characters. It also supports attaching images, videos, and polls to tweets, as well as using hashtags that users can search to see tweets about a certain topic. It had official apps for Android and iOS, as well as plenty of 3rd-party apps for core functionality (features such as polls and group DMs are limited to the official API keys).

It logs all outbound clicks and user activity for targeted advertising and does not honour Do Not Track requests.

Hangouts

US-based Discord is a popular and feature-rich chat service. Although primarily targeted at gamers, it serves as an easy to use chat platform for anyone. It has easy to use applications for all major operating systems as well as a web client. Discord offers a subscription from 5 USD/month (10 USD/month to access some of their game library) that unlocks extra perks like animated profile pictures and emojis, but the core functionality is free.

It allows for creation of servers with multiple text and voice channels for different purposes, and easily control user permissions. It allows users to direct message others, create group DMs, and voice and video call individuals or groups. Discord also supports user-created bots that perform various functions.

Discord messaging is not end-to-end encrypted and staff can read messages (usually only when content is reported), and they have an algorithm to scan images for NSFW content. For this reason it should not be used as a private chat platform.

US-based Facebook Messenger is the second most popular instant messenger in the world after WhatsApp, with over 1.3 billion monthly users. It requires either a Facebook account or a phone number to sign up, and only has apps available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, with a web client and integration into Facebook for desktop users. Its mobile applications contain ads, with the exception of Messenger Lite for Android.

Users can send messages, photos, videos, stickers, files, and audio messages to individuals, groups, and businesses, as well as make voice and video calls. It also allows users to react to messages with emojis, interact with bots, play games with friends, and US users can request and send money. Users can also add to their “Day”, which functions like Snapchat's Stories and disappear after 24 hours.

Chat is not end-to-end encrypted by default, requiring users to create “secret conversations” which can self-destruct, and use the Signal protocol to protect messages (but not metadata). Users can verify who the secret conversation is with by comparing device-specific keys. These are not transferrable across devices.

Signal is a free and open source instant messenger developed by US-based Open Whisper Systems. Endorsed by NSA whistleblower and privacy advocate Edward Snowden, it utilises end-to-end encryption through OWS's Signal Protocol, which is also implemented in a number of other communication apps and has been thouroughly tested and verified as cryptographically sound.

It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, voice and video messages, and files to individuals and groups, as well as make voice and video calls. It requires a phone number to register, and users can verify who they're talking to by sharing device-specific “saftey numbers”.

There are clients available for all major operating systems, and can be set as the default SMS app on Android devices. When set as the default SMS app, it works similarly to how iMessage works on iOS devices, sending encrypted messages to other Signal users, but falling back to unencrypted SMS when the contact number is not associated with a Signal user.

Multiple devices are supported to an extent, with the ability to link desktop clients to a mobile one, but no way to use multiple mobile devices. Users need to make an encrypted backup to transfer their messages between mobile devices.

Telegram is an instant messenger based out of the UK, but founded by Russian entrepreneurs Nikolai and Pavel Durov, who also founded popular social network VK. It requires a phone number to sign up, but has applications for all major operating systems and a web client. These are free and open source, although the source code often lags behind version releases.

As well as chat, you can send images, videos, files, stickers, your location, and voice and video messages. There is support for voice calls, but currently not video calls. Telegram also supports bots, forwarding and quoting messages, channels (which users can follow for messages from the channel owners), and group messages.

By default, messages are not end-to-end encrypted, but mobile users can create “secret chats” that use Telegram's MTProto encryption. The chat participants can verify each other by sharing device-specific encryption keys. These can not be transferred across devices.

US-based WhatsApp is the world's most popular instant messaging service with over 1.5 billion active monthly users and was purchased by tech giant Facebook in 2014. It requires a phone number to sign up and has clients for all major operating systems except for Linux, as well as a web client. Users are limited to one mobile device, requiring them to backup their messages before switching. The service is currently free, with plans to introduce ads to the mobile clients in the near future.

Users are able to send messages, photos, videos, files, and stickers as well as make voice and video calls to individuals, groups, and businesses. Users can also set a “status” that's viewable for 24 hours, working similarly to Snapchat's Stories function.

It implements the Signal protocol for end-to-end encryption of messages, although metadata such as conversation participants and timestamps as well as usage and diagnostic data can be collected. They also state that “when many people are sharing a popular photo or video, we may retain that content on our servers”. Users can exchange device-specific security codes to verify each other, and are notified if a contact's security code changes.

Wire is a free and open source chat service based in Switzerland. Founded by ex-Skype employees, Wire provides end-to-end encrypted, multi-device compatible messaging and voice and video calling to individuals and groups. A paid business version with a similar layout to Slack is also available from 4 EUR/user/month.

It supports sending self-destructing messages, sketches, files, and GIFs, as well as voice and video messages. Unlike many others, it does not require a phone number to sign up. Users are able to verify who they're talking to by sharing device fingerprints, and the user will be notified if a contact's fingerprint changes.

YouTube

BitChute is a video-hosting website that utilises peer-to-peer technology to distribute content. As of the date of writing this, it is used almost exclusively by users who have been banned from YouTube. As a result of this, its content isn't very varied. It's also quite limited in its features, as it does not allow quality control, and compresses down all HD video to 480p. Videos with low seeds also often load extremely slowly, if at all. That being said, the only way to get the site going is to upload more content to it, so consider using it if you're a creator.

US-based social media giant Facebook also offers a video platform. For creators looking to move away from YouTube for whatever reason, Facebook is the only real alternative with a large audience. It offers upload of full HD video, live streaming, easy sharing and audience interaction for growth, monetisation of content, and advanced analytics.

Unfortunately Facebook suffers many of the same problems Google does, with data mining being their business model and a strict policy on what content is allowed on the platform.

Invidious is an open source, self-hostable front-end for watching YouTube content, with an official site available for those who don't want to self-host. It aims to replicate as many YouTube features as possible without having to use YouTube itself. It supports an audio-only mode, subscriptions, video options (quality, speed, etc.), and watch history, all without using YouTube's official APIs. For those who want something with locally stored data but don't want to set up self-hosting, FreeTube is a free and open source client that pairs the Invidious API with a more YouTube-like design. Unfortunately the videos themselves still have to be pulled from Google's servers, but this is as close to Google-free as you can get if you still want to watch YouTube content.

NewPipe is a free and open source Android app that essentially serves the same purpose as Invidious, but for Android devices. It allows you to watch videos in the background and download them to your device. It has local playlists, watch history, and limited subscription management, only displaying the last uploaded video from each subscribed channel. It of course has to pull the videos and subscription information from Google's servers, but does not use proprietary APIs or send any more information than is necessary.

SkyTube is a free and open source Android app that provides almost all functionality from the official YouTube app. It allows you to watch videos in the background and download them to your device. It has watch history and subscription management (including notifications), and unlike NewPipe displays subscriptions chronologically with more than one video per channel. It does not provide playlist support, but allows bookmarking of videos. It does use proprietary Google APIs, but the app itself is fully FOSS. There is a version with proprietary blobs available that supports the official YouTube player and will soon support Chromecast.

Other