Explore These Alternatives to Popular Apps and Take Back Your Online Privacy from Tech Giants

Taking charge of your personal data brings remarkable advantages. With the consolidation of ownership and management among apps and online services, it’s perfectly reasonable to explore various alternatives for storing your sensitive information and tracking your daily activities.

Luckily, not every service aims to profit from your personal information; many alternatives can be just as effective, if not more so, than their commercial or ad-supported counterparts.

Consider what you might prefer to avoid: Are you looking to escape the clutches of Big Tech that gathers your data? Subscription models? Intrusive ad tracking? Government oversight? Your individual needs and threats are distinct, but hopefully, some of these suggestions will resonate with you.

Wallabag: Save the stories to read later

If there’s something you’d like to read later, whether it’s a news piece, feature story, or anything else with a URL, you can save it using Wallabag. This read-it-later web-archiving tool may not be as widely recognized as its direct competitor Pocket, yet Wallabag stands strong with its comparable article-saving features. You can either host a Wallabag server at home for free on a network-attached storage (NAS) device or utilize a low-cost cloud subscription.

Why is this important? Many read-it-later applications track user behavior to identify trends and suggest content—often sponsored—to users. Some users prefer this, and that’s fine! However, others might have different preferences.

Signal is the go-to encrypted messaging app

Signal is among the most respected secure messaging applications, primarily because it doesn’t retain any personal information about its users. Occasionally, Signal emphasizes this by sharing the search warrants it receives, confidently pointing out that it has no data to provide to authorities. Security experts have lauded Signal’s robust security measures as the “gold standard” among messaging apps. It is available for free, running on donations as a nonprofit entity.

Why should you pay attention? Signal not only secures your private messages and calls but also encrypts details of your contacts and communication timings, which can be very telling about your life.

Nextcloud: Your self-hosted Dropbox alternative

Nextcloud offers a Dropbox-like experience, complete with all the document editing and sharing capabilities you’d expect from a file storage system. One significant advantage of Nextcloud is the option to self-host it for free at home, allowing you to maintain privacy and control over your data, or you can opt for a Nextcloud server managed by a specialized host.

Built with security as a priority, Nextcloud grants you end-to-end encrypted access to your files from your phone or other devices. Moreover, if a self-hosted, Dropbox-like service for your sensitive and personal files appeals to you, Nextcloud is an excellent choice.

Why is this significant? While cloud storage can provide certain levels of security and privacy, the companies behind these services must comply with law enforcement requests and may scan your files invisibly (for justified reasons, but still). Hosting your own cloud doesn’t exempt you from police actions if they present a warrant, but at least you’d be aware of it.

Never forget your passwords again with Bitwarden

Investing in a password manager greatly enhances your personal security; these applications securely store your passwords, passkeys, credit card information, and other sensitive data so you don’t have to memorize them. Bitwarden is a widely-used open-source password manager that facilitates quick logins to your favorite sites and auto-filling your payment information. You can access your Bitwarden manager anywhere, including on your mobile device. The basic version is free, with affordable options for additional features.

Why does this matter? The more individuals examining the source code of a password manager for trustworthiness and reliability, the better, especially in terms of security. Although there are many other competent password managers, open-source systems like Bitwarden are generally more transparent and easier to audit concerning their development processes.

Joplin and Notesnook keep your notes and scribbles secure

If you’re looking to escape Google Docs or Microsoft 365, plenty of note-taking applications can keep your notes, thoughts, and ideas organized and accessible at any time. Joplin is a popular productivity tool that organizes your files in an encrypted format using open standards (like Markdown), allowing for easy transport. Notesnook is another option that enables exporting your notes for use with other applications and offers end-to-end encryption, ensuring no one else can access your files—unlike Google Docs!

If you’re in search of a downloadable and offline office suite that isn’t from Microsoft, LibreOffice stands out as a stellar alternative. LibreOffice is designed with privacy in mind and is free to use (though its macOS app on the Mac App Store isn’t), compatible with all common file formats you typically use.

Why does this matter? Major corporations like Google and Microsoft are increasingly integrating their services, which can expose your notes, emails, and files to their AI systems. While this integration can be beneficial, you may prefer a straightforward, cross-platform text syncing application that does not engage in invasive data analysis.

Ente: Your encrypted photo vault

If you’re seeking to move away from services like Apple Photos, Flickr, or Google Photos, Ente.io positions itself as a privacy-centric photo storage solution specifically aimed at securely backing up your images and videos to the cloud. Ente encrypts your data with a password known only to you, safeguarding your memories from unauthorized access while backing them up in multiple global locations. It also provides necessary photo management and sharing features typical of photo applications. Ente offers basic accounts for free, with reasonably priced options for additional storage.

Why is this important? Just like notes and documents, images are frequently targeted by AI systems. While auto-tagging your friends may seem convenient, it requires explicit consent. You should have the option to opt-in before a machine learning model analyzes every face in your collection. This is a great reason to explore independent services that provide more choices.

Home Assistant: The hub for all your smart devices

If you’ve dipped your toes into smart home technology, you’ll want to learn about Home Assistant. This platform acts as a central hub that connects all your smart home devices, allowing you to control them from one accessible interface. As an open-source server, Home Assistant can integrate with thousands of devices from various vendors, ranging from voice assistants to robotic vacuums. You can manage your devices through your browser or mobile app, plus create automation for your smart devices, just like you can with Apple Home or Google Home.

Home Assistant operates locally and can be self-hosted on various devices, from a home server in a closet to any consistently operational device, such as a desktop computer. Additionally, for users wanting external access, remote access can be established through its cloud-based subscription service.

Why is this crucial? Not every smart home provider can sustain their operations permanently, and unanticipated closures or bankruptcies may leave users without access to essential devices. Solutions like Home Assistant can prevent smart home technology from becoming obsolete, sparing users from costly replacements.

Open Scanner: A straightforward document scanning app

Scanning documents doesn’t have to be a complex affair. Open Scanner offers a remarkably simple point-and-click document scanning application for iPhones, with its code made publicly available online. Sometimes, simplicity is the beauty of moving away from profit-driven corporations that oversaturate their applications with unnecessary AI features. Open Scanner allows users to capture receipts, notes, textbooks, or anything else they can point their phone at. Android users can opt for OSS Document Scanner, a similarly straightforward and free open-source scanning application.

Why does this matter? Unless you genuinely need professional scanning capabilities, your phone’s camera may be more effective—and often superior—to many budget scanners. Avoid the need for printer-brand hardware and opt for a simple, free solution instead.

RSS technology allows you to subscribe to information feeds from your favorite websites, blogs, news outlets, and more. Most news sites provide RSS feeds (including TechCrunch!) that deliver headlines to RSS-compatible applications, known as RSS readers. Numerous RSS readers are available, but FreshRSS has long been one of the most comprehensive and straightforward RSS options on the market. You can host your instance or deploy a private server via a specialized cloud provider. By subscribing to your preferred feeds, you’ll ultimately have your personalized, self-updating digital newspaper.

Why is this significant? You might be surprised at how differently the news appears when viewed through this lens. Moreover, having your own RSS setup averts the sponsored posts and tracking associated with hosted services, similar to read-it-later options.

Own your livestreams with Owncast

For those who create their own content, whether shows, gaming, or something in between, Owncast provides a self-hosted streaming solution for setting up and managing livestreams. Free and relatively easy to use, Owncast is widely embraced and compatible with your existing streaming equipment. If you haven’t considered livestreaming before, this offers a conducive entry into an engaging medium.

Why does this matter? While platforms like Twitch are undeniably popular, depending solely on a large corporation for every aspect of your creative process (in this case, Amazon) might not sit well with you. Open streaming tools like Owncast provide an excellent alternative, potentially helping you reach a new audience.

Stirling PDF: Your comprehensive PDF editing solution

Managing and making changes to PDF documents consistently proves challenging. For users unwilling to pay for Adobe’s software or upload documents to dubious file conversion websites, Stirling PDF serves as a versatile tool for all things PDF. You can convert, edit, merge, split, sign, and more—all without giving your sensitive files to a cloud service. If handling particularly sensitive documents, Stirling PDF also allows self-hosting.

Why is this essential? Honestly, whenever a practical alternative to Adobe emerges, it’s worth taking note.

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Originally published on November 24, 2024. Updated on November 29, 2024.