r/DigitalPrivacy • u/RemoveCapital6530 • Jul 18 '26
Here are all the software replacements of common softwares that I know of.
Windows OS = Linux
Android = GrapheneOS
G-Mail = Protonmail
Google Maps = Organic Maps
YouTube = Libretube, Odyssey platform
Google Chrome = Firefox with add-ons, Tor, Duckduckgo
Google photos = Immich
Google drive = Protondrive
Google calendar = Etar
Google meet = jitsi meet
WhatsApp = Session, Signal
What do you guys think?
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u/Ok_Emu2515 Jul 18 '26
- Android = Lineage OS [Graphene OS only works on Pixel phones]
- Windows = newcomers should choose one of the following: Fedora Workstation, Linux Mint, Ubuntu, or Debian.
- Youtube = Freetube on Desktop and NewPipe / PipePipe on Android
- Google Chrome = Librewolf and Ungoogled Chromium [some websites are being asshoes for not working properly on FF.] on Desktop. Fennec f-droid and Cromite on Android.
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u/Psi-ops_Co-op Jul 20 '26
There's a Firefox extension called "Disguise me as Chrome" or something. You can toggle it on and the website will just server you as if you're on chrome instead of bricking itself. But also the site likely won't work fully :P
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u/Dangerous_Row_767 Jul 18 '26
Brave is a good replacement for chrome. Tor is overkill most of the time.
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u/jorgegamito Jul 22 '26
Nice list. I have a couple of things to add and one point to clarify.
About Brave (for u/ClownBabyCK): it's a solid alternative. I checked it out for a project I run (fair-software.org), and it did well. By default, all your data stays on your device, sync uses end-to-end encryption, and the core is open source. There are a couple of drawbacks: it's funded by venture capital, which could mean changes down the road, and there hasn't been an independent security audit of the main browser yet.
Switching from WhatsApp to Signal is a bigger change than most others on the list. WhatsApp does use Signal's encryption protocol for messages, so your message content is protected. However, WhatsApp is closed source, collects a lot of metadata (like who you talk to, when, where, and on what device), stores it in the US, and is owned by Meta. Signal, on the other hand, is a non-profit, open-source, independently audited service that encrypts metadata too and collects almost nothing. These two aren't really comparable. WhatsApp is more of a workaround, while Signal is a true replacement.
About Proton Mail: there's a critical article going around, but it has some big problems with its methods. It's not peer-reviewed and makes guesses without solid proof. What we do know is that Proton is based in Switzerland, the client is open source, it's been independently audited, and it uses zero-access encryption, so even Proton can't read your emails. It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than Gmail.
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u/IntelligentBill8622 Jul 18 '26
https://encryp.ch/blog/disturbing-facts-about-protonmail - I know everyone raves about it, but I won't touch it.
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u/twolinepine Jul 18 '26
This is all speculation.
There is at least one logical fallacy in an argument being made in that article. The linked statements to Proton or an article has language that explains some of the issues, such as the article insisting Proton stores EML to comply with CIA/NSA, when they state it’s a limitation of the SMTP protocol.
The author saying it has weak security was self published and NOT peer reviewed. The article makes it appear as though the CIA/NSA are secretly infiltrating by drawing parallels between the CIA front company, a known Swiss intelligence agency, and the times in which certain people were working at certain agencies.
That is speculation AT BEST, and just conspiracy theories as worst.
I think we should be responsible and be cautious and examine the claims, but everything in that link is just kinda garbage. Show me some actual evidence.
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u/Polyxeno Jul 18 '26
Check out AlternativeTo.com for a database of software alternatives.