I’m working on degoogling and moving away from major tech companies. I’m really curious what others here are using instead — especially for everyday tools and services.
What do you use for things like:
1.Email
2.Cloud storage / file sync
3.Maps & navigation
4.Search engine
5.Web browser
6.Calendar
7.Contacts management
8.Notes / to-do lists
9.Office suite (docs, spreadsheets, etc.)
10.Messaging / chat
11.Video calling
12.Social media / microblogging RSS reader / news
13.Music streaming / podcast app
14.Video streaming / YouTube alternative
15.Password manager
16.VPN / DNS / Firewall
17.Launcher / Android OS (if you use custom ROMs)
18.App store / APKs
19.Photo backup / gallery
20.Weather
21.Smart assistant (if any)
22.Anything else you’ve replaced?
Would love to hear about your setup — both what works well and any trade-offs you’ve had to make. Always looking for better FOSS or privacy-friendly alternatives
First post on Lemmy but not new to degoogling.
Phone is a Pixel 6a running GrapheneOS for about 2.5 years.
Laptop is a used Lenovo T470s with Linux, Fedora Workstation. Total noob.
1.Email - Proton Unlimited
2.Cloud storage / file sync - Proton Drive / Syncthing
3.Maps & navigation - OSMAnd
4.Search engine - varies but right now it’s Brave
On my laptop, LibreWolf with UBlock Origins on expert mode (deletes browsing data) and Firefox for logins.
Ironfox and LibreWolf are sync through Mozilla.
6.Calendar - Fossify Calendar, phone.
7.Contacts management - whatever is stock on GOS
8.Notes / to-do lists - Fossify Notes for reusable checklists. Joplin on both laptop and phone for markdown notes. I used to use Quillpad when I used an android tablet and phone.
9.Office suite (docs, spreadsheets, etc.) LibreOffice on Linux. LibreOffice viewer on my phone.
10.Messaging / chat - Signal
11.Video calling - I don’t do video calling but if I did, Signal
12.Social media - Firefox on my Laptop, Brave on my phone. I’m planning on ditching Reddit. RedReader is the app I use on that site.
12b. microblogging - I can’t stand microblogging (Twitter, Mastodon, Bluesky)
12c. RSS reader / news - Feeder on my phone
13.Music streaming - I play music stored on my phone with Vanilla.
13b. podcast app - Antenna Pod on my phone. I like CPod on my laptop but it’s no longer being updated. I’ve looked but can’t find one I like for Linux that is being updated.
14.Video streaming / YouTube alternative - Freetube on Linux and PipePipe on my phone
15.Password manager - Proton Pass.
16.VPN / DNS / Firewall - ProtonVPN but their Linux app is barebones. Doesn’t even have split tunneling.
17.Launcher / Android OS (if you use custom ROMs) - Stock launcher on phone. Extension Manager on my laptop to tweak the desktop for more usability.
18.App store / APKs - From most to least apps installed from that store - Obtainium (usually Github) 22, F-Droid 15, Aurora Store 3, and Accrescent 3.
19.Photo backup / gallery - Photos sync to my laptop with Syncthing, from there I upload to ProtonDrive.
20.Weather - I open Environment Canada local forecast with a browser
21.Smart assistant (if any) - Nope
22.Anything else you’ve replaced? - I use mostly cash in stores. My keyboard is Futo on my phone.
I plan on moving away from Proton if they don’t start supporting Linux more. Addy for email aliases, Tuta for mail, and Mullvad for VPN. Not sure about cloud, or if I need it, at the moment.