Alternatives to Google Products 2021
Google offers some of the most widely used products in the world. May it be Maps, the Google search engine, the email service, document editing software, online storage, and many others. These are all excellent apps but do not protect the user’s privacy as expected.
If you want some products that are the best alternative for Google, read this extensive article. Here is a guide that will give you extensive detail about the alternatives for Google products. People around the world are now concerned over the privacy and personal data issues while using Google products. It is why they are currently looking for alternate options.
Google’s business model revolves around a collection of user data to provide better and user-oriented services. However, the data collection is somehow an infringement of your privacy. So, if you seek alternatives for Google products such as Gmail, Search engine, Drive, and other Google products, this guide will provide you alternatives for each of Google’s products.
Alternatives for Google Search Engine
When you use Google to search, it shows you the search results and uses the “search phrase” for data collection purposes. Google records your IP, unique identifiers, user agent, and search terms. Here are some alternatives for Google Search.
If you are looking for Google results but without tracking, then you can use StartPage. Some other search engines are Searx, MetaGer, QWant, YaCy, Givero, Ecosia, and Mojeek. Mojeek is a search engine that has a web crawler and an index of its own.
Alternatives for Gmail |Alternatives to Google Products 2021
Although Gmail is one of the most convenient emails you can use, there are some privacy concerns. Gmail uses the inbox as a data collection tool. For example, Google records your purchasing history based on the emails that you receive. Gmail also uses the inbox for showing ads.
If you do not want to use Gmail, you can start using Tutanota, Posteo, ProtonMail, and Mailfence. These are free and also have space up to 1GB. There are others that you can use as alternate emails, but they are paid. For example, RunBox gives you a lot of storage but for $1.6 per month.
CounterMail also offers you services for $4 per month. Thexyx, which is based in Canada, provides email services for $1.95 per month. These email services are a better option than Gmail when it comes to privacy and security.
Alternatives for Google Chrome
How do you think GOogl collects your search data? Well, everything that you type on Chrome is recorded and used as data analysis. One day you type on Chrome a phrase that says, “best cameras,” and the next time you open your browser, you see camera ads. It is a tool for data collection.
Chrome may be a very famous browser, but it is not less than a spy. It is also a data collection tool for Google. It saves more cookies than any other browser. Here are some other browsers that you can use instead of Chrome.
Firefox is the best alternative, no doubt. It is an open-source browser that is entirely customizable. It offers more security and privacy with its tools. Some other reliable browsers are rave, Tor Browser, Waterfox, GNU IceCat, and Iridium.
Alternatives for Google Drive
If you do not trust Google Drive, then you can look for some better alternates. Here are some alternatives that you can go for instead of Google Drive. Tresorit is a Switzerland based cloud storage option. ownCLoud is another good option that you can use to save your data online. NextClouds also a fast and secure alternate for Google Drive. DropBox is also a great alternative, but it is not as good as these when it comes to privacy.
Alternatives for Google Docs
There are so many alternatives for Google Docs. One of the best and easy to use is Microsoft Office. But, the same case is with Microsoft; it is not well-known for keeping privacy.
You are looking for a privacy-focused option, you can go for CryptPad, EtherPad, or Cryptee. OnlyOffice and Zoho Docs are also good options, but not the best for privacy. All these are also excellent documenting editing tools with good features.
Alternatives for Google Photos
Today everyone needs to edit images. Especially, teenagers who are always looking to post their photos online on various social media platforms. They are looking for ways to edit the photos and also keep their privacy. Google is well-known for recording everything you do. So, here are a few alternatives for Google Photos.
PiwiGo and Lychee are great options for photos. Both these services are self-hosted open-source photo management tools. These tools for photos provide you with better editing options. You can also save these on the cloud after editing.
Alternatives for Google Translate
The translation is another thing that you need if you are related to language. However, Google has a lot of privacy concerns and might collect data when you translate a text. So, if you are looking for an alternate option, here are a few that you can rely on.
DeepL is an excellent translator and gives accurate results. You can translate almost 5000 characters at a time, and you will also find a built-in dictionary.
Two other options that you can use for translation instead of Google translate are Linguee and dict.cc. Both these are also accurate and give good results for language translation.
Alternatives for Google Maps |Alternatives to Google Products 2021
One of the most used apps for maps is Google Maps; however, the more you use it, the more Google records your daily data. It even keeps a record of your travel history. So, if you are looking for better map options, you should try these.
Maps.me, OsmAnd, Here WeGo, and MapHub are some of the best map applications that you can use to keep track of your location. These do not collect your data or user IP addresses.
Alternatives for Google Hangouts |Alternatives to Google Products 2021
Finally, if you do not want to use Google Hangouts because of privacy or any other reason, you should try one of these services to keep in touch with your loved ones.
The first one is Signal. It is a secure messenger that has better privacy options than Hangouts. Telegram is another excellent alternate, which is also a messenger app. You can also use Riot and Wire. Both these are all-around messengers that you can use for audio and video calls.