Have you ever imagined a life without Google? I am sure you haven’t because Google is injected in our lives in a way that we cannot survive without it. But that doesn’t mean there are no alternatives to it. With time, users are looking to depart from Google services and products because of online privacy and security issues.

Different people have different reasons to quit using Google products, but what is the next best alternative? Let’s discuss all the relevant alternatives for the majority of the significant Google products and services, whether it’s the search engine or Gmail. The alternatives we will share have a top priority of protecting and respecting your privacy.

So let’s begin!

Gmail alternatives

Gmail is one of the premium services that Google offers, and one of the most threatening when it comes to user privacy. Gmail is a hub of data where it knows everything that you talk, discuss, and share, all of which is recorded and retained. Gmail is an email platform that will have an insight into your personal life and minute details.

While being logged on your account on Gmail, it can track your whereabouts, your next meeting with a colleague or even target ads according to your preference generated from the emails.

As for alternates, there are a few services that offer a secure emailing experience, which are:

• Posteo: that is located in Germany
• StartMail: that is located in the Netherlands
• Tutanota: that is located in Germany
• Runbox: that is located in Norway

If you require any further guidance regarding other Gmail alternatives, then you can look for them online. Some of them will be ad-free and based in privacy respected countries. In case you feel unsafe using any one of the services, then it’s better to use an online privacy tool to help you remain protected on the web.

Chrome alternatives

The one reason Google is popular is through its fantastic browser, Google Chrome, which can be said to be quite alarming when it comes to privacy. For people using Chrome, here are the alternatives that will respect your privacy online.

• Tor browser is a privacy-respecting site, somewhat better than Firefox that is based on the Firefox 60 ESR. The default settings of Tor allows the browser to route traffic through the Tor network, which is sluggish at times but nothing that can’t be patiently tolerated.
• Brave browser is a helpful browser that comes with built-in privacy protection that endures and removes ads as well.
• Firefox browser is an old yet amazing alternative as it is a free, open-source browser that’s quite popular.
• Ungoogled Chromium is a good Chrome alternative that has modified its search engine and removed Google integration to provide more control and security to users. It can be found through Github.

Google search alternatives

Privacy needs to be dealt with caution, and Google search is not the best for it. Whenever a user makes a search query, the service record and retains your IP address, what you search and store cookies as well.

To avoid that, here are Google search alternatives:

• DuckDuckGo: This is a popular privacy-friendly search engine that does not target ads or send pop-up malware.
• StartPage: This search engine provides Google generated search results that remove and block ads as well.
• Qwant: This is a French search engine that is great for searching for videos.
• Metager: This is a German search engine that is getting famous globally.

Google Docs alternative

Google Docs is among the best because it saves all the content in real time. It can work in offline mode as well but as it’s a Google product, the reliability when it comes to privacy, which is a shortfall. This is why we are providing the best document alternatives.

• CryptPad is a content-rich online doc storage platform that focuses on secure encryption for free.
• LibreOffice is diverse storage which can be availed on different operating systems including Linux, Mac OS, Windows, Android, and iOS.
• OnlyOffice is another free service that remains a user-friendly platform that respects user privacy and restricts all outside ads.
• Zoho Docs is a multi-functional platform that provides a wholesome experience for businesses. It follows the GDPR policies which make it stand out from Google Docs.
• Nuclino service asks for permission of what it can access making it an ideal choice.

Google Drive alternatives

Considering the current security scenario, cloud storage is in great numbers, but only a few of them are secure, which makes Google Drive a bad option. There are better and safer options which we will discuss.

• Nextcloud is an open source platform that is a self-hosted file share company based in Germany and an excellent alternative to Google Drive.
• TeamDrive is a business purpose cloud storage file synchronization option from Germany which is privacy protected and hacking proof.
• com is a Canadian based that caters to an encrypted tunnel of communication where the cloud storage beneficial for businesses.
• Tresorit is another cloud storage alternative that is located in Switzerland, which is user-friendly to handle but uses Microsoft Window users, which is partially a drawback.

Google Maps alternative

Although Google Maps is the best map so far, users have to compromise on security while using it. Here are the options that you can avail without risking your privacy.

• Maps.me is a reliable option available for free on both Android and iOS operating system. However, they do mention to retain information in their privacy policy.
• Maps (F Droid) is a bright, good interface map that uses OpenStreetMap data (offline) and shows all the live results.
• OsmAnd is another free map that works on an open-source mobile source available on Android and iOS.
• MapHub does not store your location or your searches, making it a privacy-friendly service.

Lastly

There are more Google products and services such as YouTube that we didn’t discuss, but the above mentioned are all the prime Google services that are breaching user privacy at their own pace. It’s highly advised to look for alternates and secure your online presence.