Fact-Checked by Irfan Ahmad.
Big tech companies make the devices we use and the operating systems that come on them. They also make the bulk of the default software that comes packed into those operating systems. But spend even just a few moments of your time looking, and you’ll find a variety of other options out there.
Using software made by big tech companies means having to accept their decisions about subscription prices, features, and which apps they keep available. Subscription prices always seem to rise, new features often fail to solve the problems real users face, and companies may abandon your favorite small app/feature if it does not make enough money to justify keeping it. But you are not stuck with the default options: you can find and choose replacements that are more (or less) feature-rich, more privacy preserving, and developed by passionate individuals concerned with making good software, rather than just making money.
Here are some alternatives to consider, covering web browsers, search engines, email, office software, and design tools.
Browsers
Have you been using the default browser that came with your phone or laptop since you got it? Chrome, Safari, or Edge? There are plenty of alternatives, and many of them are just as good as the defaults, if not significantly better. Switching to a better, more trustworthy browser can give you improved privacy and usability settings right out of the box, without having to reconfigure everything yourself. The only thing you might need to do is transfer your bookmarks to the new browser. Most browsers make this easy with export and import options.
For a starting point, some browsers that focus on preserving privacy, to various degrees, include: Brave, DuckDuckGo, Firefox, and Vivaldi. And of course, the Tor Browser, which might not be an everyday browser for many people, but is always good to keep around. Remember, you can have multiple browsers installed! It can be helpful to use one browser for work and another for personal matters.
You can also consider browser extensions such as Privacy Badger, which helps block trackers that follow your activity across websites.
Web Search
Google might be a verb for some age groups, but not for everyone. To further decouple the term from searching the web, you can start using another search engine. Yes, there are other ways to search the web beyond Google, and many of them are more privacy preserving, more customizable, and less ad-ridden. Many also give you more power over how AI features work or whether you use them at all.
DuckDuckGo is the most popular privacy-preserving alternative, but others, like Brave Search and Startpage may be worth checking out. If you’re willing to pay a subscription fee, Kagi is another option. Whichever you choose, be sure to take the time to change the default search option in the browser you just installed so it always uses your new choice.
While it dominates the email landscape nearly as much as its search engine, Google’s Gmail is not the only email provider out there. In fact, there are tons of options to choose from, many that’ll have special feature sets that better suit your needs. Leaving Gmail can be a tall order if you’ve had your account for decades, but other platforms might offer stronger privacy, fewer (or truly optional) AI features, and more powerful automation.
Proton Mail, Tuta, and Mailbox all offer some level of end-to-end encryption for your emails, at least with email sent between users of the service (like a Proton Mail user emailing another). They all also claim to provide additional privacy in one way or another, like blocking trackers and not including ads. If the security features aren’t interesting to you, other options, like Fastmail, provide powerful email tools outside of the big tech ecosystem.
Office Suites
Microsoft Office is a massive and expensive suite of software. Regardless of whether you pay for a subscription or just a one-time fee for one specific application, there may be free or cheaper one-time payment options that better suit your needs without draining your pocketbook.
If you’re looking for direct alternatives to Microsoft Office that work similarly, two of the more popular choices are both free and open-source: LibreOffice and OnlyOffice.
If you need something with more collaborative features, alternatives like Proton and CryptPad offer more private document collaboration across a series of different file types and formats. If it’s just text documents you collaborate on, others, like Ellipsus, try to replicate the feeling of Google Docs without the AI features and Big Tech surveillance apparatus.
If you just need a word processor, there’s a zillion to choose from, typically designed around different philosophies or use-cases. There are paid apps like Scrivener and Ulysses for authors, and iA writer or Calmly for those looking for something minimal without going fully over to a plain bones text editor.
As for notetaking, Obsidian is one of the most comprehensive apps out there and often suggested as a replacement for apps like OneNote. But if it doesn’t suit your needs, you have tons of alternatives, including end-to-end encrypted options like Standard Notes, NotesNook, and Joplin, and minimalist apps like Simplenote and Bear.
Design Software
Adobe’s Creative Suite is an expensive subscription, and one that not everyone really needs. Replacing Adobe’s suite of software can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. Some of the alternatives can be a little rough around the edges, but they can get the job done, and perhaps most importantly, they are often free to use.
Some free and open-source alternatives to various parts of Adobe’s suite include:
While not open-source, other free options include Davinci Resolve (Premier) and Fusion (After Effects). If you’re looking to replace a large chunk of software collection in one go, Affinity Suite (Canva) may also be worth a look. It’s not open-source, but it is free.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of every type of software that exists. There are many, many other available options. But this will hopefully be useful to start your journey. For more ideas, check out sites like Privacy Guides, The Verge, Wired, and just about every tech site out there. AlternativeTo can also be a useful place to start your search.
Note: Based on an article originally published by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and republished under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, with edits for clarity and readability.
Read next:
• Age Checks, AI Regulation and Censorship Put Internet Freedom Under Pressure
• Apple’s Siri AI Can Access More of Your iPhone. Here’s How to Limit It
