Breaking Free from Google's Ecosystem
11 October, 2023
This article is a work in progress and will continue to be until I've successfully transitioned away from the Google services that I currently depend on.
There is extensive amount of research and associated evidence regarding how big tech offering free services engage in the trades and misuse of our personal information in nefarious ways.
The dystopian world from George Orwell’s 1984 is a reality today.
Although self-hosting is a viable option, the multitude of services to manage and maintain can be overwhelming and I don’t want shortage of time or the burden of maintenance being the reasons of me abandoning this endeavour. Hence, I’ve started to collate alternatives to Google services that I can seamlessly migrate to, without concerns beyond the annual subscription fee. This list comprises reputable providers with a strong track record.
Service I rely on directly
| Alternative | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Safari | ✅ |
| Search | DuckDuckGo | ❌ |
| Gmail | Proton Mail | ❌ |
| Drive | Proton Drive | ❌ |
| Photos | ❓ | ❌ |
| Calendar | Proton Calendar | ❌ |
| Domains | Cloudflare | ✅ |
| Pay | ❓ | ❌ |
Service I rely on indirectly
| Alternative | Status | |
|---|---|---|
| SSO | Use Email | ❌ |
| Maps | Not possible (block trackers) | ❌ |