Alternatives to Google, Part I

Introduction

• ‘Do no evil’ – Google, circa 1999.
• ‘Yes sir, pleased to do so sir’ – Google (Alphabet), circa August 2026 in response to Trump’s spiteful and stupid renaming of Lake Ontario to something else.
• ‘It’s free … you are the product’ – common saying about ‘freemium’ services
• ‘Hey Google … GFY’ – the rest of the world, several days later.

But … It’s Everywhere

Yeah … Google is everywhere. They’ve managed to burrow in more tightly that a thousand ticks, but given the right tweezers, you can remove anything.

The key is knowing where and how to start.

Get Mad First

The technocrat billionaires are taking over every aspect of our lives.

This isn’t paranoia. It’s a simple truth. Most people can’t do anything without getting caught up in a web set by the top 5 companies in any given category (I only listed a couple of examples to give you an idea):

• Tech hardware: Google, Apple, Microsoft
• Tech software: same as above
• Streaming: Netflix, Apple, Prime, Spotify, Paramount, Disney
• Shopping: Amazon, Walmart,
• Access: Musk (Starlink), Comcast, Bell, Rogers
• Social: Facebook (Meta), Google, Microsoft, X
• Webification: Shopify
• Spying: Palantir
• AI: OpenAI (ChatGPT), Claude, Anthropic

Unfortunately, these are all a part of our ‘day in a life’ activities when it comes to technology.

To get started on a crusade to end tech reliance, especially when it comes to misanthropic tech bros that hate democracy, it’s important to get made and there’s no better place to launch from than Gil Duran’s Nerd Reich podcast and book.

Duran helps stir up emotions that we should all exhibit towards these lunatics that think we’re NPCs in their own game or that we’re expendable or that we’re idiots because we show empathy towards fellow human beings.

He also helps identify a number of names and companies that I may have missed above (please share omissions or other ideas in the comments below).

Also, don’t forget that you’re paying a LOT of money for these services. Many of them might still be free, but when you add up the cost of some of these other services, it can be hundreds per month.

Canadian media sources are starting to pay attention.

Another ‘Why’ Moment

When Canadians use American technology, those services providers are required – PER US LAW – to share your data with US agencies.

The CLOUD Act is the root of this.

You do not have control over who sees your data.

Hopefully, you’re mad enough now to make a few changes.

The Initial Checklist

Go through your phone. Fire up your desktop or laptop.

Start making a list of all of the tools that you use and decide whether or not it’s not for irreconcilable differences when it comes to who should have access to your information.

This might help:

I’m sure I missed a few but that’s two dozen ways in which Google layers itself on to your daily routine.

Your Environment

This is a tricky ‘housekeeping’ issue. Think about how you access the internet and live your digital life.

Most people live hybrid lives: part of their access is via a computer or tablet (usually with a Microsoft or Apple operating system) and the other part is via their phone (Apple or Google).

The computer side requires that you download software and install it. Expect to give permission for the software to be installed on your computer.

The phone side requires apps, all of which are accessed via the iTunes (Apple) or Play (Google) stores. At first.

As this article continues, I’ll identify moments where you might have to take different steps with either, but in most cases, the message will be ‘download, approve and use’.

Email – The Toughest Nut to Crack

I’m starting with the hardest and some of you may have to skip down the list to some of the easier items to manage. I understand.

Over the last 30 years, people have relied on third-party services to host their email communication. For most folks, it’s the central nervous system of their daily routine which, of course, explains why so many companies wanted you to have their domain as opposed to something that you own.

In order to truly OWN your email, you need two things:

• A web URL or domain (in my case, it’s BilWittur.com)
• A hosting partner (I use EthicalHost.ca for both domain purchases and hosting)

The host will help you get your own email set up, provide server access to your email archive and then, if necessary, help you connect with third-party services that consolidate your email through other platforms. For example, I have my email address (eg. someguy@billwittur.com – not a real email address, but you get the idea). I store all email on EthicalHost.ca, but I also arrange to have these messages forwarded to my Proton account (see below).

A Suite of ‘Sweet’ Services

(Sorry … couldn’t resist).

I can’t talk about Proton enough. Here’s the link: https://proton.me/pricing.

You can get a free plan, but the limitations are pretty severe so I recommend a monthly ‘unlimited’ plan. It’ll run you about $12.50 CDN per month (based on an annual purchase) or $16.25 when you go month-to-month.

The Proton Suite includes the following:

• Email integration – apps via phone and downloads / browser-based access on desktops / laptops
• Calendar
• Proton Drive
• A VPN (Very Private Network) – good for accessing content that’s cut off in your country of residence
• Password protection – to replace Google Password
• Wallet – to replace Google Wallet
• Meet – great for bypassing Zoom and Google Meet
• Lumo AI – image generation etc … if you’re into that kind of thing

I’ve been with Proton for about six months. It’s great, but I’ll also admit that it’s not. Folks that are not tech savvy or patient may find it’s too much of an uphill climb.

I also find that the documents (Docs / Sheets) component is NOT very compatible with online use. I haven’t figured out how to use these features online, ie. modifying what’s on my hard drive at home, but I’ll get there. Truth be told, I haven’t reached out to service yet, so maybe that would be a good start.

Anyways, I get the frustration. I really do.

But here’s the thing. Well, many things: Privacy. Cost-effective. Universal access.

It’s NOT Google.

Your data is not shared with Google or the US. That’s important.

Also, if you use other third-party services for files backups, Proton offers a great opportunity to consolidate all of that, especially if you have a family account. Their drive sizes are significant (starting at TWO terabytes), which is more than enough to replace Dropbox, Amazon Cloud Services, One Drive (Microsoft) and yes, Google Drive.

All of your pictures, videos, music, movies and other media can be moved there and eventually, you might be able to migrate to having your own media server, potentially replacing streaming services like Netflix or Paramount+.

There you go: one service covers about half of the Google apps above.

Let’s move on …

Sidebar: Office Productivity Software

I’ve mentioned my frustration with Proton Docs / Sheets.

There is an alternative that I’m looking into.

If you’re using a desktop, you can use a suite of tools called Apache Open Office. An alternative is Libre Office. Rumour has it that Open Office is no longer maintained by the community that created it (which is a shame).

Link: https://www.openoffice.org/

Link: https://www.libreoffice.org/

TBH, the more I read about LibreOffice, the more I like it since you can use another app (https://www.rollapp.com/libreoffice) to access your content online. However, there are costs associated with RollApp, so it may be hard to walk away from what you’re currently using.

Both suites include:

• Text documents
• Spreadsheets
• Presentations
• Drawing
• Database creation
• Etc …

None of the tools are as robust as Microsoft or Google Office software tools, but they cover about 80% of the ground that most people need.

I recommend using these tools, particularly if you’re looking to avoid a hefty software license with Microsoft. Their 365 services now cost at least $10 per month and can be more expensive if you add in other family members.

Sidebar: Adobe

DON’T do anything with Adobe. Once you commit to something with them, it’s very hard to cancel billing and data sharing.

Non-Proton Alternatives to Gmail

It’s the web – there will be many. Here are just a few. For the record, I know nothing about them, but if you have experience with any of these, please comment below.

• Tutanota – https://tuta.com/
• Mailbox.org – https://mailbox.org/en/
• Fastmail – https://www.fastmail.com/

Non-Proton Alternatives to Google Drive

Here are a few. Please note that I’m trying to avoid some of the bigger companies like Microsoft, Apple and Amazon. No point jumping from the fire into the volcano.

• PCloud – https://www.pcloud.com/ – uses one-time payments which is nice because the monthly or annual bills don’t add up.
• Sync.com – CANADIAN – https://www.sync.com/ – the pricing seems reasonable, although I’ve heard it’s a little slow.
• MediaFire.com – https://www.mediafire.com/

Another note: we’ve been using Dropbox for some time, but once we get a family plan organized, we’ll probably migrate away from Dropbox and over to Proton.

A search on one of your new favourite browsers should help you find others.

Maps

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to use Maps when it comes to planning. It will honestly be the hardest Google tool for me to separate from, but I’ll have to get used to not creating custom maps for travel planning (with my own special icons), not knowing when stores are open, and occasionally not even finding accurate directions.

It’ll suck.

But Maps was the straw that broke this camel’s back.

I use Maps mostly via my phone, so I need a powerful app that will account for at least a few of the Google Maps features.

Here’s what I came up with:

• Mapquest – a terrible option
• Mapy.com –  this is the leading contender. It takes a lot of getting used to, but it’ll be worth it, I promise you. Some Mapy.com features.
• OSMand – another reasonable option. Right now, I’m using both OSMand and Mapy. I’ll let you know which I prefer.

Mapy and Osmand have paid subscriptions that you can sign up for, all with increasing levels of value. Both offer monthly plans, but I like the ‘but once’ pricing that they offer.