You tired of Windows spyware but don't want to switch to a whole new operating system? Here are some open source free(mium) apps to help make Windows more private or just simpler.
Tweak your OS to be a bit more private.
Open-source tool to enforce privacy & security best-practices on Windows and macOS, because privacy is sexy 🍑🍆.
This system tweaker uses command prompt to disable any Windows data collection & bloatware. It can also be used to disable data collection and bloatware in macOS and Linux.
PowerShell script for Windows 10 and 11 removes preinstalled apps, disables telemetry, blocks ads, hides suggestions, customizes taskbar, and controls privacy settings.
XD-AntiSpy is a tweaking tool for Windows 11, derived from the 
xp-AntiSpy tool for Windows XP. It is a small application, less than 350 kilobytes, that can run without installation.
WindowsSpyBlocker is an application written in Go and delivered as a single executable to block spying and tracking on Windows systems.
Privatezilla integrates the most critical Windows 10 privacy settings and allows you to quickly perform a privacy check against these settings. Active settings are marked with the status "Configured" and indicates that your privacy is protected.
Any firewall can block apps and their access to the internet. However these firewalls go a bit further than Windows Defender.
Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.
This has a blocklist for Windows spyware. It doesn't have as many built-in blocklists as Portmaster but it's light on resources. I would say configure the settings 1st though.
Free and open-source tool that monitors all network activity, blocks unwanted connections, uses filter lists for ads and malware, enforces DNS-over-TLS, and sets custom app rules.
This has a blocklist for Windows spyware, among others. It also comes with DNSCrypt and a proxy known as SPN. However it is heavy on resources. Every time I tried this, my cpu & memory usage went up a ridiculous amount.
NextDNS protects you from all kinds of security threats, blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps and provides a safe and supervised Internet for kids — on all devices and on all networks.
Standalone firewall for Windows 7 and newer with flexible network rules, SvcHost filtering, bandwidth graphs, speed limits, wildcards, and traffic statistics.
It shows the filepath for apps to help you check if something's malware posing as legit software. Plus it distinguishes between different svchost.exe functions.
Make them think you're on a different computer.
Open source virtualization tool supporting x86/AMD64, runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, Solaris. Offers portable, lightweight, ad-free use.
Sandboxie Plus creates a sandbox-like isolated operating environment in which applications can be run or installed without permanently modifying the local or mapped drive.
This is mostly going to be anonymous proxies.
Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security.
The I2P network provides strong privacy protections for communication over the Internet. Many activities that would risk your privacy on the public Internet can be conducted anonymously inside I2P.
I'm personally more biased towards gecko-engine browsers, but you can opt to use Brave or Vivaldi if that's what you prefer.
Open-source browser with Gecko engine, supporting HTML add-ons and providing privacy features like Enhanced Tracking Protection and third-party cookie blocking.
This isn't as private as Librewolf or Mullvad Browser. But it's still more private than Chrome or Edge.
This project is a custom and independent version of Firefox, with the primary goals of privacy, security and user freedom.
A hardened fork of Firefox with ublock.
The Mullvad Browser is a privacy-focused web browser developed in a collaboration between Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project. It’s designed to minimize tracking and fingerprinting. You could say it’s a Tor Browser to use without the Tor Network.
A fork of Firefox that's inspired by Tor Browser. It's meant to be used with a VPN. Since part of the company's wide acclaim among privacy advocates is their VPN service. However if you use another VPN, you may lose out on certain features like their mullvad.leta search engine or their extension that chooses a different location for each site.
Cross-platform email client providing POP/IMAP support, robust filtering, multiple accounts, and chat. Extendable via add-ons with RSS/Atom, etc.
Secure Swiss-based email with end-to-end encryption and zero third-party access. Available across devices, offering a free version to promote privacy.
Protonmail is more private than most email providers. However they cracked down on activists a couple of times. So be sure to use it over Tor if that's what you're using it for.
Tuta is an all-in-one email, calendar and contacts app which protects your data with full end-to-end encryption and it requires zero personal information. Tuta is built with open source software so you can inspect every piece of code running on your devices so you can be sure...
I'd say same as with protonmail. But I'm not sure if they allow for use over Tor.
Anonymous peer-to-peer distributed communication layer built with open source tools and designed to run any traditional Internet service such as email, IRC or web hosting.
Email over the I2P network. It can also be used over Thunderbird with pgp keys. But if you do this, make sure Thunderbird is automatically routed through either I2P or Tor.
Riseup is an organization which provides online communication tools for people and groups working on liberatory social change. To create democratic alternatives & practice self-determination by controlling our own secure means of communications.
It gained a considerable amount of trust after protecting protesters. It also has a .onion url. But it should be noted they lost trust after they got subpoenaed. Same goes for their vpn.
updates: added nextdns
Comments
Not bad. From your list, I use tuta, virtual box and Portmaster
I use tuta too. :) I tried using portmaster but my cpu gets overworked too easily. So I have opted to use simplewall & fort firewall instead since it's more lightweight. Portmaster is definitely a good choice though.