Choose freedom and continued democracy by switching away from big tech in your personal digital lives.
Not all apps and services listed will be open source or even free (as in free beer), but they will at the very least be privacy-respecting.
Of course, there will be a few exceptions, simply because they are necessary for some people, like for work. BUT, THEY ARE NOT NECESSARY FOR YOUR PERSONAL LIFE. Work-life balance is important.
This list will get updated from time to time.
Each section lists my recommendations in order of best (in my opinion) to good enough. Except for the Docs and OS sections, which are listed from easiest for beginners to better for creatives, techies, and professionals. These and the Video Conferencing section, which is listed based on needed for work to good enough for personal use.
Lastly, the Linux operating systems (or distros) are at the end of the list because no matter which you choose, the majority of these apps can be installed on Windows, and can certainly be installed on any of the distros.
Filen is a cutting-edge cloud storage provider that offers client-side, end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption. Headquartered and operated entirely in Germany, Filen is at the forefront of combining comprehensive features with uncompromising privacy and security.
pCloud is a cloud-based storage solution that centralizes and makes digital content like images, videos, and documents accessible from any device, anywhere. It also allows file sharing with managed access permissions.
Cloud-storage service with end-to-end encryption, selective synchronization, and shared folders without ads. Works offline and supports 2FA.
Here are the apps many people currently cannot avoid, usually because of their jobs.
That said, Element, in the Instant Messenger section, is a combination of both Discord and WhatsApp, and can replace those apps including Zoom and Microsoft Teams. This is also true for other Matrix clients, like FluffyChat. Even Signal, the WhatsApp alternative, has features that can somewhat replace these apps.
So, unless it's for your job, you really don't NEED these apps.
Lastly, as requested, I've included Jitsi Meet (and Jami), though in my own testing, they weren't that great and were cumbersome to set up for the average user. Not that Element (and its clients) isn't somewhat cumbersome itself, but after it's set up, it's all good from there.
A versatile platform for text and voice communication, featuring topic-specific channels, customizable moderation, and smooth low latency interactions.
Integrates seamlessly with Office 365 to centralize chat, files, and tools. Supports HD audio and video meetings, available across multiple platforms.
Offers high-quality video meetings, screen sharing, team messaging, collaborative whiteboards, support for 100 participants, AI meeting summaries, and seamless device switching.
Free, open-source conferencing with end-to-end encryption, group chat, screen sharing, Etherpad integration, customizable setup, and privacy by default.
Open source peer-to-peer platform for voice and video calls, encrypted chat, file sharing, conference support, and cross-platform privacy features.
VPNs allow people to stop sites from discriminating against their country or region with geo-unblocking. Some sites limit or completely block you based on where you are located. This is both discriminatory and unfair in most cases. Add a VPN to your setup, and voilà! No more restrictions.
Lastly, VPNs are also (SOMEWHAT) good for privacy and security, even from your ISP, and are great for limiting government-imposed censorship. That said, if you log into a service with your real name, then the VPN does not provide any anonymity, but it may provide some privacy in terms of your actual location.
Free the internet from data collection with Mullvad VPN – a service that helps keep your online activity, identity, and location private. Only €5/month.
Windscribe VPN is your all-in-one solution for privacy, security, and unrestricted internet access.
Swiss-based VPN that ensures online privacy with a high-speed network, advanced encryption, and no-logs policy, offering a free version. Supports multiple platforms and unblocks content worldwide.
Free, open-source audio player for Unix-like systems offering high audio quality, support for multiple codecs, Internet radio, plugins, and customizable interface.
Fooyin is a music player built around customization. It offers a growing list of widgets to manage and play your local music collection. It's extendable through the use of plugins, and many widgets make use of FooScript to offer an even deeper level of control.
Cross-platform, free media player supports multimedia files, DVDs, streaming, offers hardware acceleration, 4K, lossless audio, and more.
Celluloid (formerly GNOME MPV) is a simple GTK+ frontend for mpv. Celluloid interacts with mpv via the client API exported by libmpv, allowing access to mpv's powerful playback capabilities.
Versatile media player supporting multiple video formats, wide codec range, subtitles, hardware acceleration, OpenGL output, and intuitive CLI controls.
Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute a wide range of games and related media entirely over the internet, stretching from one-man independent efforts to some of...
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Comprehensive photo management software for viewing, batch converting, editing and resizing images and creating thumbnail sheets.
Qt5 image viewer with optional video support. Ability to quickly copy / move images to different folders. Can open some extra formats (JPEG-XL, AVIF, APNG, HEIF/HEIC, RAW) via third-party image plugins.
Fast image viewer with support for multiple formats, quick crop, rotate, lossless JPEG editing, drag-and-drop, thumbnail navigation, and slideshow mode.
Advanced digital photo management software with features to organize, tag, compare, and process photo collections, supporting multiple formats including RAW.
Usability-focused file manager with tabbed browsing, dual panes, remote protocol support, archive browsing, integrated renaming, and file type previews.
This is actually a “regular” file manager. Only it's not regular in the least. It has settings that make it great for general media management, including many shortcuts, selection modes, file tagging, etc.
It is only at the end of this list because its image viewer is a preview side panel. It cannot go full-screen like a regular image viewer or media manager, and cannot edit images directly. Despite this, it can be extended to do many of the things a media manager can, and then some.
Dolphin is a file manager for Linux from KDE focusing on usability. Has three view modes: Icon, Detail, and Compact. Dolphin supports FTP, SCP and other protocols, and is highly configurable.
Open-source, decentralized alternative ensuring data ownership with encrypted communication and peer-to-peer sync, void of central server reliance.
One of the most essential tools when using multiple devices to access/edit docs, images, etc. Syncthing allows you to sync all your files between your different devices, while also adding version history into the mix in case you make an edit or delete a file unintentionally. This allows you to “go back in time” to undo your mistake.
In addition to this, it could be used as a collaboration tool for teams; you simply need to allow access to a specific folder where the team works on the files.
It's an open-source, decentralized alternative that ensures data ownership with encrypted communication and peer-to-peer sync, void of central server reliance.
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.
FSearch is a fast file search utility for GNU/Linux operating systems, inspired by Everything Search Engine. It's written in C and based on GTK+3.
Creates incremental snapshots of Linux systems, protecting system files and settings while allowing full system restoration without impacting personal files.
Open-source, ad-free torrent client offering a polished user interface, integrated multi-site search, RSS support, remote web control, and cross-platform availability.
Open-source screenshot tool with cross-platform support, customizable interface, built-in editing, CLI access, and direct Imgur uploads.
Multi-platform clipboard tool monitoring and saving text, images, and custom formats, with tabs, search, shortcuts, scripting, and customization for efficiency.
Displays disk usage visually with interactive segmented rings, scans local and remote disks, allows direct file management, and integrates with KDE file managers.
NoiseTorch is an open source app for Linux with PulseAudio. It creates a virtual microphone that suppresses noise. Use any conferencing or VOIP app you like and simply select the NoiseTorch Virtual Microphone as input to remove unwanted noise.
Audio effects tool for PipeWire with limiter, compressor, equalizer, spectrum analyzer and real-time control of input/output, plus profile saves.
Fish is a user-friendly command line shell for UNIX-like operating systems such as Linux. It makes using a terminal easy for beginners and intuitive for experiences users.
KRename is a powerful batch renamer for KDE. It allows you to easily rename hundreds or even more files in one go. The filenames can be created by parts of the original filename, numbering the files or accessing hundreds of informations about the file, like creation date or Exif...
KRename is a very powerful batch file renamer which can easily rename hundreds or even more files at once. It can copy/move the files to another directory or simply rename the input files. KRename supports many conversion operations, including regex.
The filenames can be created by parts of the original filename, numbering the files or accessing hundreds of information about the file, like creation date, EXIF data, etc.
RSS Guard is simple, light and easy-to-use RSS/ATOM feed aggregator developed using Qt framework which supports online feed synchronization.
Multi-platform document viewer supporting PDF, EPUB, comics and images with annotation tools, sidebar navigation, signature verification, and text-to-speech.
Distro = operating system (kinda)
The first 3 are based on the very popular Ubuntu. For Ubuntu-based distros, you install it and get minor feature and security updates for 2–7 years. This is usually considered as “stable/static”, and is similar to Windows and Mac version releases. These are best-suited for users who don't necessarily want to learn how their computer works — they just want it to work.
The 3rd one in this list is based on Arch Linux. When you install it, you get the latest updates forever, and never have to reinstall unless you make an unfixable mistake. This is considered as “bleeding edge/rolling”. Arch-based distros like EndeavourOS are best suited for users who need the latest software for work or play, and are willing to learn how to fix issues that may occur with new software.
Finally, I've included a package (app) called “Distrobox”. It's a great tool.
PS: I've removed Linux Lite and Zorin OS from this section because Linux Lite installs Google Chrome as the default browser and gives error messages that may scare away new-to-Linux users. And Zorin OS has too many unnecessary complications just to download it. It also has somewhat misleading marketing, and may make new Linux users believe Zorin OS actually does something special outside of looking like Windows or Mac, which is its only advantage. Everything else it does can be replicated on any Linux distro.
Desktop-focused Linux system offering custom menus, multimedia codecs, browser plugins, native DVD playback, and integrated software manager with user-friendly tools.
Linux Mint is Ubuntu, but better. It provides a familiar user experience for Windows Vista, 7, and 10 users, but it is mostly lightweight and easy to maintain. The Linux Mint Team provides and maintains some of the most useful/crucial software in the Linux ecosystem.
Kubuntu is an official "flavor" of 
Ubuntu that uses the 
KDE Plasma desktop environment. This gives it a completely different look and feel.
EndeavourOS is an Arch-based distro that provides an Arch experience without the hassle of installing it manually for both x86_64 and ARM systems. After installation, you’re provided with a lightweight and almost barebones environment ready to be explored with your terminal...
EndeavourOS is an Arch-based distro. It makes Arch easy to install and is lightweight. This one is recommended for people who are already tech-savvy, those who like to tinker, or those who are willing to learn how to fix issues by reading a manual/wiki.
That said, one of the main reasons why EndeavourOS has become so popular is its community. It's great for learning about Linux in general, the apps you use, and of course, learning about Arch Linux specifically. There are many tips and tricks available on the forum. If you run into any issues, I don't think there is any community, or even paid customer service, that is more willing to help.
Use any Linux distribution inside your terminal. Enable both backward and forward compatibility with software and freedom to use whatever distribution you’re more comfortable with. Distrobox uses podman or docker to create containers using the Linux distribution of your choice.
So, you've installed a Linux distro and found out that one particular app isn't available in their repository. Never fear, Distrobox is here!
Distrobox allows you to use any distro's repositories within any other distro. It is “advanced”, but it is quite easy to use. Like stupid easy. In any case, there are instructions to follow, but it's just 4–5 steps.
- install Distrobox
- install the distro repository you want to use
- launch and update it
- install the app(s)
- launch the app
After you've done the first 4 steps, you only ever need to do steps 3 and 5 again (and step 4 for new apps).
With a little bit of reading, you'll learn how to add the app to your “Start Menu”, and launch it like any other app.
Use any Linux distribution inside your terminal. Enable both backward and forward compatibility with software and freedom to use whatever distribution you’re more comfortable with. Distrobox uses podman or docker to create containers using the Linux distribution of your choice.
All in all, with a little patience and willingness to learn, you can take back control of your privacy and autonomy by using the apps and services in this list, or you can find alternatives by clicking on them. These are just my recommendations.
Lastly, the screenshots for many of these recommendations are outdated or even misrepresentative; this is a limitation of AlternativeTo. So in some cases, it may be better to either go to the app or service's website or download the app and try it out yourself.
Comments
All Services In "web search" are closed-source, Why Not Add SearXNG?
Thanks for the suggestion. However, I'm not trying to scare people who aren't the least bit tech-savvy and don't like even the idea of changing to something else. I'm tech-literate, and not even I use any SearX-related instances. I won't recommend something I wouldn't use on a daily basis myself.
then, why not visit searx.space?
Think you need to reread the final sentence of my first reply to you. Also, notice the word “recommend”? This is not law.
Please remove all Discord, Skype and Zoom all three of them are extremely privacy invasive. This is a known fact ! Skype is Microsoft property. Discord while introducing e2ee on calls store all message on plain text on Google servers while having a bad privacy policy. Zoom has made the headline lying about e2ee to its investors and also have one of the worst privacy policy. You should put something like Jitsi on your list instead of these nightmare data harvesting products.
Didn't notice your comment until now. That said, I understand your concerns, but I did include disclaimers regarding my inclusion of some specific apps. I have since (or I am updating) updated the list with info pointing to the fact that Element, Fluffy Chat and Signal can achieve what the mentioned proprietary apps can.
Actually, this info was already there as well, so the only changes are mentioning Jitsi and Jami.