A look at Google alternatives (2024 edition)
Google, Microsoft, and what feels like almost every other tech company, are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) like there’s no tomorrow, despite AI’s multiple flaws. As such, some people have gotten fed up, and are interested in alternatives without AI (or, if not possible, AI that’s easier to ignore/turn off).
As such, lately I’ve been trying to lessen my own reliance on Google. (Between LibreOffice and Mac/Linux computers, Microsoft’s presence at home is limited to my Xbox.) Avoiding Google completely is, in my opinion, impossible. YouTube is pretty much all but an embedded piece of online infrastructure for videos at this point; yes, Vimeo, PeerTube, and the like exist, but with relatively few users. Similarly, one can install an alternate OS to Android (or use F-Droid instead of Google Play for an app store), but few people can or will do such.
Specific Google services to focus on for alternatives
The following Google services are the major ones to focus on for avoiding most of Google’s downsides (the AI push, privacy concerns, etc.):
Google Search
Chrome web browser
Gmail
Google Photos
Google Drive
Google Docs
Below I’ve listed some alternatives to these Google services. Note some are easier to switch away from than others. A different browser, easy; different email service, less so. Fortunately, Search and Chrome are the easiest two on this list for alternatives.
Google Search
Much has been written about Google Search’s decline in quality. The fact they’re now centering everything around an AI search engine while adding a “Web” filter tab to get traditional-style results says it all.
Alternatives to Google Search:
DuckDuckGo (https://duckduckgo.com/). DuckDuckGo is a search engine is based on Bing, but doesn’t have most of Bing’s junk (MSN versions of sites in results aside). DuckDuckGo does offer an AI chatbot in the menu (*sigh*), but it can be turned off in settings. I’ve mostly switched to using DuckDuckGo.
StartPage (https://www.startpage.com/). StartPage is alternate search engine based on Google, but without Google’s recent add-ons like AI. As such, it’s basically how Google looked and worked a decade ago.
Chrome
While Chrome dominates the web browser space, there are alternate browsers available. My suggested alternate browsers:
Firefox. Mozilla’s Firefox is currently the only major browser not based on Chromium, the open source browser on which Chrome’s based. It’s available on all major platforms. One advantage: you can install the uBlock Origin blocker in the Android version of Firefox.
Safari. For Apple device users, Safari’s a perfectly fine browser, though more barebones in features versus Chrome or Firefox. However, it’s unclear if Apple’s own AI pursuits will affect Safari, or by how much. As for an ad blocker, I suggest AdGuard.
Vivaldi. Vivaldi is a Chromium-based browser that comes with a ton of features built-in. Chrome plugins will also work in Vivaldi.
I mostly use Firefox, with Safari and (on infrequent occasions) Chrome as backup browsers.
While plenty of “Google alternative” articles suggest Brave, I don’t. It’s got direct ties to cryptocurrency, making it an automatic disqualification in my book. Additionally, Brave’s company CEO, Brendan Eich, donated to an anti-gay marriage initiative in California in 2008. (Eich used to be Mozilla’s CEO, but controversy over the donation led him to depart.) The browsers I listed above can achieve the same privacy benefits as Brave just fine.
I also don’t suggest Edge. Microsoft’s Chromium-based browser was a decent choice awhile ago, until they decided to start loading it up with AI-related features.
Gmail
Gmail’s pretty ingrained in online life, but there are other email services with more attention to privacy. (Even if sending an email to a Gmail address is unavoidable.) A few Gmail alternatives:
Proton Mail (https://proton.me/). One of the most popular privacy-oriented email options. A free tier with 1 GB of space is available.
Tuta (formerly Tutanota) (https://tuta.com/). Another popular privacy-oriented email service. However, it doesn’t offer third-party mail app support; you’ll have to use their own app or browser-based access. A free tier with 1 GB of space is available.
Fastmail (https://www.fastmail.com/). An email service based in Australia, with various features offered at several price tiers. Fastmail doesn’t offer a free tier. It’s also a bit pricier than Proton Mail and Tuta.
iCloud (https://www.icloud.com/mail). Apple offers a little-advertised email service for iCloud subscribers. Pricing is tied to iCloud storage; thus, the free tier offers 5 GB of storage, while $1 a month gets 50 GB of space. This might be an option for iCloud cloud storage subscribers (see below), or those with only Apple devices and no plans to switch away. However, if you want more flexibility (or wary of switching from one big conglomerate to another for email), I’d look at something else.
Various types of encryption are touted for most of these. However, given the finicky nature of email encryption, I’d use a messaging app like Signal instead, if you need end-to-end encrypted communication.
As of this writing, I’m still trying out Gmail alternatives, but I’ve used Fastmail in the past.
Google Drive
There are some cloud storage services that can do what Google Drive offers. That said, they vary in quality or features. Some cloud storage services also don’t work on Linux, or have lackluster support.
Some alternatives to Google Drive:
Proton Drive (https://proton.me). Proton offers cloud storage as a standalone service, as well as bundled with Proton Mail.
pCloud (https://www.pcloud.com/). pCloud is a Switzerland-based cloud storage service that’s been around for over a decade. It offers a one-time-purchase “lifetime” option, which I wouldn’t go for for any online service (even if pCloud’s been around for awhile). It’s also fairly inexpensive, and works cross-platform, including on Linux. (Oddly, I found their app easier to install on Linux than Mac.) pCloud offers at sign-up the option of picking their US-based server or European Union-based server (the latter subject to the EU’s stricter privacy laws).
Sync.com (https://www.sync.com/). A popular cloud storage service with strong attention to privacy. However, Sync.com doesn’t have a Linux app.
iCloud, Apple’s default cloud storage service. If you’re an all-Apple device household, iCloud is likely the best option, as Apple has paid some attention to privacy (definitely moreso than Google). The free iCloud tier only offers a paltry 5 GB, but $1/month gets you 50 GB of space. One possible caveat: with Apple’s moves into AI, one might want to consider other options.
Nextcloud (https://nextcloud.com/). The “techie” do-it-yourself option, Nextcloud is software that lets you self-host your own Google Drive-like cloud storage service. While it’s the most privacy-oriented option on this list by its nature, Nextcloud comes with all the downsides of self-hosting. It’s also starting to offer some AI-related features; I assume they’re optional or easy to turn off?
Local offline backups. Yes, you can and should back up your own files at home. Macs come with Time Machine for this. That said, you’re responsible for everything at home, and there won’t be any access to files away from home.
I’ve been giving pCloud a go as a Drive/Photos replacement. Besides Google Drive, I also still have the 50 GB iCloud tier for my Mac Mini (also a remnant of my former heavy Apple device usage).
Google Docs
Google Docs is Google’s popular online office software suite, and very popular for collaboration. However, they’re definitely pushing AI into Docs. The same goes for Microsoft and Office 365, and even Apple plans to put AI into iWork apps.
A few Google Docs alternatives:
LibreOffice (https://www.libreoffice.org/). A free and open source office suite that replicates Microsoft Office’s features, and can save/open/edit files in Word/Excel formats.
Microsoft Office 2021. If you really need Office (or don’t like LibreOffice), buying the old-school, standalone version (not Microsoft 365, the subscription-based online version) is still an option. As of this writing, Office 2021 costs $150, and is available for Windows and MacOS. Office 2024, an updated version, is coming out sometime later this year; like Office 2021, it won’t include Microsoft’s Copilot AI or cloud-based functions.
Conclusion
A few sites listing Google alternatives:
Do you have any favorite alternatives to Google’s services? Or recommend any that I missed? Feel free to leave a comment below.