Welcome to the Recommended Center
While there are a lot of apps out there, we recommend a specific set of apps that has been hand picked based on multiple factors. To begin with, the most important one is that our security related apps must be strictly local. The reason for this is that companies can lock you out of your own accounts if you violate their policy. Moreover, there have been incidents even with Proton where people were locked out of their accounts because Proton thought that they violated their policy. Therefore, this is a danger to your online life and should always be considered.
Browsers
The recommended browsers below are all secure. However, some of them need to be configured for privacy, but we have guides for that. In addition, at the end of the list, we have included the only extension you will ever need.
Search Engines
Browser choice is very important, yet it isn’t even half the battle. To further enhance your online experience, here is a list of search engines along with a short description of what each of them is.
SearXNG is a self-hosted search engine. In contrast, DuckDuckGo uses Bing’s index to perform searches. Meanwhile, Brave Search utilizes its own index, and Mojeek searches using its own index as well.
VPN & DNS
These recommended VPN and DNS services are extremely important to our privacy strategy. Therefore, we must ensure that we select an excellent service. In particular, the anonymously purchased VPNs are the best.
There are many DNS services, but the two that we found to work the best are also very private. Specifically, NextDNS and Mullvad are the two most privacy-respecting DNS services we’ve tested.
App Stores
There are many app stores, and we recommend five options that are excellent choices. Furthermore, nobody should be left behind, so here we present five very different options.
F-Droid is open-source only. On the other hand, Aurora allows you to access the Play Store without an account. Additionally, Sandboxed Google Play enables you to use apps without permissions. Moreover, Accrescent is a small store designed for minimalists. Lastly, Obtainium can install apps directly from the release source.
Messengers
Messengers are the best way for us to communicate these days. Therefore, choose a main app and a backup app that you can use with your family and friends to maintain contact, even in times of crisis.
Email & Domains
There are only two services we can truly recommend. In terms of email, it is more about finding someone who is not reading your messages, as everyone but a handful does that. Thus, here are some options that we recommend.
Tuta and Proton are email services. In addition, SimpleLogin specializes in email aliasing. Furthermore, 1984 offers hosting and domain services.
Systems
We’ve been trying various operating systems, and we have found that some are obviously better for privacy. Consequently, here is a list of those that stand out.
