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Is degoogling worth it? : r/degoogle

    


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  




  
  
  
  
  
  



  
  
  
  



  
  
  
  















  
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r/degoogle
•
2 days ago
Disastrous-Bar1115
Is degoogling worth it?
Discussion

Like yes it comes with many benefits, Privacy Security Etc

But at the same time, as someone who has never degoogled before, Id like to know whether the same functionality provided by these google service is retained in their alternatives or not.

Or is this just a compromise of user experience for user safety.
Sort by:
u/SereneSentinel5 avatar
SereneSentinel5
•
2d ago

The process of degoogling is a pain, I’m not gonna lie but to be honest it was so worth it because I realized a lot of things during the process (I’m almost done) most important of which was just how much information Google has accrued on me over the years and nobody besides yourself should know that much about you.

You’re not going to avoid that if you surf the internet but spreading your digital self across different services is good because no one company has all that information about you.

Once you replace Google services and digital accounts it’s really not been a huge change besides my map app and search is not AS good but pretty close and that’s good enough for me 
}
Disastrous-Bar1115
•
2d ago

Do you feel that people more deeply integrated into google services to the point where they require them for all digitsl actions would find it near impossible to degoogle? Or is the feeling of it being impossible just an exaggeration as degoogling maintains enough functionality for the average person?
}
u/SereneSentinel5 avatar
SereneSentinel5
•
2d ago

It’s not impossible to de google as they have SUCH a monopoly on web and cloud services like for example they now have an agreement with Reddit to officially use Reddit content to train their AI models. I think of it more of a sliding scale of privacy, on one end is complete degoogling where you are basically off-grid, the other is to continue to use Google services. For people that are REQUIRED to use Google products for say, their job, I think a separate device is warranted. The question becomes how valuable to you is privacy? And the more valuable it is the more investment you are willing to give to make it happen. For me that was ditching Google products for all personal digital life and getting a separate mobile device with a privacy focused OS installed so I can separate my work life from personal life and disengage more from the internet. I have yet to find I am missing a beat, so it’s kind of exaggerated to say “impossible” 

One of the realizations I came to is how addictive the GUIs and features are these days, as “dumbing down” my phone made me realize I’m much less likely to pick it up if I grayscaled my Home Screen, deleted apps and switched to using browser, and dove back into physical media. 

If they have us by the balls, time to pull them back ballhair by ballhair
}
u/radiogen avatar
radiogen
•
2d ago

what do you use for map and search now?
}
u/SereneSentinel5 avatar
SereneSentinel5
•
2d ago

DuckDuckGo for search, and openstreetmap app for navigation. 
}
mr0k4mi
•
1d ago

+1 for this. Also, just to add on that duckduckgo can also use Apple Maps for map search
}
vinnypotsandpans
•
2d ago

It's very difficult depending on how much you rely on online services. It really depends
}
Disastrous-Bar1115
•
2d ago

Well what about someone who uses google for searches, consumption of content, scientific research and digital development of software.
}
RoomyRoots
•
2d ago

There are alternatives. Google Search sucks and if you are in academics you should prefer one of your schools catalogs.

The main problems with Google is that a lot of sited depend on it for authentication so you may have to migrate or recreate some accounts.

Basically it sucks, but only you can evaluate if it worth it or not.
}
vinnypotsandpans
•
2d ago

Searches: if you mean search engine, alternatives generally comparable

Consumption of content: go to a bookstore? Don't use Google pay

Research: same as above

digital development of software: uhhhh like what tools exactly?
}
Disastrous-Bar1115
•
2d ago

Thanks for the info but Im mainly just asking whether or not most google services are replacable or not.

And whether theres a way to maybe utilise certain google services without utilizing all of them or giving them your data.

My family is quite integrated into the google pay system and wouldnt be fond (at all) of me switching to a non google option.

De googling is my first step into helping me not be discovered by my psychotic ex again and avoiding what happened back on 27th may 2023.

Eternal torment though it be, the search for privacy is a path we are all lead down for a multitude of reasons.
}
vinnypotsandpans
•
1d ago

How smart is your ex? Do they know your passwords. Do they have access to your bank accounts?
}
u/Big-Moose565 avatar
Big-Moose565
•
1d ago

For a lot of things there are very good, if not better alternatives without much effort to change to. There is usually money to spend though. Google operates for free as you are the product. Whereas more private offerings, their business model is you pay.

- Librefox, Brave Browser - better than stock Chrome, $0 cost

- Kagi.com for search. Google is one of it's data sources. No ads, cleaner results, often better results as you don't get all the sponsored and advert junk. $10 a month cost

- Tuta, or Mailbox, or Proton for email. Email is a fairly simple medium these days and used less (for me at least). These services offer just as a good experience. They cost (varies)

- Ente.io for photots. Your photos are encrpyted end-to-end. As good as Google Photos and actively being developed. Varies, but $60 a year goes a long way

- Signal for messaging, audio and video calls. Probably the most accessible and secure messenger for most people. I've not used Google Meets or Talk for ages (terrible service)

The harder part is de-googling a phone. But if you have a Pixel that is easily done via GrapheneOS which is free.

The hardest thing to get away from is Google Maps and Android Auto. Google Maps is a very good map experience, and not having Android Auto means you have less convenience in the car.
}
MayUrShitsHavAntlers
•
22h ago

You should use Brave as your search engine. Waaaay better
}
u/Technical_5733 avatar
Technical_5733
•
2d ago

There are alternatives that are better than Google services.
}
u/haseeb_efani avatar
haseeb_efani
•
2d ago

It all comes down to how much you value your privacy + how dependent are you on Google/online services.
}
u/barkingbandicoot avatar
barkingbandicoot
•
2d ago

Is self respect, sovereignty & privacy worth it? 🤔
}
absurdherowaw
•
2d ago

Yes it is.
}
u/DevoneLittle avatar
DevoneLittle
•
2d ago

Honestly it depends upon your own expectations and goals. If you are a power user (using "niche" features in Google products) then you will likely have a rough time in the degoogling process. Privacy-aware competitors such as Proton, Graphene, etc. have less resources (manpower, money, etc.) and are more constrained w.r.t. functionality due to their privacy/security mindset. This means some features which you might expect to be present will in fact be missing, which can be annoying at times.

However, so far I have not hit any brick walls in the degoogling process, just some problems that you need to work around (which does require effort/time to be frank). It is also important to realize that degoogling will never be perfect, but reducing your Google footprint by using less of their services may already be positive for your mindset and may potentially already be sufficient to reach your goals.
}
jaybird_772
•
2d ago

If I told you there was a great five star restaurant whose food was the best you've ever tasted, but all of their food contains arsenic, would you ask if an alternative was just as good? If that sounds hyperbolic, it's not. Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Amazon … these corporations are poison.

It's not hyperbole to say that they are a threat to your safety because their data-hoarding and surveillance puts you in actual physical danger. People have been targeted for crimes because of data these corporations failed to keep track of that they never had any justification to have in the first place. They also hand that data over (along with what they've extrapolated) routinely to oppressive governments to persecute their citizens.

It's not a joke to say they are a threat to everything you own because they are converting things you own into things they give you permission to use for a fee that can be rescinded at their whim. And even when they're not doing that, again, the failure to secure your data means that it can be used in spear phishing campaigns. Spear phishing tends to be successful because while you have to be ready to outsmart them 100% of the time, they only need to outsmart you once.

I don't know anyone who has completely extracted themselves from all of these corporations. It's hard to do. But the closer you get to ridding yourself of them, the better off you are.

I can't very easily buy Android apps because I have no devices with the Google Play Store. I can't use a Google Wallet on my phone., so no tap to pay. I see some spam messages once in awhile. Not often, but once in awhile. I have to search a little harder because as bad as Google's gotten, the alternatives are not better. And I still have a Youtube account. But Google never knows where my phone is. Not ever. They don't read my email. They don't know where I'm going to order lunch from, or even that I am. They don't know about my financial transactions, my Aunt Sally, or that I have a dentist visit coming up. That's worth something. More than a little inconvenience, surely!
}
FlicksBus
•
2d ago

My recent user experience with Google products has been terrible, and I can only see it getting worse. For me, degoogling is not just about user safety, but actually recognizing that there are better products out there than the Google default.
}
u/ReelDeadOne avatar
ReelDeadOne
•
2d ago
Profile Badge for the Achievement Top 1% Commenter Top 1% Commenter

Honestly yes but the only person who can truly answer this is yourself.
}
RedN00ble
•
2d ago

Personally I don’t miss most google services. The only app I am really struggling to replace is maps (although I probably found my solution with here we go, still need more time to decide).
}
xly15
•
2d ago

There is a trade off regardless. I am more on the security/privacy side so the trade offs are worth it.
}
Disastrous-Bar1115
•
2d ago

Do you think that the trade offs are worth it cuz the functionality of alternatives is nearly enough for it to be worth it or is it because youre willing to comprise enough for it to be worth it?
}
Wolf1King
•
1d ago

Stop using android it’s the best and full way
}
Musicman1972
•
2d ago

You have to weigh it up and your question is important as it's only worth it if it's long term.

Dropping everything, struggling, then getting it all back is like crash dieting followed by binge eating pizza. It's a lifestyle change not a fad.

Fundamentally it's good to use as many alternatives as you can even if you keep a core set of services. Some things are easy (like using an alternative email provider etc) and some are hard. Especially if your work expects you to use certain things.

But every use of an alternative pushes back against monopoly and that's always a good thing.
}
Ok_Sky_555
•
2d ago

I would say privacy and especially security are not that clear wins for me.

privacy against profile building and ads targeting - absolutely.

privacy against your data lands in 3pp hands or is exposed to other people - depends on the services you use instead of google, their ToS, quality of the implementation etc. afaik, google rarely leaks data, 15 service providers you replace it with - who knows.

security - same story - I cannot recall google was hacked, it offers many options to protect your account. Alternative services - depends on the service.
}
dirty-unicorn
•
2d ago

For me onestly is a compromise. But i like be the alternative guy
}
ElderScrollForge
•
1d ago

It's more worth it to buy devices that aren't in the Google ecosystem, so you don't have to worry about degoogling them.

Inb4 pixels and graphene.
}
mr0k4mi
•
1d ago

Theres always some alternatives, even in some cases using alternative frontends for google services (e.g. starpage for google search, freetube/newpipe for youtube clients), but like said already here, it will vary for one's necessity and how much they are willing to change. For me the most difficult thing is phone wise, as Android wise, only an AOSP build will truly be degoogled. However that comes at the cost of not having notifications, and having some apps(especially banking ones) not work at all.

Apple Iphones are an alternative, but for me they're just another evil.

Been using Graphene OS on my pixel 6A for three years now, with a side user with google services installed for any app that requires notifications or google services, and haven't really felt like im missing anything. My google acc only holds my youtube subscriptions and some google play purchases.
}
davis25565
•
1d ago

the only thing i dont use is gps, it can work but just not as good. I still use maps in browser just dont have my location highlighted.  and maybe paid apps? I have 2 music players that let you purchase the app outside of the playstore but that is not a common thing.

privacy and security are very seperate. you could argue a google phone is more secure than a de-googled. but a de-googled phone much more private.
}
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Alternatives

Recommended alternatives for all the Google products, software and services

NOTE: We're trying to recommend you alternatives which are FOSS (or mostly so) and privacy-respecting. This is by no means an exhaustive list of alternatives, if you're looking for one, then check out our community-sourced wiki page (if you'd like to become an approved wiki contributor for that page - contact us).
Notable

    PrivacyGuides
    PrivacyTools

'Google Search' alternatives:

    DuckDuckGo
    SearX. Find an instance here, or use any of these:
        searx.everdot.org
        search.privacytools.io
        searx.lukesmith.xyz
    YaCy (to use it, you need to install the app)
    Mojeek

'YouTube' alternatives:

    PeerTube. Find an instance here, or use any of these:
        diode.zone
        bittube.video
        tube.piweb.be
        video.liberta.vip
    MediaGoblin. Find an instance here, or use any of these:
        media.libreplanet.org
        goblinrefuge.com

'Gmail' alternatives:

(E-mail providers which don't offer at least 1 free of charge plan weren't listed)

    Tutanota
    ProtonMail
    Disroot
    Mailfence

'Google Chrome' alternatives:

(We don't recommend any Chromium-based browsers and browsers that use the Blink browser engine)

    Firefox (you must tweak it first)
    LibreWolf
    Waterfox
    GNOME Web (Epiphany)
    Pale Moon

'Google Maps' alternatives:

    OpenStreetMap
    OsmAnd
    Qwant Maps

'Google Earth' alternatives:

    Marble
    WorldWind
    ossimPlanet
    GeoMapApp

'Chromebook' alternatives:

    MNT Reform
    Olimex DIY Laptop
    Vikings X200 - RYF (Respects Your Freedom) edition
    Purism Librem 14
    System76's laptops
    Pinebook Pro
    KDE Slimbook 14
    ThinkPenguin's laptops
    TUXEDO's laptops
    Star Labs' laptops
    Technoethical's laptops

'Chrome OS' alternatives:

    GNU/Linux. Find a GNU/Linux distro here, or use any of these:
        Linux Mint
        Manjaro Linux
        Zorin OS
        Solus
        KDE Neon
        openSuse
        MX Linux

    BSD. Find a BSD OS here, or use any of these:
        GhostBSD
        MidnightBSD
        NomadBSD

'Android', 'Google Pixel' and 'Google Nexus' alternatives:

    Mainline Linux-capable Smartphones:
        Librem 5
        Pinephone

    Dumbphones (feature phones). There are a lot of them, some of the most notorious ones are:
        Mudita Pure
        WiPhone (4G will be available via add-ons)
        Punkt MP02
        Nokia 3310
        Nokia 220 4G

    FOSS-oriented Smartphones:
        Fairphone (you'll have to remove the Android OS and install a FOSS one)
        Volla Phone
        XDA & F(x)tec's Pro1-X

    Regular Smartphones on which you can install a privacy-respecting OS:
        Any of these which can run LineageOS
        Any of these which can run /e/
        Any of these which can run Ubuntu Touch

'Google Analytics' alternatives

    Matomo
    Plausible
    Ackee
    Fathom

The Mod Team has not vetted any of the above services, these are only recommendations based on user feedback. It is recommended you properly and thoroughly research any product or service you are interested in using.
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