Giant tech firms have come under fire recently for various reasons, ranging from minor grumbles to major scandals. Infringing on users’ privacy with data collection (using, for example, an AI assistant that snoops on everything you do) and leaking it to less-than-savory entities (such as that time when Facebook shared the private data of millions of users with a political consultancy) are two of the hot-button topics.

But you don’t have to turn on the news to get frustrated with Big Tech. The services they offer, while they may have appeared revolutionary two decades ago, now appear to be simply a means to squeeze more revenue out of a dependent populace. Every useful feature comes bundled with a bunch of useless ones. Some features are only available at certain prices (what the business people call market segmentation), while others are nowhere to be found. A statement I heard on a podcast summed it up best: “Google wants to divide the potential of the internet into the smallest possible slices and offer them to users.”

Obviously, Google is not the only tech company that wants to do this. Everyone has gotten in on the action.

The search for alternatives

It’s no wonder that people feel compelled to look for alternatives, but there two main obstacles. There are plenty of companies looking to become the next Google or Apple, so casting your lot with them will simply lead to more disappointment. Also, many of the alternatives are just not as useful or usable, since the developers don’t get paid enough to cater to the average user’s experience. If you are not the type of person who likes spending hours solving a technical issue, they might not be for you.

Fortunately, exceptions do exist. Here is a list of seven apps that I have found to be genuinely useful, not only because they are superior alternatives to mainstream Big Tech services, but also because they offer features that Big Tech simply will not provide (and may even want to suppress). Calling them “apps” is a bit reductive, since these are not just apps on your phone but full-fledged services that can be accessed through your desktop/laptop computer.

Bitwarden: Store passwords securely

Nowadays, every service seems to want you to sign up for an account. Are you tired of using the same password for everything from email to Facebook to banking? Don’t be tempted to write anything down. It should be obvious why that is a bad idea. What you need is a password manager, which securely stores all your passwords. There are services like iCloud Keychain that do this, but with significantly added security risks, because anyone who gains access to your device also gains access to all of your passwords.

Bitwarden is my password manager of choice. Not only does it offer core functions for free, it also offers premium features for the very reasonable price of $10 (USD) per year. The core functions include a free online account to store all passwords (as well as other sensitive information such as credit card and bank account numbers), which can be accessed from your desktop/laptop computer or smartphone (iOS or Android). Yes, it is one more service to sign up for and set up a password, but it is the only password you will need to remember.

The main reason I prefer Bitwarden is that the service can be used locally on a personal computer, without connecting to the internet. While setting this up is a bit more involved than the online version, it allows you to avoid storing passwords in the cloud. This is a great feature to have because password managers are naturally attractive targets for hackers and some of them have leaked data in the past.

PhotoSync: Back up photos and videos from phone

As an iPhone user, transferring photos and videos from my phone to my computer is not a straightforward process. This is one major annoyance that Apple has refused to introduce into their walled garden, and Android users never forget to lord it over anyone with an iPhone.

PhotoSync provides an elegant solution to the problem. For the low cost of zero, the iOS app allows you to back up photos on your iPhone/iPad to your computer. The ability to transfer in full quality requires the Pro version, but it is only a one-time purchase of $5.

There are other ways to do this, such as setting up SMB shares and connecting USB sticks through dongles. This app is my preferred method due to its convenience and integration with PhotoPrism, a feature-rich alternative to services like Google Photos that can be hosted locally. However, as long as I’m not being forced to pay Apple to upgrade my limited iPhone storage, any method is a win in my book.

Plex: Your local Netflix

Perhaps, like me, you are old enough to remember the golden days when watching movies and shows was simply a matter of inserting a disc into the right slot or playing a file on a computer, instead of subscribing to yet another streaming service. It is not so much an issue of cost, but ownership. If you owned a movie, you had full control. No corporation had the ability to dictate how you could watch it or even deny access in an attempt to extort more money.

Plex is a service that allows me to watch movies and shows that I own while also enjoying the benefits of modern technology. Just like streaming sites like Netflix, it has apps for phones and smart TVs. But unlike Netflix, the content is stored locally, on your own personal computer. As we are constantly reminded, for-profit corporations cannot be relied on to provide access to your favorite content forever.

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Tailscale: VPN, but better

Whatever your level of interest in tech, chances are that you have heard of VPNs. This would not be surprising given how many advertising dollars have been spent by the VPN companies. Essentially, virtual private networks (VPNs) allow a device to connect to the internet through a secondary server. All internet traffic is routed through the server, which ensures privacy and enables the user to do things like bypassing geographical restrictions on websites such as Netflix and accessing websites blocked by their internet service providers.

Despite the ubiquity of VPN services, relatively few people are aware of Tailscale, which allows you set up a VPN server on your own devices. Why should you bother doing that instead of subscribing to a paid service?

The most obvious reason is privacy. Although VPN companies claim to support and reinforce their users’ right to privacy, using their services involves you entrusting them with your internet traffic data. Secondly, apart from geographical restrictions, companies such as Netflix have started rolling out limits on account sharing. Both of these problems can be solved with Tailscale, which allow multiple devices located anywhere in the world to connect to your own private network (called a tailnet) and appear as though they are part of the same household.

Libby: Free audiobooks from libraries

There was a span of a few years, probably around the mid to late 2010s, where it seemed to me that nearly every YouTube channel, podcast, and even mainstream media outlet was running ads for Audible. Thankfully, I found a normal (ahem, that is, legal) way to listen to audiobooks without joining Audible.

Libby is the audiobook branch of Overdrive, the service that allows members to borrow electronic books from the local library. If you have a membership card from a library that uses OverDrive, you already have access to the library’s entire catalog of audiobooks (and e-books) at no extra cost. They will have a limited number of copies available, so popular titles are usually not available right away. But if you are flexible and don’t mind waiting, nearly every audiobook you could want is available to you for free, unless your library charges you for membership.

Fastmail: Gmail, but better

Do you use email? Yes, almost certainly you do. Is it a Gmail address? Again, the answer is likely to be yes. Google is such a predominant force that email and Gmail have become nearly synonymous. It is a free service, because Google has successfully figured out a financially viable business model where they can afford to offer a free service in exchange for selling user data to advertisers. However, its not the best choice for everyone, and people may be missing out just because they aren’t aware that alternatives exist.

It has been a little over a year since I made the switch to Fastmail. Unlike Gmail, it is a paid service (US S$60 per year), but the advantages it offers is well worth the money. Firstly, it allows me to create multiple email addresses under the same account, saving me the hassle of creating and maintaining multiple Gmail accounts. For accounts that I would like to keep secure (financial, social media, etc.), I prefer using unique email addresses that are not used elsewhere, to minimize the risk of the accounts being compromised. Multiple email address are not only more secure, but also make it easier to manage emails. I provide one address to my grocery store (which usually sends me coupons and promotions for things I don’t need) and another address to my bank (which may send something of actual importance).

Brave: A privacy-focused web browser

Brave is a web browser, built on the same engine as Google Chrome, but considerably superior in blocking ads, preventing tracking and privacy in general, without requiring any tinkering. These pro-privacy features do more than than suppressing annoying ads, since allowing websites to track user activity is a security risk. Brave also allows users to synchronize activity across multiple devices without logging in to a Google account.

These apps are not for everyone

While I do recommend each of these apps, there is an obvious disclaimer. Not everyone will find them compelling enough to put in the effort to switch away from mainstream options. People want technology to make their life easier and, unless they previous experiences says otherwise, may not see the benefits of a whole new system they have to learn. These services may feel clunkier and less reliable to those who are used to the more popular, polished alternatives. Some people may have issues adapting, because it simply doesn’t fit the way they use technology.