Our recommendations

1. PC Operating Systems

Windows (by Microsoft) is by far the most widely used operating system for computers worldwide, followed by macOS for Apple computers. For smartphones, Android (Google) and iOS (Apple) are the most common. There are alternatives for these as well. Switching simply requires a bit more effort than just replacing an app. Moreover, a new operating system can feel a bit unfamiliar at first.

Our recommendation? Linux. This is a group of open-source operating systems that has many variations. Each version is developed with a specific goal. One version of that is Ubuntu, a free and very user-friendly operating system. At Bits of Freedom, we work with Ubuntu ourselves, and it is one of the most popular Linux versions. Another recommended alternative is Linux Mint, which is based on Ubuntu and looks very similar to Windows. This is handy if you are used to the Windows interface.

You can install Linux operating systems on any computer that also runs Windows or macOS. They often still run well on older hardware. So, if you have an old computer lying around that you no longer use: install Linux and give it a second life.

Not all software that runs on Windows or macOS is available for Linux, so before switching, check which apps are necessary for you and available. However, there are almost always open-source alternatives. For example, GIMP is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop (which does not work on Linux). If you want to check for yourself if there are open-source alternatives for a specific program, consult: https://alternativeto.net/.

Do you want to switch to Linux? We recommend looking up a guide for the specific version, such as the one for Ubuntu. It is quite a project, so you could also ask around to see if someone can help you.

Already running on Linux? Maybe you can help others in your network with their Linux installation.

2. Office Suite

Microsoft has Office, Excel, and PowerPoint; Google has Docs, Sheets, and Slides; and Apple has Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Whether we like it or not, we spend a significant amount of time inside those programs. Fortunately, there is a very good open-source alternative for this: LibreOffice.

The advantages of LibreOffice:

• Can open all file types;
• Can also save files in .docx format;
• Saves files by default as .odt, an open file format, which can also be opened by others in Google Docs or Microsoft Office.

If you want to collaborate with others in documents, look for an online solution. All the options we advise in the step for a privacy-friendly cloud have text processors available. We have had particularly good experiences with Nextcloud and the accompanying Nextcloud Office, which has everything you need: a text processor, spreadsheets, and editing tools for presentations.

3. Notes

Where do you jot down your thoughts and tasks? Apple Notes, Microsoft OneNote, or Google Keep? Switch to one of these open-source alternatives:

• Joplin
• Standard Notes (by Proton)

4. Video calling

Are you completely done with Microsoft Teams or Google Meet? In this area, there are alternatives too, of course! We recommend the following services when you want to make video calls:

• kMeet from Infomaniak;
• Signal.

5. Language and translation

What you write down can be sensitive, and it can be stored indefinitely by grammar and spelling checkers or translation websites. The following tools do not do that:

• LanguageTool: For grammar and spelling checks, but also advice on style and paraphrasing.
• LibreTranslate: An open-source translation website.

6. Streaming music

Spotify is busy promoting AI-generated music, pays artists almost nothing when their music is listened to, and invests in weapons. Alternatives are:

• Deezer;
• TIDAL.

7. Fead reader

Keeping up with news, blogs, and all kinds of feeds can be time-consuming. Fortunately, there are (RSS) feed readers, where you can collect different ‘feeds’, so that you keep one clear overview. This works for many news websites and blogs, but also for Reddit or a YouTube channel. This way, you can keep following a YouTube channel without creating an account with YouTube itself. We recommend:

• Feeder for Android;
• NewsFlash for Linux;
• NetNewsWire for iOS and Mac.

Share this step with your network

To show that you have switched to social media without the intervention of Big Tech, you can download the badge and social media posts below. You can also include the badge in your email signature, for example. Hopefully, this encourages others to switch too! Do you want to do this offline as well? Order the sticker set in our webshop!