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Most recommended
- FirefoxRecommended as the main independent alternative to Chrome, with full uBlock Origin support and deep customization; critics fault Mozilla's AI features, unwanted additions and settings buried in about:config.1572recommend
- GrapheneOSA hardened, privacy-focused Android that just works, with fine-grained permissions and optional sandboxed Google Play, though some banking apps refuse to run on it.895recommend
- uBlock OriginA trusted, free content blocker that strips ads, trackers, cookie banners and annoying page elements, best on Firefox now that Chrome dropped full support; occasionally breaks sites.765recommend
- KagiA paid search engine people choose for cleaner results without ads or tracking, with domain blocking, customization and opt-in AI answers; critics object to its Yandex data and pricing.732recommend
- SignalRecommended as the most widely adopted end-to-end encrypted messenger, with open-source reproducible builds and phone-number privacy controls; critics distrust its centralized server and metadata exposure.486recommend
- BraveA Chromium browser with strong built-in ad blocking, privacy hardening and Chrome extension support, though many distrust its crypto features and past donation and affiliate controversies.397recommend
- FastmailA paid email service praised for its fast web app, custom domain and alias support, easy migration and responsive human support, though critics worry about US legal reach.388recommend
- WireGuardA small, audited VPN that gives secure remote access to home networks and servers without a third party, though setup takes some learning and NAT traversal is limited.315recommend
- SafariApple's browser is praised for privacy protections, battery efficiency and Apple device integration, though critics cite aggressive tab reloading, sites that only work in Chrome, and iOS engine lock-in.307recommend
- DuckDuckGoA free, privacy-focused search engine that many find good enough now that Google has declined, with options to turn off AI; critics find results weaker than Google's.286recommend
- BitwardenAn open-source, cross-platform password manager with a capable free tier, self-hosting and passkey sync; recent price hikes and an ownership change worry longtime users.278recommend
- MatrixAn open, federated, end-to-end encrypted chat network that works as a Slack, Teams or Discord alternative with your choice of client, though critics cite encryption failures and hard self-hosting.257recommend
- Mullvad VPNA trusted, privacy-focused VPN with anonymous accounts, cash payment and no-logs claims tested by raids; critics object to a founder's political donations and the loss of port forwarding.255recommend
- OpenBSDA stable, security-focused Unix with simple configuration, excellent documentation and painless upgrades, though critics note limited hardware support, slower performance, and a minimalism that inflates its security reputation.248recommend
- 1PasswordA long-trusted password manager praised for secret-key encryption, passkey and SSH key support and family sharing; critics dislike price hikes, Electron rewrites, glitchy autofill and its enterprise focus.238recommend
- YubiKeyA physical 2FA and passkey key that keeps secrets on the device and blocks phishing, best bought in pairs; critics cite patchy site support and no syncing between keys.206recommend
- Orion Browser by KagiA WebKit browser recommended for running Chrome and Firefox extensions like uBlock Origin on iPhone and Mac, with no telemetry, but critics cite bugs and its closed source.206recommend
- TorRecommended for anonymous browsing, strong anti-fingerprinting, getting around censorship and easy onion-service self-hosting, though critics call it slow and weak against government-level adversaries.202recommend
- Proton MailA privacy-focused, ad-free alternative to Gmail that stores little usable data and bundles extras like VPN and storage; critics cite feature gaps, outages and limited encryption.196recommend
- Let's EncryptFree, automated TLS certificates that are widely trusted and made HTTPS the default; critics worry about it becoming a US-controlled single point of failure and about shrinking certificate lifetimes.172recommend
- AnubisOpen-source proof-of-work gate that sharply cuts AI scraper traffic on small sites without tracking visitors, but many see it as a temporary fix that frustrates slow devices.164recommend
- uBlock Origin LiteAn official, lightweight Manifest V3 ad blocker that most people find blocks ads about as well as full uBlock Origin, though it lacks the element zapper and advanced filtering.148recommend
- SponsorBlockA free, open-source extension that auto-skips sponsor reads, intros and filler in YouTube videos using crowdsourced timestamps, though it only works once someone has submitted segments.137recommend
- KeePassXCA free, open-source, local-file password manager that stores passwords, TOTP seeds and exportable passkeys without tying you to a cloud provider; critics cite rough UI, flaky browser autofill and AI-assisted development.131recommend
- XMPPA long-running, federated chat protocol with free clients and servers, encrypted calls and no phone number needed, though fragmented extensions and uneven clients make it rough.120recommend
- XCancelA lightweight, ad-free way to read X posts without an account by swapping the domain in a link, though rate limits, captchas and growing breakage make it unreliable.115recommend
- LibreWolfA Firefox fork with privacy-respecting defaults, uBlock Origin built in, and Mozilla's AI and telemetry stripped out; strict anti-fingerprinting can break some sites.113recommend
- VaultwardenA lightweight, easy-to-deploy self-hosted server for Bitwarden clients that lets you own your vault data, though it depends on Bitwarden's clients and self-hosting something this critical carries risk.112recommend
- Bubblewrap (bwrap)A lightweight, flexible Linux sandbox for confining AI coding agents and untrusted programs to the files they need, though it shares the host kernel and complex setups get fiddly.109recommend
- KeePassRecommended as a free, long-lived password manager that stores everything in one encrypted local file you control and sync however you like, though syncing and browser autofill can be rough.100recommend