Why You Should Try These Alternatives on the Web

Google is the biggest tech corporation in the world with a massive influence on how we access information online. It is incredible to think that just 20 years ago, Google did not exist. The firm started its business in the early years of the internet as an efficient search engine with the motto “Don’t be evil” and gained the trust and respect of internet users.

Two decades later, things are slightly different with the company offering dozens of free quality services. Google dominates almost every aspect of the internet. The major services offered by Google are the search engine, Gmail, Android, Chrome, Drive, Google Maps, and YouTube. However, just like every large corporation, issues of the management of private data and users’ privacy have plagued Google in recent years.

This leads us to the question; why should you try alternatives to Google services? There have been several companies that have tried to challenge Google and we will be looking at the very best alternatives.

Google Search engine alternative

Google achieved its universal fame with its famous search engine. Today more than 92% of all internet searches use it with more than 3 billion searches made daily.

However, Google keeps track of users’ activities and collects search data. There are several alternatives online offering similar services like Google but with an added layer of privacy. These alternative search engines do not track users or collect search data. According to the privacy experts at RestorePrivacy best ones are discussed as follows:

1. DuckDockGo

If you are looking for a perfect way to take your privacy back, DuckDockGo is the answer. It does not store private information, search history, or track you. It’s just a search engine that performs its duties and has a similar interface with Google.

2. Qwant 

Qwant is the only search engine created in Europe, which also respects the strict privacy regulations of the European Union. It does not use cookies and does not save any search history. It has a children’s version and has just released its maps.

3. Startpage

It claims to be the most private search engine on the Internet. What Startpage does is pay Google to be able to use its search engine, and remove all trackers from the results. So, you have the best of Google, without spying.

YouTube alternatives

YouTube is the most popular video platform in the universe. For several years, many online video providers have utilized YouTube. In fact, virtually all media organizations (including TV stations and Newspapers) like CNN, Aljazeera, BBC, and New York Times; all have YouTube channels. Indeed, no one can match YouTube’s popularity and the number of videos, but there are other alternatives with millions of videos and lots of interesting content.

1.Vimeo

Vimeo specializes in videos with professional, promotional and cultural contents. Of course, it is not as popular as YouTube, however, it offers unique and high-quality content. This includes cinematographic shots, artistic projects, new technologies, etc.

2. Twitch

Although it specializes in streaming, the Amazon service also allows video to be uploaded and stored. However, one shortcoming of Twitch is that it is majorly dedicated to video games.

3. TikTok

TikTok is a Chinese social network that is sweeping the youth. Users post short videos of skills, jokes, and curiosities, which go viral through their mobile devices. As a matter of fact, TikTok is gaining so much ground recently and it is becoming more popular than ever before.

Gmail alternatives

Who does not have a Gmail account? It is the backbone of all Google services, with all that implies. If you want to get out of the vicious circle, check out these alternatives to Gmail.

1. Outlook

This is also known as Microsoft Mail, it is stable, fast, synchronizable with any device, and fully integrated into Windows if you have a computer (there is also an iOS and Android app).

2. ProtonMail

ProtonMail is one of the best mail service providers that focus on data security. The platform offers secure encryption of mails and has different applications for Android and iOS devices. ProtonMail is available for free for basic features with the premium costing a few dollars monthly.

Google Chrome alternatives

Google Chrome is one of the most successful products from Google and has beaten off competition from internet explorer and Firefox to become a dominant browser in the world. However, if you are looking for more private alternatives to Chrome, you can check out:

1. Mozilla Firefox Quantum

Mozilla is making a great effort to create a fast, stable, secure, and private browser. It does not spy on you or traffic in your data. It’s indeed one of the best alternatives to Chrome.

2. Brave Browser

Here is one of the most private and secure browsers in existence. It blocks all intrusions and has a free proxy that encrypts your IP address.

3. Tor Browser

The famous anonymous network has created its browser. It encrypts all the content, so it loads the pages a little slower, but in return, nobody can see their content. The Tor browser is one of the safest browsers to surf the net.

Conclusion

While Google has become a household name and a company that has dominated the digital space for more than a decade, you may sometimes have genuine reasons to use alternative providers of Google services. Most times, the reason why people look for alternatives to Google is to have more strengthened privacy. Of course, this in itself is enough reason and this article has done justice to that by providing quality alternatives to different Google services. As a recap, for Google search engine, you can use DuckDockGo, Qwant, and Startpage; for Youtube, you can use Vimeo, Twitch, TikTok; Outlook and Proton mail can be used in place of Gmail while for Google Chrome, you can use Tor Browser, Epic Browser, and Mozilla Firefox Quantum. As you utilize these options, you are on the right track to join us on a more secure online adventure. Cheers!