A Full Guide to DeGoogling Your Life

So if you're ready to cut Google out of your life. Good — this isn’t about paranoia or some fancy trendy tech rebellion. It’s about reclaiming control over your data, your devices, and your digital habits. Plus, the amount of times Google has been in court over consumer data violations? Far too many to be comfortable.

Google makes great products, no question. But their business model depends on profiling you. If you want a cleaner, more private digital life, this guide breaks down how to replace each major Google service with something more privacy-respecting — without giving up too much convenience.

This isn’t a beginner’s walkthrough. It's for people who want a complete, technical solution.

1. Mobile Operating System

What you're replacing: Android (with Google services baked in)

Why it matters: Google’s Play Services are a deep, always-on layer of tracking. Even if you don’t use Gmail or Maps, they’ve got hooks into almost everything you do on a standard Android phone.

Options:

GrapheneOS (Pixel only)

• Arguably the most secure and private mobile OS you can run today.

• Completely deGoogled. No Play Services unless you manually sandbox them.

• Built-in hardened memory allocator, verified boot, and strict app isolation.

• Use Aurora Store to download Play Store apps anonymously.

If you want maximum security and are okay with a little technical overhead, this is the one to go with.

CalyxOS

• More user-friendly than Graphene.

• Supports microG, a lightweight Play Services replacement.

• Still privacy-focused, but with more built-in conveniences.

/e/OS

• Aimed at mainstream users.

• Comes with its own cloud, app store, email, and microG.

• A bit more opinionated and less “bare bones,” which some people like.

2. Search Engine

What you're replacing: Google Search

Why it matters: Every search feeds into your profile. It’s how Google knows what to advertise, what you’re interested in, and even what you might be thinking about doing next.

Alternatives:

SearXNG

• Self-hosted meta-search engine.

• Pulls results from multiple sources (Bing, DuckDuckGo, Brave, etc.), strips out tracking.

• You can run it on a Raspberry Pi, VPS, or use a public instance.

• Clean, fast, and private.

Brave Search

• Built from its own index — rare these days.

• Good default privacy, no logging or tracking.

• Feels like using Google but without the creepy ads.

DuckDuckGo

• Familiar, privacy-aware, but still depends on Bing in the background.

• Good starter option, but not ideal if you're trying to go all-in.

3. Web Browser

What you're replacing: Chrome

Why it matters: Chrome is fast, but it’s also a surveillance tool. It’s linked to your Google account and leaks plenty of telemetry — even in “incognito.”

Options:

Firefox (customized)

• Open-source and actively maintained.

• Needs tweaking for privacy:

  • Disable telemetry in about:config.

  • Add extensions: uBlock Origin, NoScript, ClearURLs, Privacy Badger, Temporary Containers.

  • Turn on Enhanced Tracking Protection.

LibreWolf

• A fork of Firefox with hardening done for you.

• No telemetry, no auto-updates, no nonsense.

• Solid out of the box, but still extensible.

Brave

• Chromium-based, but stripped of Google junk.

• Built-in tracker/ad blocker.

• Optional Tor window for extra privacy.

4. Email

What you're replacing: Gmail

Why it matters: Gmail reads everything. It feeds your data into Google’s advertising ecosystem. Even if your emails are “encrypted in transit,” Google still scans them on its servers.

Alternatives:

Proton Mail

• Swiss-based, encrypted by default.

• Clean interface, lots of features, no ads.

• Free tier is fine; paid gets you aliases, filters, and custom domains.

Tutanota

• German-based, fully encrypted.

• Encrypted search and calendar support.

• Less polished UI, but strong on privacy.

Self-hosting (Mail-in-a-Box, Mailcow)

• Total control over your email.

• Not beginner-friendly — requires server management and good DNS hygiene.

• Worth it if you know what you're doing.

Want extra privacy? Route all email through aliasing services like SimpleLogin or AnonAddy. They make it easy to compartmentalize your digital identity.

5. Cloud Storage

What you're replacing: Google Drive / Google Photos

Why it matters: Google scans everything in your Drive. File contents, photos, even image metadata — all of it’s fair game for profiling.

Alternatives:

Nextcloud

• Self-hosted cloud platform.

• Replaces Drive, Calendar, Contacts, Notes, and more.

• Tons of extensions: OnlyOffice integration, RSS reader, chat, etc.

• You can host it on anything from a Raspberry Pi to a full VPS.

Proton Drive

• Encrypted, easy to use, and integrates with Proton Mail.

• Great for documents, images, and backup.

Syncthing

• Peer-to-peer file sync.

• Doesn’t rely on any cloud — just syncs between your own devices.

• Ideal for backups or sending files across your own machines securely.

6. Maps & Navigation

What you're replacing: Google Maps

Why it matters: Maps is one of Google's most powerful tracking tools. It knows where you live, work, shop, eat, and travel.

Options:

Organic Maps

• Based on OpenStreetMap.

• Fully offline and open-source.

• No ads, no tracking, no data collection.

OsmAnd+

• More advanced than Organic Maps.

• Custom routing, plugins, GPX support.

• Good for cyclists, hikers, and road trips.

Magic Earth

• More polished than most OSM-based apps.

• Real-time traffic and voice nav included.

• Doesn’t appear to phone home with your data.

7. YouTube

What you're replacing: YouTube and its recommendation engine

Why it matters: YouTube logs every search, view, and pause. It uses that data to shape what you see next — and what you think.

Alternatives:

NewPipe (Android)

• Plays YouTube videos without ads, tracking, or login.

• Allows downloads and background play.

• Lightweight and fast.

Piped

• YouTube frontend — stream videos without giving Google anything.

• Can be self-hosted or used via public instances.

Invidious

• Another privacy-respecting YouTube frontend.

• Older and a bit slower, but still solid.

PeerTube

• Federated, open-source video platform.

• No algorithm, no central server.

• Good for creators and small communities.

8. App Store

What you're replacing: Google Play Store

Why it matters: Play Store ties every app download to your Google account and device. Google knows exactly what you’re running — and when.

Options:

F-Droid

• The go-to for open-source Android apps.

• Fully independent from Google.

• Apps are reviewed and signed.

Aurora Store

• Anonymous frontend to Google Play.

• Lets you download apps without a Google account.

• Use a spoofed account or anonymous session.

Obtainium

• Updates apps directly from GitHub, GitLab, or other sources.

• Decentralized and fully transparent.

9. Calendar, Contacts, Tasks

What you're replacing: Google Calendar, Contacts, Keep

Why it matters: Google knows what you’re doing and when — including meetings, travel, birthdays, and personal notes.

Alternatives:

Nextcloud (CalDAV & CardDAV)

• Full calendar and contacts suite.

• Syncs with Android using DAVx⁵.

• Works with Etar (calendar), Simple Contacts, and Tasks.org.

Proton Calendar

• Encrypted and integrates with Proton Mail.

• Simple but growing steadily.

10. Notes & Docs

What you're replacing: Google Docs and Google Keep

Alternatives:

Standard Notes

• Encrypted notes, extensible with editors and themes.

• Great for journaling, research, and general writing.

• Syncs securely across devices.

Joplin

• Markdown-based note app with WebDAV sync.

• Cross-platform, open source, and supports encryption.

CryptPad

• Online document editor (like Google Docs) but fully encrypted.

• Supports real-time collaboration.

• Self-hostable if needed.

LibreOffice / OnlyOffice

• Full-featured office suites for spreadsheets, docs, presentations.

• OnlyOffice integrates well with Nextcloud.

11. Voice Assistant

What you're replacing: Google Assistant

Reality check: There’s no solid privacy-respecting replacement. Most people going full deGoogle just do without a voice assistant.

If you really want one:

• Genie (formerly Almond) is open-source and focused on privacy, but still experimental.

• Mycroft was promising but development has mostly stopped. Forks may appear in the future.

12. Password Management

What you're replacing: Google Password Manager

Alternatives:

Bitwarden

• Open-source with cross-device sync.

• Option to self-host (Vaultwarden).

KeePassXC

• Local-only, file-based password manager.

• Use with Syncthing or Nextcloud for syncing.

Final Thoughts

This process takes time. It’s a journey, not a weekend project. But every service you replace is one more piece of your life you own again.

You don’t need to go all-in overnight. Start with email or search. Then move to mobile. Before long, you’ll wonder why you ever gave all that data away in the first place.