WILL BE UPDATE OFTEN Last update : 1/05/24

THE GUIDE FOR DE-GOOGLED APPS

(🏆 = just the best app ; ❤️ = a more than excellent app)

REMEMBER : Do not install every apps you find, for your security and privacy only install needed apps.

ANDROID

1- Phone and messaging

Phone --> Fossify Phone 🏆

Messages --> Quik SMS 🏆

Contacts --> Fossify contacts 🏆

Whatsapp --> Molly (Signal fork) ❤️ Briar (For advanced users, maximum privacy concerns)

2- Networking

Chrome (browser) --> Cromite ❤️ (must be configured) Mull (slower but not chromium-based, must be configured)

Discord --> Element (matrix.org client)

Reddit --> Jerboa (a Lemmy client)

3- Multimedia

YouTube --> Libretube 🏆

Spotify --> RiMusic 🏆

Google podcasts (podcasts) --> Antenna Pod ❤️

Gallery --> Fossify Galley ❤️ (Basic app) Aves ❤️ (Advanced gallery)

4- Tools

QrScanner --> Binary eye 🏆

Gboard --> HeliBoard ❤️ (OpenBoard fork)

IME keyboard --> Sayboard

Local sharing --> LocalSend ❤️

Google authenticator (2FA) --> Aegis ❤️

Lastpass (password manager) --> Bitwarden 🏆 (Self-hosted) KeePassDX 🏆 (local storage)

Gcam --> Open camera

5- Others

Clock --> Clock You

Google calendar --> Etar ❤️

PDF viewer --> MJ PDF

Office --> LibreOffice Viewer ❤️ (Only for reading)

LINUX

For more convenience, you can download your apps using the command line and flatpak (Flathub.org)

1- OS

Some Linux distributions recommendations :

  • Linux Mint and Pop OS (for all levels)
  • Arch (mainly for gaming but you can use it as working OS)
  • Debian (for productivity (greatest compatibility) )

For most basic users I recommend using Gnome desktop environment

2- Softwares

Browser --> Firefox 🏆 (It’s recommended to tweaks and the settings and use custom user.js (Explanations about user.js)) Librewolf ❤️ (For an out-of-the-box great experience)

Office --> The LibreOffice Suite ❤️

File sharing --> Local Send ❤️

YouTube --> FreeTube

Adobe Illustrator --> Inkscape

Lemmy --> Photon

Matrix --> Element

That’s all, hope you enjoy, do not hesitate to save the post for future updates and comment your recommendations below ⬇️⬇️

  • @viking
    5•4 months ago

    I’ve tried every FOSS QR scanner, and unfortunately, binary eye is total crap. They don’t fully support all formats, and you need to get a near perfectly illuminated shot of the code. Also doesn’t scan regular barcodes whatsoever.

    Reverted back to a commercial app for lack of options. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scanteam.qrcodereader (adfree, despite the “contains ads” banner).

    Shame really, I would like to have a FOSS alternative for such a seemingly simple application.

    • foremanguyOP
      2•4 months ago

      Why do you have this bad impressions of binary eye? Its maybe not the most feature rich, but it’s working perfectly for me. And I wouldn’t suggest this app from the play store… So I’m going to search a bit more and maybe find something interesting

      • @viking
        1•4 months ago

        Like I mentioned, I tried every available FOSS app (on f-droid that is, plus a bunch of github releases, many sadly abandoned), and none of them was able to scan all QR and barcodes I tested it with.

        • oniEnglish
          1•4 months ago

          Can you share a QR code that Binary Eye can’t parse? I haven’t come across any in all these years I have been using it.

      • @viking
        2•4 months ago

        I think I had, but it was crashing when scanning regular barcodes, which I’m doing at work quite a bit since our ERP prints them for version control on our quality documents.

        I’ve just tested it again and it seems to work, will be using them in parallel for a while. Thanks!

        Edit: Just checked the changelog, looks like that was a bug that’s only been fixed this January, I’ve been trying to find a QR scanner sometime last year, so that was probably a buggy release then. https://github.com/SecUSo/privacy-friendly-qr-scanner/blob/HEAD/CHANGELOG.md