9 Open-Source Services and Apps for The Privacy-Minded Individual

It seems that every week we hear of another prominent and well-liked app that has fallen prey to poor data security protocols or predatory data mining practices. With so much uncertainty surrounding how data is handled, it can be difficult to feel like you are making the best decisions to suit your privacy and security needs. In this article we will go over some of the most well-reviewed available apps, all of which are open source.

Disclaimer: The landscape of privacy-oriented software is constantly changing. What was yesterday a trusted service could tomorrow be sold to a disreputable competitor. At the time of writing this article, these are known to be some of the best services available.

Starting off with one of the most indispensable tools for the privacy-minded: a password manager. If you’re still reusing passwords or emails, check out Assessing Your Email and Password Habits.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of password managers: cloud-based (LastPass, Dashlane, 1Pass, etc) and offline. Let’s weigh a couple of our options:

Password Manager (Cloud): Bitwarden

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, many browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge

Pros: - Cloud backups, accessible anywhere with internet (and your password, of course) - Convenience - Automatic syncing between devices - Cross-platform Cons: - Requires an internet connection - Can require a monthly or yearly fee depending on use case - Subject to changes in company policy, increased fees, etc

Password Manger (Offline): KeePassXC

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android (KeePassDX or KeePass2Android), iOS (Strongbox, KeePassium)

Pros: - Free - Increased security; greatly decreased attack surface - Cross-platform Cons: - You must back up and sync your password database manually - More work to maintain than cloud-based password managers

Encryption Tool (Desktop): VeraCrypt

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

VeraCrypt encrypts your hard drive or a hard drive partition, protecting you from physical threats to your privacy (a stolen or lost laptop, for example). Whether you’re using a cloud-based or offline password manager or not, you’re still going to want to encrypt your data, and VeraCrypt is a tried and true encryption software with optimal hard drive read and write speeds.

Instant Messaging & Video/Voice Calling: Signal

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

Signal is an app that has gotten a lot of media attention in recent years, and for good reason: it’s a go-to service for people who require a high standard of privacy and security. This doesn’t mean it isn’t user-friendly, though. Signal has focused on providing consistent upgrades to implement features that you might find in any other popular messaging app, such as reactions, stickers, a clean user interface, and group chatting; all without sacrificing your privacy. Signal is gaining in popularity among all demographics—it’s likely that some of the contacts in your phone already use it.

Email provider: ProtonMail

Platforms: Bridge for Windows, macOS, and Linux; Web, Android, iOS

Proton, ProtonMail’s parent company, was founded in 2014 by a team of scientists who met at CERN (the European Center for Nuclear Research). ProtonMail is a privacy and encryption focused email provider that offers a sleek, user-friendly interface to rival the most popular email services. With a paid subscription, you can create aliases and even use your own domain. With ProtonMail, your emails, contacts, and calendars are only visible to you (and the recipient, if applicable)—they remain encrypted at all other times, offering superior security.

Note-taking (minimal): Standard Notes

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web

Unlike some popular note taking apps, Standard Notes offers end-to-end encryption for your notes, ensuring total privacy. Other free features include offline access and cross-platform synchronization. While the app is overall minimal, the paid version does offer a versatile selection of custom editors and themes, including but not limited to a spreadsheet-style editor.

Note-taking (fully-featured): Joplin

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and even a terminal app

If you’re looking for a note-taking app that offers a little (or a lot) more, try Joplin—you get an Evernote-style interface without the privacy headache, and even more features. Joplin offers an incredible list of features including multimedia support from videos to diagrams and the ability to collaborate with others.

VPN: Mullvad

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linus, Android, iOS, Firefox

A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, essentially hides your browsing data from your ISP (but not your VPN provider). There was a time where VPNs were believed to be necessary for any real level of privacy or security. This conversation has evolved, and now some people consider them unnecessary for many everyday users. To go into detail on these specific use cases would entail an entire article to itself, so we’ve simply included two of the better-reviewed options available today.

Runner up: ProtonVPN

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS