All 5 recommendations
Est. prices as of Mar 12, 2026
#1 · DuckDuckGo · Crowd Favorite
DuckDuckGo
Free (Premium: $9.99/month)
Search without being tracked—zero logs, zero tracking, zero ads based on your history
- ✓ Genuinely doesn't track searches or build user profiles
- ✓ Clean interface with useful !bang shortcuts for instant site searches
- ✓ Works across all devices with consistent privacy
- ✗ Search results occasionally less relevant than Google for niche queries
- ✗ No email integration like Gmail offers
#2 · Proton · Premium Pick
Proton Mail
Free / $5.99-$14.99/month
End-to-end encrypted email with zero-knowledge architecture—your emails can't be read by anyone but you
- ✓ Military-grade encryption even Google can't access
- ✓ Works seamlessly with non-Proton users via secure reply links
- ✓ Swiss jurisdiction provides strong privacy laws
- ✗ Free tier limited to 150 emails/day and basic features
- ✗ Slower interface than Gmail, especially on mobile
#3 · Startpage · Hidden Gem
Startpage
Free / $10.99/year Premium
Google's search results without Google's tracking—uses Google's index but strips all identifying data
- ✓ Best of both worlds: Google's search quality with actual privacy
- ✓ Proxy feature hides your IP from visited websites
- ✓ Open proxy option lets others browse anonymously through you
- ✗ Relies on Google's infrastructure (philosophical issue for some)
- ✗ Slightly slower than direct Google searches due to proxy routing
#4 · Nextcloud
Nextcloud
Free (self-hosted) / $5-$15/month (managed)
Self-hosted Google Drive alternative—your files stay on your server, encrypted and untouched by corporations
- ✓ Complete control over your data with open-source transparency
- ✓ Works offline and syncs across devices
- ✓ Integrates with thousands of apps and extensions
- ✗ Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- ✗ Self-hosting requires server knowledge or paid managed hosting
- ✗ Slower collaboration features than Google Workspace
#5 · Brave · Budget King
Brave Search
Free / $14.99/month Premium
Independent search index (not relying on Google) built by privacy advocates with no tracking whatsoever
- ✓ Building own search index to break Google dependency
- ✓ Integrated into Brave Browser for seamless privacy
- ✓ Anonymous summarization of search results
- ✗ Search index still developing—results less comprehensive than Google
- ✗ Smaller dataset means some queries return fewer relevant results
- ✗ Younger platform with less user trust history