You don't have to delete yourself from the internet.
You just have to stop using their version of it.
Let's be honest upfront. You will lose some convenience. Some apps won't be as polished. Some things will take an extra step. That's the price of freedom. And it's a small one.
This isn't about living off-grid or becoming a tech hermit. It's about choosing tools that work for you instead of tools that work on you. Everything in this guide is practical, free or affordable, and none of it requires a computer science degree.
Start with the foundation: your operating system
Everything else sits on top of your OS, so that's where the switch begins. On your laptop, the answer is Linux. And before you roll your eyes: it's not 2008 anymore. Modern Linux is fast, beautiful, and runs on almost any hardware.
My personal pick is Garuda Linux with the Hyprland desktop. It's visually striking, runs like a dream, and doesn't phone home to anyone. If you want something equally polished but with a more traditional desktop experience, Garuda Linux Mokka is a great entry point into the same ecosystem.
If Garuda feels too adventurous, start with Pop!_OS. It's clean, beginner-friendly, and built for productivity. You can always move to something more advanced later.
Your laptop toolkit
For browsing, switch to LibreWolf. It's a hardened version of Firefox with no telemetry and no tracking. It works out of the box. If you want something with a more polished user experience, Zen Browser is worth a look, though it's not as strong on the privacy side.
For office work, OnlyOffice is a full suite that opens and saves Microsoft formats without needing any cloud connection. And for email, Thunderbird is the cockroach of email clients. It survived everything the industry threw at it, and it's better than ever.
Communication and tools
For messaging, there is really only one answer: Signal. End-to-end encrypted, open source, no ads, no algorithms. Just messages. Yes, you'll need to convince your friends to switch. That's part of the work. But every person you move off WhatsApp is one less data point in Meta's pipeline.
For file transfers, LocalSend does exactly what AirDrop does, but it works across every platform. No internet connection needed, no account needed. And for syncing your phone to your laptop, KDE Connect handles notifications, file sharing, and clipboard sync seamlessly between devices.
Your phone: the hard part
Your phone is the biggest leak in your life. Let's fix it.
The best option is GrapheneOS. It's Android without Google, built for privacy from the ground up. It works on Pixel phones, it's smooth, stable, and actively maintained. If you can't get a Pixel, a DeGoogled Android setup is the next best thing. It takes more effort, but it works on more devices.
You will lose some Google Play apps. Most have alternatives. The ones that don't? That's your compromise to make.
Media without surveillance
You don't need Spotify. You don't need the YouTube app.
For YouTube, NewPipe or YouTube ReVanced give you the same content without ads, without tracking, and without an algorithm pushing rage bait into your feed. NewPipe doesn't even need a Google account.
For music, Qobuz offers better sound quality than Spotify and pays artists significantly more per stream. There's no algorithm deciding what you hear. You choose what you listen to. If you're already using ReVanced for YouTube, YouTube Music ReVanced gives you ad-free music streaming without a subscription. For podcasts, AntennaPod is open source, requires no account, and plays anything with an RSS feed.
Your digital office, based in Switzerland
Here's where one switch solves four problems at once. Infomaniak's kSuite is a complete digital office based in Switzerland, which means it's not subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Infomaniak Mail gives you clean, reliable, ad-free email. kDrive replaces Google Drive with cloud storage that's actually yours. SwissTransfer handles large file transfers without an account. Calendar, contacts, and more are built in. The company runs on Swiss privacy law, operates green-powered data centers, and is independent and employee-owned.
This replaces Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, and WeTransfer in one move.
The missing pieces
A few more essentials round out a complete setup.
For a VPN, Mullvad is the gold standard. No email to sign up, no name required, and you can even pay with cash. Based in Sweden.
For passwords, Bitwarden is an open source password manager that works across every platform. The free tier covers everything you need. Pair it with Bitwarden Authenticator for your two-factor authentication codes, keeping everything in one ecosystem. If you prefer something fully offline for 2FA, Aegis is the purist's pick.
For search, Startpage gives you Google results without Google tracking. If you want to go further, SearXNG lets you host your own meta search engine.
For maps, Organic Maps and OsmAnd offer offline navigation with no tracking. They're not perfect, but they're improving fast. For public transit, Transportr is open source, uses open transit data, and works in most European cities. No account, no tracking.
And if you want to take back control of how you consume news: use an RSS reader. RSS lets you subscribe directly to the sources you trust, with no algorithm deciding what you see. My pick is vore.website, a minimal, browser-based reader that works on desktop and mobile. Just add your feeds and read. If you want something with more features like audio playback and custom feeds, MorphReader is a solid alternative.
One honest note: Google Maps is still the best for real-time car navigation. Use it if you must. Just know the trade-off.
Start somewhere
You don't need to do all of this at once. Start with one change. Then another. Every app you replace is one less pipeline feeding your data to a system that was never designed to protect you.