Privacy Tools v0.1 classic

Donate

Encryption Against Mass Surveillance

You are being watched. Private and state-sponsored organizations are monitoring and recording your online activities. privacytools.io provides services, tools and knowledge to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance.


To make you understand about the recent drama surrounding privacytools.io and core team members I've summarized all events in a Video Documentary [3:32] as a full commitment what I'm thinking of. You know the rules.

Privacy Tools Categories

Browse our privacy tools categories for a list of privacy friendly software alternatives.

Web Browsers for better Internet Privacy

Firefox: Reliable, fast and privacy friendly
Fast Win Android iOS Mac Linux

It's recommended to install additional browser addons to strengthen Firefox even more. Firefox is able to sync accross all your devices on different platforms. Firefox is not the perfect out of the box solution but It's definetly worth it to take the extra time and setup Firefox properly. Privacy-related about:config tweaks.

Tor: Encrypted out of the box for extra privacy and anonymity
Slow Anonymity Win Android Mac Linux

Tor Browser is your choice if you need an extra layer of anonymity. It's a modified version of Firefox, which comes with pre-installed privacy add-ons, encryption, and an advanced proxy. It's not recommended to install additional browser addons. Plugins or addons may bypass Tor or compromise your privacy.

Android and iOS - DuckDuckGo: Privacy Browser
Fast iOS Android

Built-in advertising trackers blocking, private search and orces sites to use an encrypted connection if available.

Android - Bromite: Based on Chromium
Fast Android

Chromium browser with privacy and security enhancements, built-in adblocking and DNS over HTTPS support.

Brave: Fast, cross-platform and block ads & trackers
Fast Win Android iOS Mac Linux

Not a popular choice within the privacy community but it offers a complete package out of the box on all platforms and is suitable for beginners or if setup time is a factor at the given situation. Wikipedia offers more information about it's controversies.

iOS - Onion Browser: Connection to the Tor Network
Slow iOS

There are certain anonymity-related issues with Onion Browser due to iOS limitations.

Back to the menu

Browser Addons to improve your internet privacy even further

uBlock Origin: Block Ads and Trackers
Android Firefox Chrome Opera Edge

It's recommended to use this plugin with Firefox, but it's also available for other browsers. Firefox on Android supports also uBlock Origin plugin.

HTTPS Everywhere: Secure Connections
Android Firefox Chrome Opera Edge

This plugin is already included in Brave (Desktop & Mobile), Tor (Desktop & Android) and Onion Browser (iOS only). It can be installed for Firefox on Android.

Decentraleyes: Block Content Delivery Networks
Android Firefox Chrome Opera Edge

Emulates Content Delivery Networks locally by intercepting requests and injecting it into the environment. Automatically, and no configuration required. Can be installed for Firefox on Android.

ClearURLs: Automatically remove tracking elements from URLs
Firefox Chrome Edge

Removes tracking from URLs automatically in the background. Lightweight and useful.

xBrowserSync: Synchronizes encrypted bookmarks across devices and browsers
Android Firefox Chrome

No sign up is required and no personal data is ever collected. To start syncing simply download xBrowserSync for your desktop browser or mobile platform, enter an encryption password and click Create New Sync!

Cookie AutoDelete: Automatically Delete Cookies
Firefox Chrome

When a tab closes, any cookies not being used are automatically deleted. Keep the ones you trust (forever/until restart) while deleting the rest. Also available for Chrome.

Back to the menu

The best and most reliable VPN Services for your Privacy

We have compared 185 different VPN providers, but our strict criteria left only the two best providers. Our recommended providers are operating outside the USA or other Five Eyes countries, use a strong encryption, accept Crypto currencies or cash payments, support OpenVPN, have a no logging policy and have a long history of operating.

Mullvad: 60 Euro Yearly
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Bitcoin Cash

Based in Sweden. Operating since 2009. Accepts Bitcoin, BCH and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money back guarantee for 30 days.

Amount of servers in Sep 2021: 736 VPN servers, in 38 different countries. Source

IVPN: 60 USD Yearly
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Bitcoin Cash

Based in Gibraltar. Operating since 2009. Accepts Bitcoin, Monero and Cash. Native desktop and mobile clients are available for Android and iOS and are easy to use. Money back guarantee for 30 days.

Amount of servers in Sep 2021: 139 VPN servers available in 32 different countries. Source

×

Friendly reminder

Using a VPN will not keep your browsing habits anonymous, nor will it add additional security to non-secure (HTTP) traffic. If you are looking for anonymity, you should use the Tor Browser instead of a VPN. Don't replace good security practices with a VPN service. If you're looking for additional privacy from your ISP, on a public Wi-Fi network, or while torrenting files, a VPN may be the solution for you.

Back to the menu

Private Email Providers

ProtonMail: Secure email for the independent professional
Freemium Encryption Tor Bitcoin Web Android iOS

Based in Switzerland, founded in 2013. Free and paid plans include all security features, including end-to-end encryption, zero-access encryption, anti-phishing, anti-spam and 2FA. Own Android, iOS Apps and web interface. Paid plans enable custom domains. Accessible via Tor Network.

Tutanota: Easy to use and private by design
Freemium Encryption Win Android iOS Mac Linux Web

Based in Germany, founded in 2011. Native cross platform apps available. Paid plans enable custom domains. No third-party email clients are supported, users need to use the wide range of native apps.

Disroot: Secure email for your desktop client or via a web interface
Free Plan Encryption Web

Based in The Netherlands, founded in 2015. Free plans support custom domains. Users can choose between their web client or third party desktop clients like Thunderbird. Disroot allows for encrypted emails to be sent from their webmail application using OpenPGP.

mailbox.org: Secure e-mail inbox 100% powered by eco-friendly energy
Paid Plan Encryption Cash Web

Based in Germany, founded in 2014. Paid plans enable custom domains. Users can choose between their web client or third party desktop clients like Thunderbird.

StartMail: Trusted and reliable encrypted email provider
Paid Plan Encryption Bitcoin Web

Based in The Netherlands, founded in 2014. Paid plans enable custom domains. Users can choose between their web client or third party desktop clients like Thunderbird.

Back to the menu

Email Clients for better Internet Privacy

Desktop - Thunderbird: Reliable, fast and privacy friendly
Win Mac Linux

Mozilla Thunderbird is a email client, personal information manager, news client, RSS and chat client.

Browser - Mailvelope: end-to-end encryption for your existing email address
Firefox Chrome Edge

Bring email encryption straight into your Browser. We recommend using Firefox for this. It can be used to encrypt and sign electronic messages, including attached files, without the use of a separate, native email client (like Thunderbird) using the OpenPGP standard. List of supported email providers.

Android and iOS - Canary Mail: Intuitive Design & Impeccable Security
iOS Android Mac

Canary's security suite is second to none with Seamless End-To-End Encryption, Full PGP Support, Biometric App Lock, On-Device Fetch, No Ads, No Data Mining & Open Source Mail Sync Engine. Also available for Mac.

Android - K-9 Mail: Advanced Email for your phone
Android

K-9 Mail is an open source email client focused on making it easy to chew through large volumes of email. Designed for both novice and power users and offers lots of features for everyone.

Back to the menu

Web Search without being tracked

Startpage: Dutch search engine company that highlights privacy
Web

Based in the Netherlands. Launched in 1998.

DuckDuckGo: Privacy and avoiding the filter bubble of personalized results
Web

Based in US. Some of DuckDuckGo's source code is free software, but the core is proprietary. Launched in 2008.

MetaGer: Metasearch engine run by a non profit organization
Web

Based in Germany. Launched in 1996.

Searx: Privacy-respecting metasearch engine
Web

Hosted in multiple locations around the world. Self-hostable, open source metasearch engine. Users can access existing public instances.

Back to the menu

The Best Privacy-Friendly World Maps Alternatives

Avoid: Apple Maps, Bing Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps.

OpenStreetMap: Free, collaborative world wide map
Web

OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open licence.

OsmAnd: Map and navigation app that uses OpenStreetMap data
Android iOS Amazon

Global mobile map viewing and navigation for online and offline OpenStreetMap.

Back to the menu

Secure Password Managers

Bitwarden: Easy to use, modern, cross platform and convenient
Win Android iOS Mac Linux All Browsers

Bitwarden is our top choice. You can import your previous passwords from other password managers with ease. Free for personal use. Available for Desktop, all Browsers, Android and iOS.

LessPass: Securely generated passwords with no storage or snyc needs
Android iOS Firefox Chrome

If you like Bitwarden but don't like syncing or storage of passwords then LessPass is your choice. Browsers, mobile phones and the command line are supported platforms.

KeePassXC: Reliable, old school and cross platform
Win Android Mac Linux Firefox Chrome

Securely store passwords using industry standard encryption, quickly auto-type them into desktop applications, and use browser extension to log into websites. KeePassDX for Android: Google Play or F-Droid.

Master Password: Generated passwords, no storage needed
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Web

Passwords aren't stored: they are generated on-demand from your name, the site, and your master password. No syncing, backups, or internet access needed. The Windows version requires to install Java. Same principle like LessPass, but LessPass is more convenient to use because of the Browser Addons.

Back to the menu

Privacy Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Tools

Avoid: Authy or Google Authenticator.

Aegis Authenticator: Encryption, Organization and Backups
Android Phones Tablets
Tofu: Easy-to-use and designed specifically for iOS
iOS iPhone iPad
andOTP: Encrypted, multiple backups, minimalistic and easy-to-use
Android Phones Tablets

Download on F-Droid

Back to the menu

File Sharing and Synchronizating

OnionShare: Anonymous file transfer via Tor
Win Mac Linux

OnionShare is an open source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share files, host websites, and chat with friends using the Tor network. Share files, host websites, and chat anonymously via a new tabbed interface for maximum productivity.

Syncthing: Continuous file synchronization
Win Android Mac Linux

Synchronizes files between two or more computers in real time, safely protected from prying eyes. Your data is your data alone and you deserve to choose where it is stored, whether it is shared with some third party, and how it's transmitted over the internet.

Back to the menu

File Encryption Software

VeraCrypt: On-the-fly Disk Encryption
Win Mac Linux Raspberry Pi

It can create a virtual encrypted disk that works just like a regular disk but within a file. It can also encrypt a partition or the entire storage device with pre-boot authentication.

GNU Privacy Guard: Email Encryption
Win Android Mac Linux

GnuPG allows you to encrypt and sign your data and communications. Following are download links for different platforms. Mac: GPG Suite. OpenKeychain for Android: Google Play and F-Droid.

7-Zip: Easy to use with strong AES-256 encryption
Fast Windows Linux

File archiver with a high compression ratio and built-in encryption functionality.

Cryptomator: Encrypt Dropbox, Google Drive and other cloud storage
Win Android iOS Mac Linux

Cryptomator encrypts your data quickly and easily. Afterwards you upload them protected to a cloud service.

Hat.sh: Simple, fast, secure client-side file encryption in your browser
Firefox Chrome Opera Edge Web

A web app that provides secure file encryption in the browser. The app never uploads the files to the server. It uses modern secure cryptographic algorithms with chunked AEAD stream encryption/decryption.

ExifCleaner: Privacy metadata removal tool
Fast Win Mac Linux

Removes metadata for the most popular image and video formats. It also supports PDF files and comes with batch-processing to process multiple files at once. Drag and Drop interface, easy to use.

Back to the menu

Encrypted Cloud Storage Services

Avoid: Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and Apple iCloud.

Nextcloud: Self-hosting or choose a provider for your data
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Web

Nextcloud is functionally similar to Dropbox, Office 365 or Google Drive. It can be hosted in the cloud or on-premises. It is scalable from home office solutions based on the low cost Raspberry Pi all the way through to full sized data centre solutions that support millions of users.

If you're not able to switch your cloud service immediatly, consider encrypting with Cryptomator.

Back to the menu

Secure Web Hosting Provider

Bahnhof: Covered by strong free speech and data protection laws
Fast Web

Based in Sweden, founded in 1994.

Njalla: A privacy-aware domain registration service
Fast Web Bitcoin

Based in Sweden, founded in 2017 by Peter Sunde the Co-founder of The Pirate Bay.

Back to the menu

Crytpo Decentralized Exchange (DEX)

Cryptocurrency exchanges which allow for direct peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transactions to take place securely and without the need for a third party to oversee transfer of assets. DEX are more anonymous than commercial exchanges which implement know your customer (KYC) requirements. This list is sorted by trading volume.

Uniswap: Trading and automated liquidity provision on Ethereum
Ethereum ERC20 tokens

Links: GitHub, Blog, Twitter and Discord.

PancakeSwap: Decentralized trading protocol on Binance Smart Chain
Binance BEP20 tokens

Links: GitHub, Blog, Twitter, Telegram.

1inch: Aggregator to help discover the best trade prices for tokens
Aggregator

Links: GitHub, Blog, Twitter, Telegram and Discord.

Telegram Channels are targeted by scammers, don't share your key phrases with anyone. Admins of the official channels are not sending private messages to users. Beware of anyone reaching out via private message.

Back to the menu

Encrypted and Secure Instant Messaging

Avoid: Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, LINE, Telegram, Snapchat, Tencent QQ, Viber, WeChat, WhatsApp.

Signal: Cross-platform, centralized and encrypted messaging
Win Android iOS Mac Linux

Similar look and feel of WhatsApp and other commonly used messaging apps, makes switching easy. Signal requires your phone number as an personal identifier.

Android - Briar: Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging for activists and journalists
Android Phones Tablets

Briar doesn't rely on a central server - messages are synchronized directly between the users' devices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Online sync via the Tor network is possible, too. Protecting users from surveillance.

Back to the menu

Encrypted Video & Voice Messengers

Avoid: Skype, Zoom, TeamSpeak, Discord and Ventrilo.

Jami: End-to-end encrypted instant messaging and video calling
Win Android iOS Mac Linux
Linphone: Voice, video and instant messaging
Win Android iOS Mac Linux
Jitsi Meet: Fully encrypted video conferencing, no account needed
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Web

Desktop version downloads can be found here.

Back to the menu

DNS Network Level Ad Blocking for better Privacy and Speed

NextDNS: Blocks security threats, ads and trackers
Easy to Setup Win Android iOS Mac Linux Browsers Router

The major advantage of NextDNS over AdGuard DNS is to be able to configure the service to your needs via parental controls, website restrictions or block whole categories of websites and apps. Easy to setup within minutes. Comes with setup guides for all systems. 300,000 queries/month for free, after that it will just work like a classic non-blocking DNS service.

AdGuard DNS: Blocks tracking, ads and phishing for free
Easy to Setup Win Android iOS Mac Linux Router

Easy to setup within minutes. Comes with setup guides for all systems. You only need to enter two IP adresses.

Pi-hole: Self-hosted solution for experts
For Experts Raspberry Pi Linux

You can run Pi-hole in a container, or deploy it directly to a supported operating system via installer.

More self-hosted expert solutions: pfBlockerNG Plugin for pfSense and Artica.

Back to the menu

Decentralized YouTube Alternatives

PeerTube: Free and decentralized alternative to video platforms
Web
Invidious: Alternative frontend for YouTube without ads and tracking
Web

Back to the menu

Decentralized Social Networks

Tip of the day: Delete your Facebook Account.

Mastodon: Twitter Alternative
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Web
diaspora*: Google+ Alternative
Android Web
Friendica: Facebook Alternative
Win Android Linux Web
PixelFed: Instagram Alternative
Web

Back to the menu

Encrypted Digital Notebooks

Joplin: Collaborate with encrypted and synced multimedia notes
Win Android iOS Mac Linux
Standard Notes: A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work
Win Android iOS Mac Linux Web
Turtl: Encrypted and synced notes, bookmarks, passwords and files
Win Android iOS (coming soon) Mac Linux

Back to the menu