These are the 5 popular apps I switched to this year

I said goodbye to several apps this year. Some I ditched completely, while others I just replaced with their better, simpler alternatives. A fresh start is what I needed, and I have no regrets.

Some of them offer complete privacy thanks to end-to-end encryption, while others are at least more privacy-focused than their replacements. Here’s which apps I switched to, and why you should consider doing the same.

This isn’t just a single app but a suite of apps that replace some of Google’s most popular services. Proton Mail is a replacement for Gmail, and it’s a lot more private, better designed, and even has a great Newsletters feature that pulls up all the newsletters I’m subscribed to, making it easy to unsubscribe from each one.

Then there’s Proton Drive, an app that replaces Google Drive, Photos, and Docs. Its main selling point is its privacy-first focus, which means that Proton doesn’t have access to the files in my account, and there’s no AI constantly scanning it like with Drive and Photos, for example.

I also started using Proton Calendar, VPN, Authenticator, and Pass. I’m happy with all of them, especially since I’ve been getting more and more privacy-conscious recently, but I’d be lying if I said it was all smooth sailing.

Google’s apps still offer more functionality, and they are faster. Especially when comparing the Photos folder in Proton Drive with Google Photos. The speed difference is clear as day, and the search feature is a lot better on Photos thanks to AI integration. But for those of us who value privacy, this is the price that has to be paid.

I got tired of Chrome tracking my every move so I switched to Brave. The transition was seamless. Both browsers are based on Chromium, so my Chrome extensions work just fine on Brave.

Speed is on par as well, as is the rest of the functionality. The two also look very similar, so it’s kind of like I didn’t even switch at all.

The main difference between the two is privacy. While you can make Chrome a bit more private than it is, Brave is as private as they get out of the box. I didn’t have to fiddle with any settings, as privacy is Brave’s default state.

The only issue I had was that it takes it a bit too far at times. It falsely identifies random widgets on pages as ads and doesn’t show them. I also had issues with Brave blocking videos from being played, but it was an easy fix in the end. All in all, it’s a great browser, and I’m happy that I made the switch. I definitely recommend it. However, do stay away from Brave Search. While it’s also privacy-focused, it’s just bad beyond measure.

I got a bit worried about Gemini’s privacy policy, which states that humans can randomly read my conversations with Gemini. And when that happens, they will be kept on Google’s servers for up to three years.

I wasn’t very happy with that, so I tried out Claude. Its privacy policy is a bit better than Gemini’s, and the overall experience is better as well. Claude is more direct and more likely to push back on my ideas instead of just flattering me.

The Artifacts feature lets me quickly create apps, the chatbot’s version of Gemini’s Gems is far superior because it lets me see all my conversations in one place, and it also excels in writing tasks.

It’s not better in every way, though, as I still miss Gemini at times. Claude has no image or video generation abilities, its limits are incredibly easy to hit, and it also lacks features like Guided Learning, for example. Regardless, I’m still happy I made the switch.

I went from visiting my favorite news sites individually to using aggregators like Google News. I eventually got tired of that as well since it showed me way too many stories I didn’t care much about.

Inoreader is the solution for me. It’s an RSS reader that lets me follow the topics and publishers I actually like and want to read. Sure, it’s a bit of a process setting everything up — Google News is definitely easier in this way — but it’s worth it in the end.

I can save posts to read later, save the ones I want to read again in the future, and the app also takes note of all the posts I’ve already swiped through, so I don’t see the same one twice. Brilliant.

It’s free with various limitations, but they don’t get in my way much, so I haven’t paid up yet.

I used Notion for years, and apps like Keep and Evernote before that. Obsidian is my latest obsession, and I love it. Its offline, privacy-first approach speaks to me, and the overall look and feel is exactly what I need.

Sure, there’s a bit of a learning curve if you want to become a power user, thanks to all the tools at your disposal, but it’s still very simple to start if all you want to do is save a few notes here and there.

I use it for writing my articles — this very post was written in Obsidian before being published here — and to track my fitness and to jot down my latest thoughts. It’s free, but if you need sync, that will cost you around $4 per month.

These are the five best and most used apps I switched to this year, and I’m happy I did. I’ll probably stick with them for quite some time, but as always, I’ll eventually want to try out something new, just to start fresh.

What about you — which new apps have you tried this year? Let me know in the comments.