Leave big tech behind: Practical alternatives to Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta and X
Feb 27th 2026
Big tech dominates search, devices, social and shopping, but privacy, ethical and greener alternatives exist across most categories. This quick guide lists practical replacements you can switch to today.
- Use Ecosia to fund tree planting, Mojeek for an independent search index, or Qwant for a privacy-first search experience.
- Replace Chrome or Safari with Firefox or LibreWolf for stronger privacy, or use Vivaldi for deep customization.
- Move email to Proton Mail, Tuta or GreenNet for stronger encryption and greener hosting.
- Switch to LibreOffice for an open-source alternative to Microsoft Office used by many governments and organisations.
- Choose Fairphone for repairable, ethically sourced phones, or consider Nothing, Crosscall or Murena and de-Google devices with /e/OS.
- Buy refurbished tech from Backmarket, secondhand books from Oxfam, and support independents via Bookshop.org or cooperatives like John Lewis and the Co-op.
- Try smaller social networks such as Bluesky, Mastodon or the European platform W for communities with less misinformation and fewer bots.
- Consider France's Mistral and its Le Chat model as a European AI option with open-source elements and local datacenters.