Act as a senior journalist and professional content writer to write 1500+ words news article, SEO-optimized news article,, easy-to-understand news article. Begin with a compelling, keyword-rich title wrapped in an H1 HTML tag (
). Follow with a bolded one-paragraph summary wrapped in a div with the class name “yellowbg” (
[Insert Summary]
). Structure the article with an engaging lead paragraph that answers the 5 Ws and 1 H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How), followed by informative subheadings (use
for main subheadings and
for supporting subheadings). Include bullet points for key highlights, relevant quotes, and data where applicable. Use simple, clear language for broad accessibility. Conclude with a strong closing paragraph, a list of keyword-rich terms, and relevant hashtags. Ensure the content is well-structured, concise, and tailored for readability while maintaining a professional tone. Example format:
[Insert Title]
, Summary:
[Insert Summary]
, Lead: [Engaging opening answering 5 Ws and 1 H],
[Main Subheading]
, [Key points],
[Supporting Subheading]
, [Key points], Conclusion: [Closing paragraph], Keywords: [List], Hashtags: [List]. Rewrite the following content accordingly:
Proton offers one of the best privacy packs with several productivity tools, such as Mail, Docs, Calendar, Pass, VPN, and Drive. However, the package is a part of the Proton Unlimited plan, which is priced at around $11 per month.
It’s out of reach for many, and that’s why I’m on a mission to secure my digital life without breaking the bank. Along the way, I discovered a suite of powerful, free private apps that deliver exceptional security and peace of mind.
Forget those recurring charges. In this post, I share my toolkit of free alternatives that completely replaced the need for paid services like Proton in my daily routine.
When it comes to managing my emails, especially with privacy in mind, Thunderbird has become my go-to tool.
As someone who’s constantly looking for robust, free, and open source alternatives to paid services, Thunderbird fits the bill perfectly.
Also, Thunderbird isn’t limited to desktop platforms. Firefox recently released a native Android app, and an iOS version is expected to follow soon.
Being an open source solution, the source code is available for anyone to inspect. I know there is no hidden agenda, no data mining, or ads.
Coming back to the Android app, it supports all the popular email services, packs a decent UI, customization options, and more.
Thunderbird for the desktop recently received a Nebula update with a UI makeover. I’m hoping to see the same UI refinements on the mobile version soon.
Overall, if you want to break free from Proton Mail, Thunderbird won’t disappoint you.
5
Bitwarden
Secure your credentials with peace of mind
A robust password manager is non-negotiable when it comes to securing my digital life. While Proton Pass emerged as a strong contender, especially for those in the Proton ecosystem, I found myself an equally capable alternative with Bitwarden.
Bitwarden is open source, has cross-platform availability, and offers a comprehensive feature set. Whether I’m on my Android phone, my Linux desktop, or my Windows desktop, my vault is always accessible and synchronized.
I can generate complex passwords, autofill login details with ease on my Pixel 8, add notes, and use the Send service to share confidential files and data with peace of mind.
Although there is a paid tier, the free plan offers unlimited entries and native apps on all the platforms, which is good enough for me.
Speaking of which, the Bitwarden Android app supports Material You, which is a nice aesthetic touch for my vaults.
4
Nextcloud
An ideal Proton Drive alternative
While Proton Drive is gaining traction due to its compelling privacy features, I opted for Nextcloud as my go-to cloud storage solution.
The biggest differentiator for me is the unparalleled control and ownership it provides. The key reason I chose Nextcloud is the ability to self-host it. This means my files aren’t sitting on someone else’s servers in a data center I have no control over.
Instead, they remain accessible on hardware I own. It can be anything: a dedicated server in my home, a low-power Raspberry Pi, or a VPS. It’s up to me to decide who can access it, where my data lives, and how it’s managed.
After my Nextcloud instance is set up, accessing my files is incredibly smooth across all my devices.
The web version recently received a huge upgrade with widget support. I can add tasks, emails, files, contacts, and other widgets for easy access.
As for the Android app, it supports Material You, has smooth animations, and offers ample features to rival Proton Drive. Like Proton Drive, I can set an expiry date and a password for sharing links to keep them away from prying eyes.
Nextcloud also offers a bunch of productivity add-ons on the desktop. I highly recommend exploring them after you finish the setup.
Immich is a self-hosted solution. This means I run the software on my server (in my case, a mini PC running Docker). This gives me complete ownership of my data, from the raw photo files to metadata and even the facial recognition data.
The Android app is beautifully designed with all the ample features for a gallery app. The UI is robust and supports auto-backup as well. It reliably uploads all new photos and videos to my Immich server in the background.
Other goodies include facial recognition, object detection, a neat timeline view, support for RAW image files, and more.
Immich is still under active development, but it has reached a level of maturity that makes it a solid contender for personal photo and video management.
2
Joplin
Replaces Proton Docs in style
When it comes to my notes and documents, I want them to be easily accessible, highly organized, and most importantly, private.
While Proton Docs is a promising solution to the Proton suite, my current workflow prefers Joplin.
Joplin is an open source solution, so its code can be audited by anyone from the community. I know my notes aren’t scanned, analyzed, or used for other purposes.
Joplin offers native apps on all major platforms, including Android. It’s robust, responsive, and packed with features that make it useful. I can capture thoughts, create to-do lists, attach photos, audio recordings, and use tags to organize everything. It even supports Markdown.
Thanks to its offline-first functionality, all my notes are stored on the device by default. I can use a cloud storage service of my choice to store and sync the data across devices.
1
Fossify Calendar
A private scheduling tool
For organizing my daily life and keeping track of appointments, I found Fossify Calendar to be an ideal alternative to Proton Calendar.
Although Proton Calendar focuses on end-to-end encryption, Fossify Calendar offers a valuable approach with open source nature.
Fossify Caneldar Android app supports Material design, multiple videos, widgets, a bunch of customization, and more.
It’s not trying to be an all-in-one suite with integrated email or drive, which allows it to remain lightweight and focused.
Breaking free from Proton
Before you go over and download the apps above, let me share a word of caution.
Unlike Proton, these services don’t work seamlessly with each other. That means you can’t access your Fossify calendar from the Thunderbird sidebar or create a Joplin note right from Nextcloud.
It’s one of the shortcomings you need to deal with in such individual apps.
However, if you are fine with it and want to reclaim control over your digital footprint, I encourage you to explore these powerful, free alternatives and place them right on the home screen.
