Take back control.
Leave Big Tech
at your own pace.

A practical, honest roadmap to de-Google your life — one category at a time. No hype, no impossible promises. Start easy, go as far as you want.

Honest trade-offs Free progress tracker Stage-by-stage path No signup needed Boojee + third-party options
Start the roadmap Cloak my data →
Your progress
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The honest picture

Progress over perfection.

Google and Apple have spent two decades making themselves the default for everything. Leaving isn't a single action — it's a series of small substitutions. Each one you make is a genuine win: less data harvested, less profiling, more control over your own stack.

This guide is honest about trade-offs. Some alternatives are genuinely better once you switch. Some require a period of adjustment. A few at the advanced end (GrapheneOS, self-hosted services) are for people who really mean it. You don't have to go that far to make a meaningful difference.

One ground rule: We won't claim Boojee "beats" Google at anything. Where Boojee has a real product that helps, we flag it honestly and say what it actually does today. Where a third party is a better fit, we say that too. The goal is your independence — not your loyalty to us.
The roadmap

Three stages.
Start anywhere.

Stage 1 — Easy
30 minutes or less
No learning curve. Drop-in swaps that most people don't notice after the first day.
  • Switch default search engine
  • Install a privacy browser
  • Run your data broker removal
  • Enable Signal for messaging
Stage 2 — Intermediate
A weekend's effort
Requires moving data and updating contacts, but nothing technically complex.
  • Migrate to Proton Mail or Tuta
  • Move docs to Proton Drive / CryptPad
  • Replace Google Maps with OSM
  • Replace Google Photos
Stage 3 — Advanced
Real commitment required
For people who want to go all the way. Technical, time-consuming, worth it if you're serious.
  • Flash GrapheneOS on Pixel
  • Self-host cloud storage
  • Audit app permissions deeply
  • Harden DNS + VPN stack
Leaving: Google Chrome

Browser

Chrome is the most-used browser in the world and collects telemetry, browsing history (if synced), and usage data that feeds Google's advertising systems. It also enables Google's FLoC and Topics tracking APIs by default.

Boojee Browser
Boojee

Boojee's browser product today is a command layer and intelligence interface — structured web navigation, AI-assisted research, and site-aware tools built on top of a browser environment. It is not a standalone desktop browser download today.

Honest take: A full desktop browser for general everyday use is on the roadmap, not yet shipped. If you want Boojee's browser tools now, visit /browser/ to see what's live. For your main privacy browser today, use Brave or Firefox below.
See Boojee Browser →
Brave Browser
Easy

Chromium-based (your extensions work), built-in ad and tracker blocking, Shields enabled by default. Fast, familiar UI for Chrome users. Brave Search is the default. No Google telemetry.

Honest take: The easiest Chrome replacement for most people. Brave does have a crypto/rewards layer (Brave Ads) — you can ignore it entirely. Built by US company Brave Software.
brave.com ↗
Firefox
Easy

Open-source, Mozilla Foundation. Not Chromium-based — meaningfully different engine (Gecko). Strong privacy controls, large extension ecosystem (uBlock Origin). Configure about:config settings or use the arkenfox user.js for hardening.

Honest take: Excellent option, especially if you want to stay off the Chromium monoculture. Default settings are decent, not exceptional — harden it. Mozilla is a non-profit but still US-based.
mozilla.org/firefox ↗
Leaving: Gmail / Apple Mail (iCloud)

Email

Gmail is Google's largest data collection surface. It scans message content to target ads (historically — they said they stopped in 2017, but the metadata collection continues). Apple iCloud Mail is more private but still unencrypted at rest on Apple servers.

Proton Mail
Intermediate

End-to-end encrypted email from a Swiss company (GDPR + Swiss law). Free tier available. Proton-to-Proton email is fully encrypted. External email is encrypted in storage. Has a full suite (Drive, VPN, Calendar, Pass) so you can consolidate.

Honest take: The best practical choice for most people. Migration requires manually updating contacts and services linked to your Gmail — set aside a weekend. Free plan has storage limits; the paid plan is $4–9/mo and worth it.
proton.me/mail ↗
Tuta (formerly Tutanota)
Intermediate

German end-to-end encrypted email. Open-source. Encrypts subject lines too (Proton doesn't). Stricter EU data protection than US providers. Has calendar. Mobile apps available.

Honest take: Slightly more radical than Proton in its encryption scope (subject lines). Interface is plainer than Proton. Good if you want fully open-source and EU jurisdiction. Free tier available.
tuta.com ↗
SimpleLogin / AnonAddy
Easy add-on

Email alias services — generate a random alias for signups, forward to your real inbox. Stops data brokers and advertisers from linking your real email across services. Works with any inbox. Proton owns SimpleLogin.

Honest take: Not a Gmail replacement — a layer on top. Use it alongside Proton or any inbox to stop email harvesting at sign-up time. Genuinely useful and easy.
simplelogin.io ↗
Leaving: Your data on 100+ broker sites

Data brokers & footprint

Even if you leave Google tomorrow, hundreds of data broker companies already have your name, address, phone number, and relatives aggregated from public records — and they sell it to anyone. This is separate from Google and requires its own cleanup.

Boojee Cloak
Boojee · Free tracker

A free self-serve tool that walks you through opt-out requests to 30+ US data brokers — curated links, progress tracking saved to your browser, and a CCPA request template. No signup. If you don't want to do it yourself, a human at Boojee can run the full sweep for you ($98 one-time or $18/mo ongoing).

Honest take: This is a real Boojee product, in production. The free tool is genuinely useful for DIY removal. The paid concierge means a real human clicks through the same forms on your behalf — no software magic, that's just honest.
Boojee Cloak — free tracker →
Manual opt-outs
Intermediate

The DIY path: search each broker for your name, submit removal forms one by one. Tedious but free. High-priority targets: Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, Intelius, Radaris, MyLife, TruthFinder, FamilyTreeNow.

Honest take: Expect 2–4 hours for a first sweep. Data repopulates every 3–6 months from public records — it's recurring maintenance, not a one-time fix. Boojee Cloak's free tracker organizes this for you.
Reduce future exposure
Ongoing habit

Stop feeding the pipeline: use email aliases for signups, opt out of loyalty programs, use a P.O. box for deliveries if practical, opt out of voter registration sharing where your state allows it.

Honest take: Brokers source primarily from public records — voter rolls, court filings, property records. Opt-outs slow the re-population but can't eliminate public record data. Minimum exposure is the long-term goal.
Leaving: iMessage, WhatsApp, Google Messages, Facebook Messenger

Messaging

WhatsApp metadata (who you talk to, when, how often) goes to Meta even though message content is E2E encrypted. Google Messages sends your SMS data to Google's servers by default. iMessage is encrypted but Apple-only and locked to Apple ID.

Signal
Easy — just install it

The gold standard for private messaging. End-to-end encrypted by default for every message and call. Open-source protocol (Signal Protocol — also what WhatsApp uses for message content). Non-profit. Collects almost no metadata. Cross-platform.

Honest take: The recommendation without caveats. The only hurdle: getting your contacts to switch too. Worth asking — many people already have it. Signal can also replace your default SMS app on Android to keep plaintext SMS in one place while upgrading to encrypted when the other person has Signal.
signal.org ↗
Matrix / Element
Intermediate

Decentralized, federated messaging protocol (like email for chat). Element is the main client. You can self-host your own server. E2E encryption available. Good for teams and communities, not a perfect WhatsApp replacement for casual personal use.

Honest take: More complex than Signal. Better if you want a Slack/Discord replacement for a group. The federated model is powerful but comes with setup overhead.
element.io ↗
Leaving: Google Maps / Apple Maps

Maps

Google Maps is one of the most precise location trackers in existence — your movement history, every destination, every search. Apple Maps is more private (no Google, processed on-device where possible) but still tied to your Apple ID and Apple infrastructure.

Organic Maps
Easy

Open-source mobile app built on OpenStreetMap data. Works fully offline — download a region and navigate without any internet connection and without sending location data anywhere. No ads, no tracking, no account required.

Honest take: The best practical choice for most navigation. POI coverage is slightly thinner than Google in rural areas. Offline-first is a genuine advantage over Google. iOS and Android.
organicmaps.app ↗
OpenStreetMap (web)
Easy

The open-source map database that powers Organic Maps, Mapbox, Wikipedia maps, and dozens of other services. Accessible directly at openstreetmap.org for browser-based lookups. Community-maintained; remarkably good worldwide coverage.

Honest take: Great for web lookups, not a turn-by-turn navigation app. Use Organic Maps on mobile; openstreetmap.org on desktop.
openstreetmap.org ↗
Leaving: Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Docs, iCloud

Photos, Docs & Cloud

Google Photos scans every photo you upload for faces, objects, and locations — that data trains Google's AI. Google Drive and Docs are unencrypted on Google's servers (Google can read them). iCloud is similar with Apple.

Proton Drive
Intermediate

End-to-end encrypted cloud storage from the Proton suite. Files are encrypted on your device before upload — Proton cannot read them. Desktop and mobile sync apps. If you're already migrating to Proton Mail, Drive is part of the same ecosystem.

Honest take: Solid for documents and general files. Photo management is more basic than Google Photos — no AI face recognition (by design). Free tier is limited; paid plans start around $4/mo bundled with Mail.
proton.me/drive ↗
CryptPad
Intermediate

Encrypted, collaborative document editing — a private alternative to Google Docs. Open-source. Includes rich text, spreadsheets, presentations, kanban, and a drive for files. Free instance at cryptpad.fr or self-host. European servers.

Honest take: The strongest Google Docs alternative for real-time collaboration where privacy matters. Slightly less polished than Docs but fully functional. Encryption means features like spell-check work client-side, not server-side.
cryptpad.fr ↗
Ente Photos
Intermediate

End-to-end encrypted photo backup and organization. Open-source. Clients for iOS, Android, and desktop. A real Google Photos alternative — albums, search, sharing — without the AI surveillance. The company is fully funded by subscriptions.

Honest take: Best practical Google Photos replacement today. No face-recognition AI by default (because they can't see your photos). Paid from ~$1.25/mo for 10GB. Free tier available for evaluation.
ente.io ↗
Leaving: Android (Google) / iOS (Apple)

Phone OS

Stock Android sends extensive telemetry to Google including your location, app usage, and device identifiers. iOS is more private but still tied to Apple ID and iCloud. Both ecosystems gate you into their app stores, payment systems, and hardware lock-in. This is the hardest category — be honest with yourself about what you need.

GrapheneOS
Advanced

A hardened, privacy-focused Android build for Google Pixel hardware. No Google Play Services by default (you can install a sandboxed version for app compatibility). Maximum privacy and security hardening. Actively maintained. Installer is web-based — easier than it sounds, but still technical.

Honest take: The best choice for people who are serious. Requires a Google Pixel (ironic, but Pixel hardware is the most open for custom OS). If you rely on apps that require Play Services (banking apps, some navigation), the sandboxed Play approach handles most cases. Not for everyone — but the best option available.
grapheneos.org ↗
/e/OS (Murena)
Advanced

De-Googled Android that ships with its own app store (App Lounge, pulls from Play Store anonymously) and a Murena cloud suite. Available on a range of devices, not just Pixels. Easier daily driver than GrapheneOS for mainstream users. European company.

Honest take: More beginner-friendly than GrapheneOS but trades some security hardening for broader device support and an easier out-of-box experience. Good middle ground if you can't run GrapheneOS on your current device.
/e/.foundation ↗
Harden stock Android
Intermediate stop-gap

If flashing a new OS is not realistic right now: disable Google location history, revoke background app permissions, turn off ad personalization, disable Backup to Google, use a DNS-over-HTTPS resolver (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or NextDNS). Not ideal but meaningfully better than defaults.

Honest take: This reduces exposure without eliminating it. You're still on Google's hardware reporting pipeline at a kernel level. Better than nothing; not the end state.
Leaving: Google Cloud, AWS, Cloudflare (for your own projects)

Hosting & Cloud (for your projects)

If you run a website, app, or business that relies on Google Cloud, AWS, or Cloudflare, you're embedded in the Big Tech infrastructure stack. Alternatives exist — the trade-off is usually less managed convenience for more sovereignty.

Boojee Cloud
Boojee

Boojee's cloud hosting offering for websites, applications, and small-business digital infrastructure — built on Boojee's own managed stack. If you want your site or app off Google Cloud and AWS and prefer working with a hands-on team rather than navigating a hyperscaler console, this may be a fit.

Honest take: Best for small businesses and creators who want a real human to talk to. Not the right choice if you need hyperscaler scale or specific compliance certifications. Check what's included at the link.
Boojee Cloud →
Hetzner / OVHcloud
Intermediate

European cloud providers — Hetzner (German) and OVHcloud (French) — with strong data-sovereignty positions and pricing well below AWS/GCP. VPS, dedicated servers, object storage. Popular in the privacy and self-hosting community.

Honest take: Excellent value. You lose the managed-service ecosystem of AWS. Good choice if you're comfortable with Linux server administration or working with a developer who is. GDPR jurisdictions.
hetzner.com ↗
Coolify / Caprover (self-hosted PaaS)
Advanced

Open-source Heroku/Vercel alternatives you run on your own server. Deploy apps with a dashboard, no Google App Engine, no Vercel. Pair with Hetzner for a fully sovereign app platform. Coolify is particularly well-regarded and actively developed.

Honest take: Real commitment — you own the ops. No managed SLA. Worth it if you're building seriously and want off the hyperscaler stack.
coolify.io ↗
Start here

Two easy
first steps.

If you do nothing else today, these two moves have the highest impact per minute spent — and both are free to start.

First step — 10 minutes
Boojee Browser

Visit Boojee Browser to see the current command-layer and intelligence tools available today. A standalone privacy browser is on the roadmap — in the meantime, this is Boojee's presence on the browser front.

See Boojee Browser →
First step — 30 minutes
Boojee Cloak

Start your data broker removal with the free Boojee Cloak tracker. 30+ brokers, curated opt-out links, progress saved to your browser. No signup. The best immediate privacy win most people haven't done yet.

Start the tracker — free →

Want Boojee to help you map out and execute a full migration? Apply and we'll respond within 48 hours →

Questions

Honest answers.

Gradually is fine — and realistically what most people do. Switching search takes 5 minutes. Migrating email takes a weekend. Each swap is independent. You don't need a Big Bang cutover. The checklist above tracks what you've done so you can see real progress on a partial migration.
Sometimes, yes — and we'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise. Google Maps' real-time transit integration is hard to match. Google Docs' collaboration speed is genuinely good. Gmail's spam filtering is among the best. The alternatives in this guide are the closest realistic matches. Some things you'll prefer once you've switched; a few you'll occasionally miss. The question is what privacy is worth to you against those trade-offs.
Entirely in your browser's localStorage — your device, never our servers. Boojee receives no data about which swaps you've made or what you've checked. Clearing your browser data will reset it.
Proton is a Swiss non-profit foundation; DuckDuckGo is a private US company. Neither is as large as Google, but you're right to think about the question. The meaningful differences are: (1) these companies' business models don't rely on selling your data — they're funded by subscriptions or privacy-safe advertising; (2) end-to-end encryption means Proton technically cannot read your email content even under legal compulsion; (3) the GDPR / Swiss law jurisdictions provide meaningful legal protections. It's not perfect independence, but it's a genuine material improvement over Google.
Boojee Browser today is a command layer and intelligence interface — structured navigation, AI-assisted research, site-aware tools — built on a browser environment. It is not a downloadable standalone desktop browser you'd use for all your everyday browsing today. A full privacy browser for general use is on Boojee's roadmap. We don't claim otherwise here: use Brave or Firefox as your main browser now, and check back on Boojee Browser as it develops.
A VPN shifts your trust from your ISP to your VPN provider — it doesn't make you anonymous from Google if you're signed into a Google account. VPNs are useful for hiding traffic from your ISP or public Wi-Fi, not for Google privacy specifically. If you want one, Proton VPN (paid tier, no-logs policy, Swiss jurisdiction) or Mullvad (cash/crypto payment, no account) are the community's top picks. Free VPNs are frequently the product themselves — avoid.