Hi there,
During the last couple of weeks I have created a spreadsheet to (hopefully) help people decide which mail/cloud/messaging/etc. would best suit their needs and wishes. I thought I’d share it here, so maybe more people can use it AND people can give feedback so I can improve upon it!
I wanted to, on the one hand, make it as detailed and exhaustive as possible, but on the other hand easy to use, since many people (including myself) get overwhelmed by all the possiblilities and aspects to take into account. So somewhere between ‘spend days and days scrolling websites and forums to pick the best option for you’ and ‘just use Proton!’. I’ve always used Google and Microsoft myself, wanted to switch many times, and finally started to really abandon them in the last couple of months (and am really happy about that!). I hope many more people will make the switch to other services that are less damaging to our privacy/data/environment/choice.
The spreadsheet, though I’m not happy abou that, is made in Excel and can be downloaded from my OneDrive: Grading MS, Google etc. alternatives_290825.xlsx . I tried to convert it to .ods, but somehow that messes up some of the formulas…sorry about that. Most data in the spreadsheet are protected to prevent making accidental mistakes, but the password is just blank, so you can also adjust/add/do whatever with the document.
Regarding the spreadsheet: It speaks for itself, I hope. I graded the various services, based on some research (and, I’m sorry to admint, ChatGPT). For each area (e.g. email, cloud, navigation) you can indicate how important certain aspects (e.g. privacy, ease of use, sustanability) are for you (0-5), and besides that, you can toggle some features (e.g. only show European based, only show open source). Based on that it shows you ‘personalized’ ratings of the various providers (e.g. Gmail, Proton drive, Bitwarden, Magic Earth), to help you pick one. Also, you can indicate what you already use (on the first sheet), which can influence the rating (since it’s easier/more logical to start using Proton Drive if you already use Proton Mail, etc.). I tried to judge Google, Microsoft en Facebook as fair as possible, since they are not all bad (‘evil’ is another story I guess). As a result, if you mostly value reliability, ease of use, the amount of users it has and the monetary cost, they do quite well. If you consider other aspects, not so much.
That’s it! Just a little project I thought of since I started searching for alternatives to Big Tech and got drowned in the amount of options and opinions that are out there. I’m not an expert, cannot code, and barely know my way around spreadsheets.
Anyhow, if this gets some traction, I’m more than happy to keep updating and improving upon this file! And make it more accessible.
Cheers, Thomas (from the Netherlands, which could explain some langauge mistakes or weird phrasings)
We need people to actually verify the safety and validity of these platforms. As far as I think, if we’re not able to validate the code as open source, how can we know what these companies are doing with our data?
Hosted on OneDrive? What about privacy?
Exactly! In the process of trying to leave all of that behind. If you know how to alternatively host an .xlsx file, do let me know! Else it will take some time to convert it to .ods.
The spreadsheet is very opinionated for eg. Proton fails in integration very hard because you can’t use it with a generic email client without extra steps… and in some platforms like iOS your only way to use it is by using their own app.
Good to know! I’ll take that into account. I forgot to mention that iOS-stuff is excluded in this file…mostly because I don’t use Apple, and it’s an entire different ecosystem.
Does Tuta integrate into external clients easily? Genuine question
I don’t believe so. You have to use their own app.
Maybe I don’t have up to date information on this, but isn’t Switzerland changing it’s laws regarding access to user data? Proton is actively moving it’s infrastructure out there, right? According to the spread sheet, Infomaniak, which scores highest, hosts everything in Geneva and Winterhur. I’m confused 😅
I think you’re right! I’m no expert, and I’m not sure if the changing laws in Switzerland really mean privacy goes down the drain, or whether it’s an overreaction… Part of the reason I’m posting this here: if it turns out most agree that Switzerland will change for the worse, I’ll adjust the scores accordingly!
I’m glad to see the mods have permitted your post comparing secure email options. Though it makes me wonder why my post yesterday comparing VPNs was removed. Strange. Thanks OP for making this comparison, I’m sure it will help people. I recently went through this same process of comparing secure private email providers, and decided to go with Tuta. I liked Proton, but prefer Tuta’s simple interface. Mailfence’s Android app doesn’t work in landscape on tablets, and their customer service wasn’t great, and the others I tried lacked integrated calendars or Android apps.
Strange your post was removed…hope it doesn’t happen to this one! Proton and Tuta both seem nice (high scores on the sheet!). Personally went with Infomaniak in the end, partly because of the integrated calender and drive.
I’d never actually heard of Infomaniak before your post, but they do look good.
I’m quite satisfied with them! Not really well known, and I read bad stuff about their costumer support…but I addressed several small bugs/problems with them, and they always responded to me and fixed things (though sometimes it takes a while).
Search for Infomaniak and encryption backdoors. It was in the news recently.
You mean this? https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/cloud-service-infomaniak-steps-up-fight-with-proton-over-controversial-swiss-surveillance-law I don’t have a strong or clear opinion on this, but I don’t think Switzerland now has worse laws/practices than the US for example, right? I don’t rate Infomaniak as private or secure as Tuta or Proton.
you can host this spreadsheet on cryptpad:
Thanks! I tried, but cryptpad also converts it to an open file (which is great!), but then some of the formulas stop working and I cannot figure out why…I’ll have to change the entire document someday…
This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these services and products. Obviously it is quite personal, but for me it was nice to compare your ideas against mine. Pretty close other than password manager I would score much differently. Good work and thanks again for sharing.
Thanks for your kind words, TechnoCat! Glad you liked it. And yes, it’s really personal. I’m trying to be as ‘objective’ as possible, but still. Since everything is open, it’s easy to change the scores based on your own experience and liking. How would you change the scoring for the password manager, if you don’t mind me asking? I just started using Bitwarden, and have used KeePass in the past, nothing else.
From my very subjective experience: Over the decades I’ve used Lastpass, OnePassword, Bitwarden, and Proton Pass. Proton Pass is my favorite; Bitwarden wasn’t much different, but I find Proton Pass’ UX to be slightly more responsive and to my liking. They are both excellent though and I have my significant other using Bitwarden because they don’t want the other Proton products.
Thanks! I’ve given Proton Pass higher scores now for ease of use and integration. I was on the fence, almost went with the ‘Proton package’, but I cheaped out…Went for the free Bitwarden and the cheap Infomaniak suite.
