Just because Google has something that does everything you may need does not mean that you should be stuck with Google. There are things about Google products that make them less desirable in some cases, so having an alternative to these products is a great way to create your own tailored experience that will help you get the types of services you want without having Google in your life and doing what they do in terms of figuring out your preferences and essentially following you around and suggesting things, among other things that Google is doing.
There are several different e-mail, document sharing, search engine, calendar services and so much more that are out there giving Google a run or its money. These different products allow you to really customize how you interact with the internet and get the information you need. So, without further delay, here is a list of several alternatives to Google products.
Duck Duck Go Instead of Google Search
The big difference between Google Search and Duck Duck Go is that Google does not give you the privacy that Duck Duck Go does. There are actually far more features to Duck Duck Go that make it superior besides the emphasis on your search privacy. One of the best features is the keyboard shortcuts that are available with this search engine. The bottom line, it is more efficient than Google and you can keep your information remarkably private.
Drop Gmail for Outlook
For people who use email often, Gmail has been considered the gold standard for a long time, even back in the days when you had to be invited to Gmail. However, Microsoft went out and changed up Outlook.com, and it is loaded with features that send a shot across Gmail’s bow.
There are a bunch of built-in features with Outlook that are better than Gmail. One of the best is the ability to make the alias e-mails work and getting your inbox all the way down to zero. As you know with Gmail, the inbox is pretty much infinite, which has its many benefits and drawbacks.
Here We Go Gives the Heave-Ho to Google Maps
Google Maps is the best in a lot of ways, especially when you look at competitors like Apple Maps, Maps.me, and Waze. These services do a lot of good things but they lack what Google Maps has in terms of features. That being said, Here We Go is different and offers a lot more to enjoy including maps that are ust as accurate as what Google offers and the live traffic information is frequently updated too. If there is any service that gives Google Maps a run for its money, it is Here We Go.
Use Office Online for your Office Needs
There are plenty of great things about Google Docs, Slides, and Google Sheets. They do so many awesome things, but the reality is, what about the best Office Suite – Microsoft Office? And what about getting it for free? The truth is that Word functions much better for those who are used to it and Excel blows away Google Sheets. There are many more features as well. Office Online will sync with your Dropbox account as well and the OneDrive cloud is just as effective a storage solution as any other service, including Google Drive.
Drop Google Drive for Dropbox
Speaking of Google Drive, Dropbox is a great alternative for a few reasons. The first is that while Google Drive offers more space, Dropbox integrates with other programs that are not Google based, so this versatility allows you to use Dropbox in a whole host of settings while Google Drive is essentially restricted just to your Google account and what is in it. Dropbox has also been doing cloud storage for a long time, so they have more experience with all the vagaries in this particular area as well.
Use Mention and Talkwalker Alerts Instead of Google Alerts
The great thing about Google Alerts is that any word popping up on a new internet page gets right to you, however Talkwalker Alerts is something that does the same thing for free and offers an RSS feed as well. For a paid service, Mention is excellent at monitoring the news and social media. Anytime something of interest comes up through these systems, you will know about it and with more depth than Google has been providing.
Choose Yahoo News Instead of Google News
The problem with Google News is that you don’t get the news on its own, but instead you get a ton of different publications that are aggregated to give you a feed based on your preferences that Google has figured out. The best thing to do is go to a news service that is free of censorship and bias. However, in terms of a news aggregator, Yahoo is the oldest and the best, and at the same time it also publishes original content as well and breaks news.
Fruux is the Alternative to Google Calendar
Originally, the best alternative was Sunrise but Microsoft bought it out and then shut it down. So, something new had to come along, and that was Fruux. The best part about Fruux is that it works across platforms, so no matter what you are doing, you can be sure that you have complete integration across your devices and your different platforms as well. So, instead of having to use a calendar in all things like Outlook, Facebook, Gmail, and other services, you have the one service right here with Fruux. And it is also much easier to enter events into the system than it was with Google Calendar.
The bottom line is that there are plenty of alternatives to Google products. Several of these alternatives keep your private information private, while others do a good job of having their best features be so impressive that the convenience offered by Google is not a bigger selling point for the products.