Apple Mail (macOS)β β β β βNo-nonsense but full-featured email application for macOS that works well with multiple IMAP accounts and Gmail.
Brave (Web Browser)β β βββA privacy-focused browser, but for every cool privacy feature thereβs something else that makes me want to firewall the application away from my system.
Deedumβ β β ββA full featured, if awkward, Gemini client for Android and iOS. Handles bookmarks, subscriptions and client identities.
Dia (Browser)β β βββAn AI chatbot masquerading as a web browser, or the other way around. You can use it without the AI features, but that just leaves you with a stripped-down Chromium skin.
Ecosia (Search)β β β ββNon-profit search provider that uses renewable energy and partners with environmental organizations. AKA βthe search engine that plants trees.β
Fedilabβ β β β β―ͺA full-featured app for connecting to Mastodon and other Fediverse servers. Includes specific capabilities for Akkoma, Pixelfed, PeerTube and more, without getting too cluttered.
Fluent Readerβ β β ββA simple, no-nonsense, modern-looking RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for Windows, Mac and Linux. Optionally sync with multiple services, but Iβve had issues with Nextcloud.
Fossify Calculatorβ β β β βBasic calculator, like the cheap 16-key models. No fancy scientific functions, but also no ads, no data mining, and no subscription. And itβs already in your pocket.
Fossify Cameraβ β β β―ͺβBasic camera app with support for flash, timer and video, optional EXIF. Lacks advanced processing like night sight. Images are slightly noisier than Googleβs camera.
Fossify Launcherβ β β ββWorks fine for launching apps. Widget support needs more work. Does not auto-rotate.
Fossify Messagesβ β β ββMinimalist SMS/MMS app with custom alerts, archives and actions on the pull-down notifications. No RCS support or swipe actions, but does the job without sending a copy of all your messages to Google.
Freadβ β β β βAnother Bluesky/Mastodon/RSS Combo app like OpenVibe, a bit less polished but considerably more useful. Handles multiple accounts per type, plus custom feeds.
FreeOTP (Authenticator)β β β β―ͺβExtremely bare-bones 2FA app for iOS and Android, sponsored by Red Hat. Itβs secure, works offline, and doesnβt depend on Google. A decent choice if you start with it, but a lack of import features means switching from another app is tedious.
Gearyβ β β β βReally lightweight but still modern, so itβs a good choice on lower-end hardware. Basic IMAP features, good for most day-to-day email use. Needs GNOME for setup.
Geopardβ β β ββSimple desktop Gemini Protocol client with bookmarks. Polished, fits well with any Linux desktop but especially GNOME. Fast, no frills.
GNU IceCatβ β β ββFirefox minus all branding and connections to Mozilla services, plus add-ons to block non-FSF-approved JavaScript.
Husky (Social Media App)β β β β―ͺβA fork based on an older version of Tusky, with added support for Pleroma and Akkoma extensions.
IronFoxβ β β β βA privacy-hardened Firefox variation for Android, comparable to LibreWolf on desktops. Removes Mozilla tracking and services like Pocket. Locks down features that can leak data, but those changes can break some sites.
Kristallβ β β β βCross-platform desktop browser for the small internet, including Gemini, Gopher and Finger. A little faster than Lagrange, but fewer features and hasnβt been updated in a while.
Manyverseβ β β β βTakes the pain out of setting up and running SSB. Unfortunately it doesnβt overcome SSBβs inherent challenges of discovery, data size or multiple devices. (So far?)
Mastodon (Mobile App)β β β β―ͺβGood for someone new to Mastodon, but lacks advanced features found in other apps like Tusky.
Microsoft Edgeβ β βββOnce you turn off all the Microsoft specials, it feels usable again β but then, itβs just another Chromium skin.
Moshidon (Mastodon app)β β β β βA modified version of the Mastodon app for Android that adds a bit more functionality. Helpful if you use lists or bookmarks a lot, or your instance supports formatted posting.
NetSurfβ β β ββLightweight browser for RISC-OS and Linux/Unix (and a few smaller OSes). Slightly more capable than Dillo, if not quite as small or fast.
Pachli (Mastodon App)β β β β βA Mastodon app forked from (and still similar to) Tusky. Capable without being cluttered. Faster, smaller updates, some minor differences, and some cool anti-harassment features Iβd like to see adopted more widely.
Plexβ β β ββIt does let you stream your local media library, but it insists on connecting to a cloud account and pushes you to buy a subscription, even if youβre not using its remote services.
RSS Guardβ β β β βA solid cross-platform feed reader that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Extremely capable and customizable. Syncs with multiple services.
Scrambled EXIFβ β β β β―ͺOne of those βdoes one thing really wellβ apps: Itβs a filter that removes all the date, time, location, camera, and other metadata from a photo as you share it from your phone.
Sly (Image Editor)β β β β―ͺβSimple, friendly, privacy-respecting image editor for Android and Linux. Convenient for most basic photo adjustments, but metadata handling is currently broken, so I canβt use it to just crop photos for iNaturalist. Once thatβs fixed, thoughβ¦
Subway Tooterβ β β β―ͺβExtremely customizable, capable, cluttered and complex. Also extremely frustrating to use, especially on a phone. Better on a tablet where thereβs room for more columns at a time.
Three Rental CarsWhile my car was in the shop recently, I rented three very different cars: a Ford Edge SUV, a Chevy Bolt EV, and a Ford Mustang.
Ungoogled Chromiumβ β β β―ͺβThis takes Chromium and removes everything that connects to Google servicesβ¦including things like safe browsing and the extension store.
UTMβ β β β―ͺβA simple application wrapped around macOSβ built-in virtualization and emulation capabilities. Fewer bells and whistles than the commercial options, but works better for some purposes.
Virt-Managerβ β β β―ͺβA front-end manager for Linuxβs built-in virtualization/emulation (QEMU and KVM, using libvirt). Much more customizable than Boxes, but missing a few convenience features.
Wayback Machine Browser Extensionβ β β β βUseful for when you want to make sure the pages youβre reading will still be around in some form in the future, and to easily get at additional context. Checks every page you view against the Wayback Machine, so turn it off when youβre not using it.
Whalebird (Mastodon client)A simple desktop app for Mastodon and (most) compatible Fediverse servers. Fast, runs on multiple platforms.
Windows 10 Mail and Calendar (discontinued)β β β β―ͺβNot a bad email client. Snappy, works with multiple accounts. Some issues with Nextcloud calendar and contacts. So of course itβs been discontinued in favor of Outlook.
WordPress Block Editorβ ββββThis is not distraction-free writing. Every time I try to use it I get frustrated and switch back to the classic editorβ¦because I can USE it.