5d ago

Made Little Progress in Switching from Google, But Stuck on the root of the problem

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27977693

Hey everyone!
So, I've made some small progress in switching things up on my Android:
 
        Replaced  Gmail app with Thunderbird
    Replaced Google Calendar with FOSSify Calendar
    Replaced Google Play Store with Aurora & F-Droid
    Replaced  Android file manager with FOSSify File Manager
    Replaced  Android keyboard with Heliboard

    But now I’m hitting a wall trying to find ones on root of problem:
    free replacement for Gmail
    free Google Calendar alternative that works well
     on both Android and via Thunderbird    Windows 


  
Self-hosting isn’t really an option for me, so I’d love to hear your suggestions!
If you’ve found something you really like, please share your experiences.
Thanks!

UPDATE

just started a free account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc

also found a community group at https://www.reddit.com/r/Infomaniak/ will search if any group here as well

24 comments

As far as I know there is no good free way to use Thunderbird. Protonmail blocks Thunderbird behind a paywall and tuta doesn't let you use Thunderbird at all you will probably have to make a compromise there.
- thank you I did that joined free version of infomaniak works on thunderbird

Gmail is not free. You pay with your data. How much is your data worth to you? spend that in a service like Mailbox.org, Posteo.de, or any other that respects your privacy.
- I agree, they would be the last resort for me

Proton.me or tuta.com though neither will work with thunderbird (proton offers a bridge for paid subscribers)

I use Nextcloud's calendar, which works with any client that's compatible with CalDAV, and my ISP's email service with AnonAddy and SimpleLogin redirects.
- Nextcloud’s calendar,
  Caldav sounds great as I sync my android calendar app ok as well as perhaps I could integrate it into my thunderbird in Windows
  do they offer a calendar space for you to integrate or it is a self-hosted option only as Self-hosting isn’t really an option for me
  
  Nextcloud offers a free account for home users through one of their partner companies, if you go to their signup page. That includes storage space, calendar access, and the ability to sync your calendar & contacts. If you want to pick your own provider, there are reviews on many in the Nextcloud forum. I've used Woelkli's Nextcloud instance for years and never had any problem with them, but I think they may not currently be open to new accounts.
  
  They do have a a plan for corporations, for other end users the main path is self-hosting. Which is not hard, alternatively, there are known provides that you can sign up with, however. Most of them are paid services. In general, in one way or another have to pay for things, nothing is 100% free.
  However there may be some free services but they are likely very limited or there is the issue of whether you want to trust them with your data.

There's infomaniak which provides something like the Google Suite called kSuite. They also have a email service that does support IMAP/POP3 which would allow you to use Thunderbird.
Btw will you switch to Linux?
- UPDATE just started a free account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc
- I was considering infomaniak until I have read some comment , user cannot get a solution or a response because of some emergency situation Please share your experiences with infomaniak. No to linux since many apps I have depends on windows I am afraid
  
  I have no experience. I just know that they do provide the kSuite.

free replacement for Gmail
have you tried infomaniak? They also have a calendar and an online office suite... and their free plan is nice (paid user here) ;)
- Thank you indeed just started a free account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc
- I was considering that until I have read come user comment saying that user could not contact them at all when some mulfunction have you had a good experience as a paid user, please share your experience if you could,
  
  Experience is great so far but I have send my very first help request... yesterday evening. Will see when/if I get an answer, but it's not even about any issue just a question about some stuff I could not understand ;)

There is no viable alternative to Gmail. That's why its still as popular as it is despite privacy concerns.

24 comments