Recommended products
Short on purpose. These are the tools we'd actually hand to a friend — open source or independently audited, encrypted by default, and funded in a way that doesn't require selling you.
We don't have ads, and we are not paid — here's why we list these products
Bitwarden Password manager
Open source, independently audited, and the free tier is genuinely enough for one person. Syncs everywhere.
bitwarden.comYubiKey Hardware 2FA key
A physical key that phishing cannot defeat — an attacker needs the actual object in their hand. Buy two and keep one as a backup.
www.yubico.comSignal Messaging
End-to-end encrypted by default, run by a nonprofit, and the protocol is peer-reviewed. Collects almost no metadata.
signal.orgFirefox Browser
Blocks third-party cookies by default, not run by an ad company, and container tabs let you isolate logins from each other.
www.mozilla.org/firefoxuBlock Origin Tracker blocker
Free, open source, no "acceptable ads" program. The single highest-impact extension you can install.
github.com/gorhill/uBlockMullvad VPN VPN
Flat price, no accounts tied to your identity, accepts cash, and publishes its audits. Sells a service, not your data.
mullvad.netTor Browser Anonymity
The right tool when you need actual anonymity rather than a change of IP address. Free, and no company can be asked for your logs.
www.torproject.orgProton Mail Email
Encrypted mailbox with a workable free tier, plus aliases so you stop handing your real address to every signup form.
proton.me/mailHave I Been Pwned Breach check
Run by one person, free, and the only breach checker we'd send anyone to. It checks a partial hash of your password, so the secret never leaves your device — and it will email you when a future breach includes your address.
haveibeenpwned.comGrapheneOS Mobile OS
For people who want to go further: a hardened Android build for Pixel phones, with real per-app permission control. Requires effort.
grapheneos.orgA word of caution
No tool makes you private on its own. A password manager you never use, or a VPN you trust blindly, buys you nothing. The 10-minute lockdown matters more than anything on this page.