<![CDATA[So here’s the thing.]]>So here’s the thing. My entire life is on Proton: email, calendar, documents, VPN, all my passwords, all my ID, all my important data.

My annual subscription is up at the end of January.

If they don’t oust Andy Yen by then, I’m out. The question is where?

Infomaniak seems to offer most of what Proton does but they also use AI.

What other options are there? I’m seeing people suggesting email alternatives. But I need a whole lot more than that.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/topic/22afbf2f-df76-4b31-8e30-77d0c4cfb1dd/so-here-s-the-thing.RSS for NodeTue, 03 Nov 2026 12:35:17 GMTSat, 31 Oct 2026 09:11:25 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:02:15 GMT]]>@clacksee I have not. So far it has taken me two years to de-Google/Meta/etc. & I'm not there yet. What I'm talking about is making the decision for the process to begin. As you say, these services are deeply embedded in our lives & it's hard to untangle that mess - that makes it easy to slip into putting it off, just as long as we can find a way of telling ourselves that the water isn't hot enough yet for us to jump out of the pot. That if we wait, maybe it sorts itself out. But it won't.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://helvede.net/users/jwcph/statuses/117535181087704805https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://helvede.net/users/jwcph/statuses/117535181087704805Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:02:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:01:05 GMT]]>@enki_2931

Eurio is not opt out. It is very much present.

And does weird thing (like a blob appears and blocks everything)...

I have been with them for 10 years now.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mamot.fr/users/globcoco/statuses/117535176471316765https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mamot.fr/users/globcoco/statuses/117535176471316765Sat, 31 Oct 2026 11:01:05 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:52:46 GMT]]>@globcoco I don’t use a cloud myself, as I run my own NAS at home, and even an older PC can do the job. If you’d rather use a service, Tuta Drive, Filen and Ente Photos (for photos only) are all end-to-end encrypted. Ente’s AI features run only on your device and are optional, and Filen, as far as I know, has none. Everyone’s needs are different, so it’s worth checking what suits yours.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/enki_2931/statuses/117535143780454145https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/enki_2931/statuses/117535143780454145Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:52:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:52:07 GMT]]>@globcoco True, Infomaniak does use AI, but in a completely different way from Proton: it’s optional, hosted only in Switzerland, and not used for training. If you’d rather avoid it altogether, Tuta has publicly stated that it won’t add cloud-based AI to its email client, and as far as I know the same goes for Tuta Drive. Posteo, as far as I know, doesn’t offer any AI features either. As for cloud storage, it depends on what you need.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/enki_2931/statuses/117535141217729916https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/enki_2931/statuses/117535141217729916Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:52:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:50:55 GMT]]>@clacksee A while ago I compiled a list of options for "de-Googling", annotated with what stuff they offer: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O3QsPC_oo3FzT267CrD9ozA7IsscsEqQfkDmzTI2emc/edit?usp=sharing Perhaps that is also useful for you?

Also really like AlternativeTo for this purpose.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://neuromatch.social/users/iris/statuses/117535136504569546https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://neuromatch.social/users/iris/statuses/117535136504569546Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:50:55 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:48:03 GMT]]>@clacksee I'm in the same boat, guess that what you get by having all your eggs in the same basket. From now on I'm gonna separate the services, it's a pain but at least next time something lie this happens I don't have to move everything at once.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/damienkuntz/statuses/117535125259219953https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.social/users/damienkuntz/statuses/117535125259219953Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:48:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:46:42 GMT]]>@clacksee in case you haven't seen already. You can submit a cancellation (and reason) while you've got an active subscription and you'll retain your current status until your renewal date. Just cancelled mine (finishes in April) while I look for alternatives. Wanted to ensure they saw the cancellation and reason immediately.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://kind.social/users/markisherwood/statuses/117535119935731523https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://kind.social/users/markisherwood/statuses/117535119935731523Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:46:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:45:14 GMT]]>@clacksee They don't say don't put all of your eggs into one basket for no reason. Unfortunately, this will also mean more work and less integration between services.

Start with small stuff like password managers, since moving everything at once will be overwhelming.

Email -> Posteo (with Thunderbird)
VPN -> iVPN
Password manager -> Bitwarden or KeePassXC

Not sure about the rest, but I found https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tools/ to be a great resource.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://ieji.de/ap/users/116374188720892105/statuses/117535114160541133https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://ieji.de/ap/users/116374188720892105/statuses/117535114160541133Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:45:14 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:40:34 GMT]]>@dalias Thanks for the heads-up, I wasn’t aware of this. I’m on Debian 13 and I installed KeePassXC from Flathub (2.8.0), not the Debian package (2.7.10). I’ll check what changed between the two and then decide what to do.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/enki_2931/statuses/117535095814591407https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.uno/users/enki_2931/statuses/117535095814591407Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:40:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:38:03 GMT]]>@clacksee infomaniak is gone full ai too.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://tabletop.social/users/mxfraud/statuses/117535085931748441https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://tabletop.social/users/mxfraud/statuses/117535085931748441Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:38:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:34:08 GMT]]>@clacksee mailbox.org does everything on your list except VPN.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://digitalcourage.social/users/genodeftest/statuses/117535070511640346https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://digitalcourage.social/users/genodeftest/statuses/117535070511640346Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:34:08 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:28:42 GMT]]>@enki_2931 @clacksee

I am with Infomaniak and look for a way out.

They are also into AI

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mamot.fr/users/globcoco/statuses/117535049174901219https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mamot.fr/users/globcoco/statuses/117535049174901219Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:28:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:26:25 GMT]]>@clacksee A bundled/integrated system is *always* going to be like this. The whole point is making you feel like your whole life is on there so it's hard to move.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dalias/statuses/117535040201823405https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dalias/statuses/117535040201823405Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:26:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:24:12 GMT]]>@enki_2931 @clacksee KeePass is slopped now. ChiPass is the trustworthy fork of KeePassXC.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dalias/statuses/117535031463562172https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://hachyderm.io/users/dalias/statuses/117535031463562172Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:24:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:22:23 GMT]]>@clacksee@wandering.shop some reasonable imo recommendations:
- Mail + Files + Calendar: Fastmail
- Passwords: Bitwarden
- VPN: imo not really needed for 99% of cases but AirVPN

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://sk.not-a.cat/notes/asztgk2px7yk06phhttps://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://sk.not-a.cat/notes/asztgk2px7yk06phSat, 31 Oct 2026 10:22:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:21:59 GMT]]>@mikerspencer @protonprivacy
Yeah, same. I have two main email accounts but I’ve also got a gazillion aliases. I thought I was being so clever setting those up. But now they’re going to complicate moving.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117535022775785956https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117535022775785956Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:21:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:17:58 GMT]]>@noodle
Yeah, you raise an interesting point. I have two main email addresses. Both are currently Proton on the back end, but one is on my domain. The other is a proton-branded email. I think I might start using a personal domain so that when I have to switch in future, it’s less of a hassle.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117535006979116295https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117535006979116295Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:17:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:15:20 GMT]]>@jwcph
Spoken like someone with a whole lot of time on his hands.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117534996577547695https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117534996577547695Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:15:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:14:23 GMT]]>@clacksee @mikerspencer
That’s a great call - my annual renewal is next month too.
So disappointed that @protonprivacy is putting AI obsession over security and quality engineering practices, not to mention unacceptable treatment of staff.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://appdot.net/users/ukhaiku/statuses/117534992890135686https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://appdot.net/users/ukhaiku/statuses/117534992890135686Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:14:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:06:34 GMT]]>@enki_2931
That’s the same as where Proton was a year ago, though. Just saying…

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117534962133649660https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://wandering.shop/users/clacksee/statuses/117534962133649660Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:06:34 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:04:41 GMT]]>@clacksee

Currently I use:

Tuta and Murena for email
NextCloud for cloud and calendar
Privamatic and Tor VPN for hardening and VPN
NextCloud for Passwords

As an FYI Murena actually uses NextCloud, which enable you to have all your documents, passwords, email, photos, calendar in one place and accessible via NextCloud apps and with a free tier available as well.

@protonprivacy

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://lgbtqia.space/users/alexadeswift/statuses/117534954715091165https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://lgbtqia.space/users/alexadeswift/statuses/117534954715091165Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:04:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:03:12 GMT]]>@clacksee I think you can not evade 'AI' code in any widespread service now. It's becoming a competitive advantage. It's just not the right time for companies to boast about it yet.

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://kompost.cz/users/zatrsakr/statuses/117534948903330856https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://kompost.cz/users/zatrsakr/statuses/117534948903330856Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:03:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:01:53 GMT]]>@clacksee
Good shout on monthly, I hadn't thought of that as an option.

It's not going to be quick as I've a few addresses to migrate...
@protonprivacy

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.scot/users/mikerspencer/statuses/117534943706279893https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://mastodon.scot/users/mikerspencer/statuses/117534943706279893Sat, 31 Oct 2026 10:01:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to So here’s the thing. on Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:51:25 GMT]]>@clacksee If you want passwords, calendar, documents, up to 20GB of storage, and more you can use our trade-free Nextcoud at files.trom.tf . We run several such services no strings attached, purely free. We were floating the idea to provide trom.tf email accounts as well but I am afraid people may abuse that service. As for VPN we use RiseUpVPN tromjaro.com/riseupvpn/ for our TROMjaro Linux Distro tromjaro.com/

I hope it helps you!
RE: tromjaro.com/riseupvpn/

]]>https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://social.trom.tf/objects/dbc8dc44-186a-e5ba-1d80-c50365946003https://forum.fedi.dk/post/https://social.trom.tf/objects/dbc8dc44-186a-e5ba-1d80-c50365946003Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:51:25 GMT