Photo by Tahmeed Ahmad on Unsplash.

If you've ever visited my Creative Room here before, you probably already know that I've been working to disentangle myself from the US-based big tech eco system. There are a variety of reasons for this, but they're best summed up as "Trump and digital self-reliance".

The digital economy runs on attention and good old fashioned money. We, as consumers, should can choose where to direct ours. So here are 5 European apps that I've used to wean myself off US tech companies.

#5: DeepL

Type: Translations

Alternative for: Google Translate

Cost: Free or paid plans

Country: Germany

I travel regularly, and I both work and socialise with people who speak a bunch of different languages. This made Google Translate an indispensable tool for me, but Google is Google, so I needed alternative. DeepL fits the bill, offering text or image translations, plus the ability to play audio of the translated text.

#4: Joplin

Type: Notes

Alternative for: Google Notes

Cost: €2.40 per month for a basic plan

Country: France

Being able to sync notes from my phone to my computer, and vice versa, just makes life easier. This isn't an app I use every day, but I'd certainly miss not having it to store my shopping lists, address book, and random notes I've made for myself. Joplin allows for text and multimedia notes, it uses France-based cloud storage, and it syncs seamlessly.

Photo by Yellow Cactus on Unsplash.

#3: HERE WeGo

Type: Maps

Alternative for: Google Maps, Apple Maps

Cost: Free

Country: Netherlands

GPS has been a game changer when it comes to getting around, and for the past 10+ years I've used map apps to walk, bike, drive, and take public transport. The HERE WeGo maps don't update as quickly as mainstream alternatives, and it relies on users to update business/shop addresses and opening times, etc. But it's good enough, and it works well with Android Auto, so it has quickly become my go-to app for getting around.

#2: Proton Drive

Type: Cloud storage

Alternative for: OneDrive, Google Drive/Photos

Cost: 5GB Free

Country: Switzerland

I take a lot of photos on my phone, and it's nice to know I'm not going to lose them if I drop my phone in the toilet. I have a paid plan because I'm using way more than 5GB, but the costs are comparable to mainstream alternatives, and my photos sync pretty seamlessly, meaning I can also view them on my PC. It's not like Google Photos where you can tap a photo of your friend's cat and see your other photos of that cat, but I can live without that.

Photo by Rirri on Unsplash.

#1: Linux Mint

Type: OS

Alternative for: Windows, Mac

Cost: Free

Country: Ireland

Okay, this one is a bit of a wildcard for two reasons- it isn't an app and it's European credentials aren't clear cut either, but hear me out. When people think Linux as an operating system, they tend to assume that it's complicated, and requires you to have a lot of skills and know-how. But Linux Mint is comfortingly familiar, visually resembling other common operating systems for desktop PCs and laptops. It's free to download, and frees you from the binary choice between Microsoft or Apple, with no coding knowledge required. On paper, Linux Mint is registered in Ireland, but it's open source with contributors from around the world, so that's good enough for me.

While you're freeing your phone from dependence on US-based big tech, you may as well free your PC too.