3 reasons why I want to ditch Google, and 3 reasons why I can’t

Google apps are everywhere — Gemini has commandeered the power button on Android, most of us use Gmail daily, and Google Calendar remains an essential productivity tool for many. But with the company’s products being so ubiquitous, some people have been pushing to de-Google their lives.

I’m one of the people trying to claw back my life from Google, desperately searching for alternatives where I can. And yet, the company’s apps and services continue to have a hold on me.

I wasn’t always so skeptical of Google — I used to embrace its apps and ecosystem wholeheartedly with nary a doubt in sight. But over the years, I realized that its free offerings came with strings attached and that it could change its terms whenever it wanted.

The first time I started to doubt my investment in Google’s ecosystem was after the HUAWEI ban. This wasn’t an action taken by Google, but it made me realize just how reliant I was on the company. I didn’t want to have all my eggs in one basket. The fact that Google’s inability to work with one company could affect my hardware decisions so much became a point of concern.

I absolutely loved HUAWEI’s products. And to be clear, its hardware wasn’t banned where I live. But if I bought one of its newer devices, I would no longer be able to access Google Mobile Services without significant workarounds. This didn’t just affect my access to the Play Store or Google apps, but any app that used Google’s services. As a result, I never purchased another HUAWEI phone, despite the company regularly rolling out great hardware.

Later on, Google’s own decisions began to affect my opinion of the company and its apps. Notably, Google’s bait-and-switch approach. The company has a habit of providing great free services and waiting until enough people get invested. Then it switches things up, introducing new terms and locking previously free features behind paid plans or stricter limits.

Years later, I still resent the end of Google Photos’ unlimited free storage for compressed media. Not only because Google went back on a promise it made that led many to adopt its product, but also because Photos storage started to count towards the 15GB account quota, which included Gmail and Google Drive.

Of course, that 15GB free storage isn’t guaranteed anymore either. Some users have noticed only 5GB of free storage for new Google accounts. The company confirmed that it is testing the new limit for certain accounts. If these users want to unlock the full 15GB quota, they have to provide their phone number.

The bait-and-switch approach has also made its way to Gemini, with Google introducing new limits — including for paid plans. Limits have switched from message-based limits to compute-based limits, meaning that you’ll use up your limit much faster for more complex tasks like generating images. However, Gemini also introduced five-hour limits. This means that if you use up your limit during the five-hour window, you need to wait for it to refresh before you can continue using certain models. Considering how often Gemini makes mistakes, this is particularly frustrating.

Finally, I’m also not comfortable with one single company having so much data about me. Over the years, it has become clear just how much personal data Google harvests to feed its advertising business. Those free apps don’t come without a cost. With the company’s extensive investment in generative AI, my concerns about my data privacy have only increased.

I find myself in a situation where I pay Google for services, the company then uses some of the data from those services to train AI, and then sells those AI features back to me. I feel like I’m paying to have my data harvested, and it’s not a good feeling.

As much as I’m critical of Google’s apps and services, there are benefits to using them. Firstly, many of the alternatives are more costly. For example, I’ve looked at Proton’s suite of products as an alternative to Gmail and Google Drive, but its free plans offer much less storage. Meanwhile, Proton Drive paid plans start at $4.99 a month. For premium access to more Proton services such as Proton Mail and Proton Pass, the Proton Unlimited subscription starts at $12.99 per month.

Meanwhile, my Google One subscription starts at the equivalent of $2.16 per month for 100GB of storage. For 200GB, the equivalent pricing would be $3.26. Due to regional pricing, these prices also remain stable despite exchange rate fluctuations. While the cost differences might be negligible for people living in Western markets, they add up if you live in a developing market with a weak currency, as I do.

When it comes to using Gemini, the lack of integrations with third-party tools means I end up using Google services I had previously left behind. For example, I have a scheduled action in Gemini that recommends shows to me. When I want to add a new show to my watchlist, Gemini uses Google Keep.

Gemini’s expansive presence on Android also means that I use the service, owned by Google, more than most other AI tools. It has plenty of flaws, but it’s also one of the easiest AI tools to access and while it has limits, it’s not as restrictive as the free tier of Claude.

Finally, there’s also the convenience of using Google services. If you’re an Android user, they’re usually right there on your phone, right out of the box. Many of us have become immersed in the ecosystem over the years, making it difficult to break out. Sometimes alternatives offer more of the same, with invasive privacy policies and pushes toward paid plans. Or they attempt to lock you into their own ecosystem.

I’ve also grown used to the features Google’s services provide. I tried switching to Proton Mail for a week, and my inbox turned into chaos because it lacked certain default filters that Gmail includes. I also haven’t found a service that matches Google Photos’ search capabilities. However, this convenience comes at a significant privacy trade-off.

Popular privacy-focused alternatives are often open-source or self-hosted. But self-hosted apps, in particular, are much more involved than hosted solutions. There’s a lot more troubleshooting and maintenance to handle, and not everyone has the necessary knowledge or hardware to pursue these services. For example, Immich is a great self-hosted Google Photos alternative. While I have the skills to implement the service, unfortunately, my NAS doesn’t have enough RAM to run a server smoothly.

I’ve also missed certain integrations when it comes to alternatives. Google Calendar is widely supported by a range of productivity apps and services. More niche solutions, however, often lack support or require more involved setup or familiarity with the CalDAV standard.

It might seem like I’m throwing my hands in the air and declaring that it’s simply too difficult to quit Google services. While I’m not switching to iPhone anytime soon, I have started replacing certain Google apps with privacy-focused alternatives.

The open-source note-taking app Notesnook and a self-hosted app called Jotty Page have largely replaced Google Keep for me. The only time I’ve opened Keep in the past few months is when Gemini creates a list in the app. Speaking of Gemini, I’ve also made sure not to become too reliant on the chatbot for my workflows. My most important workflows take place in Claude, with Gemini used for more casual queries or Circle to Search.

My biggest shift, though, has been quitting Chrome. This also allowed me to stop using Google Search for the vast majority of my queries. I now enjoy a search and browser experience that isn’t filled with ads and sponsored content. I also switched to Proton Pass after relying on Google Password Manager for years.

While these are small gains, I view every one as a victory. Medication costs and the dollar exchange rate mean that some alternative services remain outside of my budget, but I’m constantly trying out new services that could help me break away from Google.

And that’s the real takeaway I would want people to have. Quitting Google apps and services isn’t easy or convenient. But what you regain in privacy, even with small changes, makes it worth the effort. It’s one thing if you really enjoy the service the company provides. But for people like me, the constant push of AI features and the resulting degrading experiences due to monetization are a source of frustration. Rather than just accepting that this would be my experience from now on, I decided to start making changes where I could.