In General:

• Stay away from social media. When really necessary, just use a private messenger suggested below.
• If you can't remove it later, then don't put it online.
• Avoid unauthorized access:
  • Use a password manager to set strong and complex passwords.
  • Use encryption whenever possible.
  • Don't leave your devices unattended.
  • Don't plug in random stuff in your devices.
  • Disable Bluetooth, WiFi, etc, when not required. Turn on Airplane mode as much as possible.
  • Be very stingy with the permissions you grant to users or apps on your network or devices.

• 📱 Phone:
  • Graphene OS

    
    GrapheneOS is the best choice when it comes to privacy and security. GrapheneOS is a Privacy and Security-focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility developed as a non-profit open source project. It's focused on the research and development of privacy and security technology, including substantial improvements to sandboxing, exploit mitigations, and the permission model. It recently added support for sandboxed play services.
    
    If you can't get a pixel then avoid using ROMs that require you to keep the bootloader unlocked and stick to your stock ROM.
• 💻 PC:
  • 🐧 GNU/Linux
    
    A Linux distribution is an operating system made from a software collection that is based upon the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. (Rolling releases are preferred over stable release distros).
    • Beginner/Migrating from Windows or MacOS:
      • Fedora

        
        Fedora is an operating system developed as a community project and sponsored by Red Hat (a subsidiary of IBM). It prefers flatpak as a dominant packaging style. It follows a semi-rolling release cycle. Each Fedora release is supported for one year, with a new version released every 6 months. It tends to be very up to date both in terms of applications and the Linux kernel itself. If you are worried that you many unintentionally break your system, then have a look at Fedora Silverblue (uses GNOME) or Fedora Kinoite (uses KDE). Both of which are immutable variants of Fedora with a strong focus on container workflows.
    • Already knowledgeable about linux:
      • Arch Linux

        
        Arch Linux is an independently developed, x86-64 general purpose GNU/Linux distribution versatile enough to suit any role. Development focuses on simplicity, minimalism, and code elegance. Arch is installed as a minimal base system, configured by the user upon which their own ideal environment is assembled by installing only what is required or desired for their unique purposes. GUI configuration utilities are not officially provided, and most system configuration is performed from the shell by editing simple text files. Arch strives to stay bleeding edge, and typically offers the latest stable versions of most software.

• Requires phone number but easy to begin with:
  • Signal

    
    Signal is a mobile app developed by Signal Messenger LLC. Supported by a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The app provides instant messaging, as well as voice, and video calling. All communications are E2EE unless you choose to send as SMS. Its protocol is the gold standard for encryption and has also been independently audited. It now supports User Names for communications without exchanging phone numbers.
• Doesn't require phone number or even email address in most cases:
  • Element

    
    Element is the best client for the Matrix network. The Matrix open standard is an open-source audited standard for secure, decentralized, real-time communication. Most other services can be bridged to it, giving you a single place to get and send all your messages.

• Proton:
  • Proton Mail

    
    ProtonMail is an email service with a focus on privacy, encryption, security, and ease of use. They have been in operation since 2013. ProtonMail is based in Genève, Switzerland. Accounts start with 500 MB of storage with their free plan. They offer aliases too.
  • Proton Calendar

    
    Proton Calendar, an encrypted calendar service, is accessible to Proton users through web or mobile applications. The service offers automatic end-to-end encryption of all data, sharing capabilities, import/export options, and more. Free-tier users can manage three calendars, while paid subscribers have access to up to 25 calendars. Enhanced sharing features are exclusively available to paid subscribers.
• Tuta:
  • Tutanota Mail

    
    Tutanota is an email service with a focus on security and privacy through the use of encryption. Tutanota has been in operation since 2011 and is based in Hanover, Germany. Accounts start with 1GB of storage with their free plan.
  • Tutanota Calendar

    
    Tuta provides a complimentary encrypted calendar on their supported platforms. The calendar includes features such as automatic end-to-end encryption of all data, sharing options, import/export capabilities, multi-factor authentication, and more. Access to multiple calendars and advanced sharing features is restricted to users with paid subscriptions.

• Offline:
  • KeePass (Android) (Desktop)

    
    KeePass is a free open source password manager. Passwords can be stored in an encrypted database on your device, which can be unlocked with one master key. Along with that, KeePass can also be used for 2FA, too.
    
• Online:
  • Bitwarden

    
    Bitwarden is among the easiest and safest solutions to store all of your logins and passwords while conveniently keeping them synced between all of your devices. If you don't want to use the Bitwarden cloud, you can easily host your own Bitwarden server.

• DNS

  
  Quad9 is a free service that replaces your default ISP or enterprise Domain Name Server (DNS) configuration. They have a strict Zero-logging policy offering DNS over HTTPS (DoH) and DNS over TLS (DoT), with QNAME minimization. Quad9 is operated by the Quad9 Foundation, a Swiss public-benefit, not-for-profit foundation with the purpose of improving the privacy and cybersecurity of Internet users, headquartered in Zurich. It is the only global public resolver which is operated not-for-profit, in the public benefit. Quad9 is entirely subject to Swiss privacy law, and the Swiss government extends that protection of law to Quad9's users throughout the world, regardless of citizenship or country of residence. Quad9 is currently the only global recursive resolver which is not subject to United States law.

• Paid tier only:
  • Mullvad VPN (Highly Recommended)

    
    Mullvad is a fast and inexpensive VPN with a serious focus on transparency and security. They have been in operation since 2009. Mullvad is based in Sweden and does not have a free trial. They accept Bitcoin, cash, bank wire, credit card, PayPal, and Swish.
  • 

    
    IVPN is a VPN service offered by Privatus Limited based in Gibraltar. Privatus Limited has been independently audited by cure53 and has undergone a no-logging audit and a comprehensive pentest report. They Accept Bitcoin, Monero, and Cash as payment methods and all of their clients are open source as well.
• Free tier available:
  • ProtonVPN

    
    ProtonVPN has been in operation since 2016. ProtonVPN is based in Switzerland and offers a limited free pricing tier, as well as premium options.

• Prioritizing Privacy:
  • TOR Browser

    
    Tor Browser is the choice if you need anonymity. This browser provides you with access to the Tor Bridges and Tor Network, along with extensions that can be automatically configured to fit its three security levels - Standard, Safer and Safest (you change any setting other than these at your own peril).
• Prioritizing Securtiy:
  • Brave Browser

    
    Brave Browser has some of the best privacy defaults and includes a built-in content blocker. Brave is built upon the Chromium web browser project, so it should feel familiar and have minimal website compatibility issues.

• Joplin

  
  Joplin is a free, open-source, and fully-featured note-taking and to-do application which can handle a large number of markdown notes organized into notebooks and tags. It offers end-to-end encryption and can sync through Nextcloud, Dropbox, and more. It also offers easy import from Evernote and plain-text notes.

• Works Offline:
  • LibreOffice ( Highly Recommended )

    
    LibreOffice is a free and open-source office productivity software suite, a project of The Document Foundation. It's the default Office suite installed on almost all Linux distros out of the box. It supports almost all document formats from Microsoft Office. It does everything that a complete office suite would.
  • OnlyOffice

    
    OnlyOffice is a free software office suite developed by Ascensio System SIA, a company headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It features online document editors, a platform for document management, corporate communication, mail, and project management tools. It is highly compatible with Microsoft Office. If you are looking for a complete replacement for say, Microsoft Office, then it's your best bet.
• Works Online:
  • CryptPad

    
    CryptPad provides an open-source, full-fledged office suite with all the tools necessary for productive collaboration. Applications include: Rich Text, Spreadsheets, Code/Markdown, Kanban, Slides, Whiteboard and Polls. The applications are complemented by a set of collaboration features such as chat, contacts, color by author (code/markdown), and comments with mentions (rich text). It can be self-hosted, but if you don't feel like it then CryptPad.fr is the official instance of the open-source CryptPad project. It is administered by XWiki-SAS, the employee-owned French company which created and maintains the product.

• OnionShare

  
  OnionShare is an open-source tool that lets you securely and anonymously share a file of any size. It works by starting a web server accessible as a Tor onion service, with an unguessable URL that you can share with the recipients to download or send files.

• DuckDuckGo

  
  DuckDuckGo is the most popular private search engine and is the default for the Tor Browser. The company is based in the USA.
• Search

  
  Brave Search is an independently indexed search engine by Brave that is optimized against Google. Its recommended that you disable Anonymous usage metrics from settings as it is enabled by default. Brave states that no personally identifiable information is collected. Other metrics that are processed including your IP, are disposed off and not retained. It is the default search engine in Brave Browser. The company is based in the USA.
  

• With heavy dependence on Server:
  • Nextcloud

    
    Nextcloud is a suite of free and open-source client-server software for creating your own file hosting services on a private server you control or using others who do. It also comes with end-to-end encryption (E2EE). They provide web office, calls, meetings, calendar, contacts, file storage, and much more.
    
  • Proton Drive

    
    Proton Drive is an E2EE general file storage service by the popular encrypted email provider Proton Mail.
• Without much dependence on Server (Between two end points):
  • Syncthing

    
    Syncthing is an open-source and peer-to-peer software. It can be used to synchronize files between two or more devices over the network, be it a local network or the internet. It uses the Block Exchange Protocol to transfer data between devices after encrypting it with TLS.
    

• 

  
  Rust Desk is a remote desktop software; the open source TeamViewer alternative, works out of the box, no configuration required. You have full control of your data, with no concerns about security. You can use a public rendezvous/relay server, or self-hosting, or write your own server.
  

• LBRY

  
  LBRY is a client for LBRY network. LBRY is a decentralized video sharing network. It uses two of the most powerful censorship-resistant technologies (a BitTorrent-like network to store the video content and a blockchain to store the indexes for those videos). The LBRY desktop and Android clients are recommended with analytics disabled. They help you stream videos from the LBRY network, and store your subscription list in your own LBRY account.

• 🖥️ Desktop:
  • FreeTube

    
    FreeTube, a no-cost and open-source desktop tool designed for YouTube, stores your subscription roster and playlists directly on your device while in use. By default, FreeTube prevents all YouTube ads from appearing. Moreover, FreeTube offers the option to connect with SponsorBlock, enabling you to bypass sponsored video segments for a seamless viewing experience.
• 💻 🍎 iOS / tvOS / macOS:
  • Yattee

    
    Yattee is a privacy-focused video player for iOS, tvOS, and macOS that is both free and open-source, tailored for YouTube. When utilizing Yattee, your subscription list is stored locally on your device. Before being able to utilize Yattee for YouTube viewing, additional steps are required due to limitations imposed by the App Store.
• 📱 🤖 Android:
  • NewPipe

    
    NewPipe is a free and open-source Android app that supports YouTube, SoundCloud, media.ccc.de, Bandcamp, and PeerTube. When using NewPipe, your subscription list and playlists are stored locally on your Android device.