3 reasons why I want to get rid of Google and 3 reasons why I can’t

Google apps are everywhere: Gemini has taken over Android’s power button, most of us use Gmail daily, and Google Calendar is still a essential productivity tool for many. But because the company’s products are so ubiquitous, some people have been pushing for from-Google their lives.

I’m one of the people trying to get my Google life back, desperately searching for alternatives wherever I can. And yet, the company’s apps and services continue to hook me.

I wasn’t always so skeptical of Google: I used to embrace its apps and ecosystem wholeheartedly without a doubt in sight. But as the years went by, I realized that their free offers came with conditions and that I could change their terms whenever I wanted.

The first time I started to doubt my investment in the Google ecosystem was after the Huawei ban. This was not an action taken by Google, but it made me realize how dependent 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 a company could affect my hardware decisions so much became a cause for concern.

I loved HUAWEI products. And to be clear, their hardware was not banned where I live. But if you bought one of their newer devices, you would no longer be able to access Google Mobile Services without significant alternative solutions. This not only affected my access to the Play Store or Google apps, but also any apps that used Google services. As a result, I never bought another HUAWEI phone, even though the company regularly releases excellent hardware.

Later, Google’s own decisions began to affect my opinion of the company and its applications. In particular, Google’s bait-and-switch approach. The company has a habit of offering great free services and waiting until enough people invest. Then you change things up, introduce new terms, and lock previously free features behind paid plans or stricter limits.

Years later, the ending still bothers me. Unlimited free Google Photos storage for compressed media. Not only because Google broke a promise that led many to adopt its product, but also because Photos storage began counting toward the 15GB account quota, which included Gmail and Google Drive.

Of course, that free 15GB storage isn’t guaranteed either. Some users have noticed it only 5 GB 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 15 GB quota, they must provide their phone number.

The bait-and-switch approach has also reached Gemini, with Google introduces new limits – even for paid plans. Limits have changed from message-based limits to compute-based limits, which means you will use your limit much faster for more complex tasks, such as generating images. However, Gemini also introduced five-hour limits. This means that if you use up your limit during the five-hour period, you will have to wait for it to update before you can continue using certain models. Considering how often Geminis make mistakes, this is especially frustrating.

Lastly, I also don’t feel comfortable with a single company having so much data about me. Over the years, it has become clear how much personal data Google collects to fuel its advertising business. Those free apps come at a cost. With the company’s heavy 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 the AI, and then sells me those AI features. I feel like I’m paying to have my data collected and it’s not a good feeling.

As much as I am critical of Google apps and services, using them has its benefits. First, many of the alternatives are more expensive. For example, I reviewed Proton’s suite of products as an alternative to Gmail and Google Drive, but their free plans offer much less storage. Meanwhile, Proton Drive’s paid plans start at $4.99 per month. For premium access to more Proton services, such as Proton Mail and Proton Pass, 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 200 GB, the equivalent price would be $3.26. Due to regional pricing, these prices also remain stable despite exchange rate fluctuations. While the cost differences may be negligible for people living in Western markets, they add up if you live in a developing market with a weak currency, like me.

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

Gemini’s extensive presence on Android also means that I use the Google-owned service more than most other AI tools. It has many flaws, but it’s also one of the most easily accessible AI tools, and while it has limits, it’s not as restrictive as Claude’s free tier.

Finally, there is 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 get out. Sometimes alternatives offer more of the same, with invasive privacy policies and pushes toward paid plans. Or they try to lock you into their own ecosystem.

I have also gotten used to the features offered by Google services. I tried switch to Proton Mail for a weekand my inbox became a mess because it lacked certain default filters that Gmail includes. I also didn’t find a service that matches Google Photos’ search capabilities. However, this convenience comes with a significant privacy trade-off.

Popular privacy-focused alternatives are typically open source or self-hosted. But self-hosted applicationsin particular, they are much more complicated than hosted solutions. There’s a lot more troubleshooting and maintenance to handle, and not everyone has the knowledge or hardware to hire these services. For example, Immich is a great self-hosted alternative to Google Photos. While I have the skills to implement the service, unfortunately my NAS does not have enough RAM to run a server without problems.

I also missed certain integrations when it comes to alternatives. Google Calendar is widely supported by a variety of productivity apps and services. However, more specific solutions often lack support or require more complicated configuration or familiarity with the CalDAV standard.

It might seem like I’m throwing up my hands and declaring that it’s simply too difficult to get out of Google services. while I’m not switching to iPhone Soon, I began replacing certain Google apps with privacy-focused alternatives.

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

My biggest change, however, has been exit chrome. This also allowed me to stop using Google Search for the vast majority of my queries. I now enjoy a search and browsing experience that is not filled with ads or sponsored content. Me too changed to the passage of protons after relying on Google Password Manager for years.

While these are small advances, I see them all as a victory. Medication costs and the dollar exchange rate mean some alternative services are out 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’d like people to have. Signing out of Google apps and services is neither easy nor convenient. But what you get back 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 for AI features and the resulting degrading experiences due to monetization are a source of frustration. Instead of just accepting that this would be my experience from now on, I decided to start making changes where I could.