Written on 6/25/26 by a human.
First off, yes, this website is hosted on Google Sites. The key word is mostly. I can't fully escape Google. My phone is OEM locked (from Verizon) and things like my Fitbit wouldn't work without Google. Also, this site wouldn't be possible without Google, as they offer FREE SSL certificates, and it's just so easy to make a site.
Keep in mind, I was not paid to talk about any of these services on here.
Getting away from the heavy data collecting services is the first place to start. I'd recommend to switch to Proton...
Proton is possibly the best first thing to switch to from Google's services. They aren't perfect as a company, but switching over is so easy. It's free for just an email, but if you want to replace the whole G-Suite, you should probably go for the $12.00/month model.
They make it easy to import data from G-Suite.
You can connect your own domain to use.
It's a LOT more secure than Google's products.
Their design language is nice.
They're trying to compete with Google, so to do that, they have to be private.
Also, remember, no service is perfect. You can't have anything as good as Google. Without all of Google's tracking of your data, you won't have as personalized of an experience.
Chrome and the Google app are probably the most bloated pieces of software to exist in their default state. I would recommend Firefox as your browser and DuckDuckGo as your search engine. They're probably the easiest things to switch to.
A browser is the app that you use your search engine on. For example, Chrome is Google's browser, and Google is their search engine.
It's like how your phone (which is most likely an iPhone) doesn't run iPhone, it runs iOS.
AI is OPTIONAL.
Advertisements are OPTIONAL.
They take your privacy seriously*.
It's easy to switch to.
*I understand that Firefox did do some shady stuff, but they've mostly recovered.
You can stay on Chrome, but you should definitely change the search engine you use to something like DuckDuckGo.
For this step to be useful, you have to know how much data Google is tracking about you. According to their page, they track...
Your searches and when you searched them.
Every website you click on.
Every video you watch.
Every place you look up on Google Maps.
Companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft also track a ton of your data.
On Windows? Switch to PopOS. You'll like it if you want a simple and clean OS.
Turn off data collection permissions from other services.
Do your own research. Everyone's different. You may like targeted ads, others may not. The internet should let you make your choices.
Keep using Google Maps, YouTube, or other Google services that you need. The reason I say this is that you don't want Degoogle-ing to make your life harder. It's meant to keep you safer, but too much safety isn't necessary, and can be harmful.
Other things you can do are...
Switch to GrapheneOS (Pixel only) or LineageOS. This can only be done on phones that aren't OEM locked.
Get away from Google's built in services (Messages, Notes, etc), and switch to Fossify's apps. I'd also highly recommend getting F-Droid or Aurora Store as a replacement for the Play Store. (Keep in mind, Aurora Store is the Play Store, just degoogled.
Switch your launcher.
Thanks for reading this! I hope you have an easy time switching away from G-Suite and Google's other services.