Tools
A few good tools for each job.
PAN’s picks for each layer of the framework: what each tool is for, what it costs, whether its code is open, where it runs, and when it was last checked. For every alternative, Privacy Guides keeps the long list.
No one pays to be listed here, and none of these links earn PAN anything.
The picks
Start with one layer, or see them all.
2 Operating systems
Linux Mint
A free desktop that feels familiar to people leaving Windows.
- Free
- Open source
- Most PCs and laptops
It looks and works much like Windows, so it’s a gentle first step to Linux, and it costs nothing.
Worth knowing: Check that your printer and any software you rely on work on Linux before you switch.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Tails
A whole computer that starts from a USB stick and forgets everything when you shut it down.
- Free
- Open source
- Most PCs, started from a USB stick
For a sensitive moment: it starts clean every time, whatever is installed on the computer, and sends its internet traffic through Tor.
Worth knowing: It’s for careful, occasional use rather than everyday computing. It can’t protect you from hardware that has been tampered with, such as a hidden keylogger.
Checked 15 September 2026
4 Communications
Signal
Private messages, voice calls and video calls.
- Free
- Open source
- Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, Linux
Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default, the apps are open source, and it’s run by a nonprofit foundation.
Worth knowing: It needs a phone number to sign up, but you can set a username so other people don’t see your number.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Proton Mail
Encrypted email, with a free plan to start.
- Free, with paid plans
- Open source
- Web, Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, Linux
It’s end-to-end encrypted, the apps are open source, and the free plan covers the basics.
Worth knowing: Email to people on other services isn’t end-to-end encrypted unless you set that up for the message.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
5 Apps, browsing & services
Firefox
An open-source browser from Mozilla.
- Free
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone
It’s the browser where tracker blockers like uBlock Origin still work fully, and its code is open for anyone to check.
Worth knowing: Set Enhanced Tracking Protection to Strict, and review what it sends to Mozilla under Privacy & Security.
Checked 15 September 2026
uBlock Origin
Blocks ads and trackers in Firefox.
- Free
- Open source
- Firefox on computers and Android
Free and open source, it blocks the trackers that feed data brokers, and it works best on Firefox.
Worth knowing: Google removed it from the Chrome Web Store on 31 August 2026. In Chrome, only the separate uBlock Origin Lite is available.
Checked 15 September 2026
Brave
A browser that feels like Chrome and blocks trackers out of the box.
- Free
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone
The blocking is built in, so it works the moment it’s installed, and its code is open source.
Worth knowing: It also has a crypto wallet and rewards features. You can leave them switched off.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Mullvad Browser
A privacy browser made with the Tor Project, without the Tor network.
- Free
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux
It’s built to make you hard to fingerprint, like Tor Browser, but uses your normal connection. Free, open source, and no account needed.
Worth knowing: On its own it doesn’t hide your IP address: use it with a VPN you trust.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Tor Browser
Browse without the sites you visit seeing where you are.
- Free
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
It sends your connection through the Tor network, so websites see a Tor address instead of yours.
Worth knowing: It’s slower than a normal browser, and some sites block Tor.
Checked 15 September 2026
6 Storage & encryption
Cryptomator
Encrypts your files before they reach cloud storage.
- Free, with paid plans
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone
Files and their names are encrypted on your own device, so the cloud company only ever holds scrambled data. Open source.
Worth knowing: The computer apps are free; the phone apps cost a small fee. Save the recovery key it offers when you make a vault: a forgotten password can’t be reset.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
7 Identity & sign-in
Bitwarden
A password manager for all your devices.
- Free, with paid plans
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone, browsers
The free plan covers unlimited passwords on unlimited devices, and its code is open source.
Worth knowing: Your vault is locked on your own device before it’s stored on Bitwarden’s servers. Protect it with a long passphrase, kept on paper too, because a forgotten one can’t be reset. Turn on two-step sign-in for Bitwarden itself. To keep the vault on your own devices instead, see KeePassXC.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
KeePassXC
A password manager that keeps your passwords in an encrypted file on your own computer.
- Free
- Open source
- Windows, macOS, Linux
No company holds your passwords: the encrypted file stays wherever you keep it. Free and open source.
Worth knowing: It’s for computers. On a phone you’ll need a compatible app, and a way to keep the file in step.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Aegis Authenticator
Two-step sign-in codes for Android that stay on your phone.
- Free
- Open source
- Android
Free and open source, and your codes stay in an encrypted vault on the phone unless you export them.
Worth knowing: Android only. The codes live on the phone, so turn on its encrypted backups and keep a copy somewhere else: without one, a lost phone takes the codes with it.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Ente Auth
Two-step sign-in codes, with an encrypted backup.
- Free
- Open source
- Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, Linux, web
Free and open source, with end-to-end encrypted backups, so losing your phone doesn’t lock you out of your accounts.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
SimpleLogin
Email aliases: a different address for each site, all forwarding to your inbox.
- Free, with paid plans
- Open source
- Web, browser add-ons, Android, iPhone
A breach at one shop exposes only an alias you can switch off, not your real address. Open source.
Worth knowing: The free plan includes 10 aliases. It has been part of Proton since 2022.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
Firefox Relay
Email masks from Mozilla that forward to your real address.
- Free, with paid plans
- Open source
- Web, browser add-on
Quick to use from its browser add-on, and its code is open source.
Worth knowing: The free plan includes 5 masks.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
9 AI
Ollama
Run AI models on your own computer.
- Free
- Open source
- macOS, Windows, Linux
Free and open source. Models you run locally keep your prompts on your own machine.
Worth knowing: It also offers cloud models, hosted in the US, Europe and Singapore. Choose local models to keep everything on your computer. Bigger models need a lot of memory.
Get itSource codeOther options
Checked 15 September 2026
General information, not personal advice: read the disclaimer. Tools change, so check the maker’s own site before you rely on one.
How we choose
What a tool needs to be a PAN pick.
- Open source wherever there’s a good open-source choice, so anyone can check what it does.
- Made by people whose business isn’t selling your data.
- Still looked after: updated recently, and watched every month for new releases.
- It asks for no more than it needs, and works without an account where it can.
- Every fact is checked on the maker’s own site or code, and the date is on the card.
Why so few?
A short list you act on beats a long one you don’t. These fit most people. If your needs are different, each card links to Privacy Guides for more options.
Spotted something out of date?
Tools change fast. Tell me, and I’ll check it and update the card.