Hey everyone!

So, I’ve made some small progress in switching things up on my Android:

Replaced  Gmail app with Thunderbird
Replaced Google Calendar with FOSSify Calendar
Replaced Google Play Store with Aurora & F-Droid
Replaced  Android file manager with FOSSify File Manager
Replaced  Android keyboard with Heliboard

But now I’m hitting a wall trying to find  ones on root of problem:
free replacement for Gmail
free Google Calendar alternative that works well
 on both Android and via Thunderbird    Windows

Self-hosting isn’t really an option for me, so I’d love to hear your suggestions!

If you’ve found something you really like, please share your experiences.

Thanks!

UPDATE

just started a free account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc

also found a community group at https://www.reddit.com/r/Infomaniak/ will search if any group here as well

  • davidebro@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    15 days ago

    There isn’t a thing such as free. You pay with your data. I’m currently trying out the 7-day trial of StartMail. I use Tuta right now, but I see that StartMail offers disposable email beside their normal private email option. I can give you an update if you want after 7 days?

  • Ungraded@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    12 days ago

    In addition to an email provider I would also reccomend a service like https://addy.io/.

    It creates email aliases that forward to your real email address. So you never have to give out you real mail address to any service. If you create a new mail address for every service you use you can easily deactivate it in case it gets spammed. Also you know that the service sold your data or got hacked if the mail gets spam.

    Another benefit is that in case the CEOof your current email provider turns out to be a dick you can just go to another provider by changing the mail address where Addy.io forwards your other mails to.

  • myrmidex@slrpnk.net
    0·
    15 days ago

    I would recommend against Proton, it’s just a matter of time before their CEO starts tweeting again.

    Calendar+contacts: use Baikal

    As for email, I went with a cheap no frills service like migadu

    • Flmaker@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      15 days ago

      I would recommend against Proton, it’s just a matter of time before their CEO starts tweeting again. I kind of agree on Proton, besides it has no free version works with Thunderbird email/calendar integration

      Calendar+contacts: use Baikal that is a self -hosting one if I am correct as I mentioned earlier as follows : Self-hosting isn’t really an option for me"

  • xyro@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    15 days ago

    I use proton, but I think the calendar is a paid option. Tuta seems to include the calendar in their free tier Side note, I used to selfhost my mails, but over time this became a pain and I would not recommend anymore

    • smeg@feddit.ukEnglish
      0·
      15 days ago

      Proton calendar is free, though you’re limited to the different colours you can use and the number of third-party calendars you can add

  • Kualdir@feddit.nl
    0·
    15 days ago

    For email provider Infomaniak provides as good of a service as google for free and their paid sub is 2 euros a month for 1TB of cloud storage. They’ve been a great alternative for me. Just need to find a calendar app you like if you want to use their calendar as it doesn’t have a mobile app.

    Edit: Also I suggest getting your own domain and using that email instead so switching is easier in the future. You can set up gmail to infomaniak forwarding in Gmail settings (reply if you need help with it)

    I got myself kualdir.eu for 9 euros a year and infomaniak handles the rest. Got 2 inboxes and can add aliases if I want to use those. Can always transfer the domain elsewhere if I want to switch and don’t have to worry about changing my email everywhere again.

    • JAdsel@lemmy.wtfEnglish
      0·
      15 days ago

      Seconding this. I’m also using Infomaniak here with my own domain, and would definitely recommend it. Their free tier comes with 15GB cloud storage on top of the 20GB mailbox cap, which is better than a lot. I’m more focused on data privacy these days, and haven’t seen anything concerning about their service so far.

      Infomaniak offers their own mail app for Android, but the accounts are easy enough to set up over IMAP in whatever client you prefer. I’ve been favoring FairEmail personally. The same developer is behind NetGuard, which you might also find handy if you’re on stock Android. (I’m using GrapheneOS now, which already has app network access control covered.)

      • Flmaker@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
        0·
        14 days ago

        just started an account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc

        also found a community group at https://www.reddit.com/r/Infomaniak/ will search if any group here as well

    • easily3667@lemmus.orgEnglish
      0·
      15 days ago

      If you’re really pinching pennies you can get a 6-digit.xyz account on namecheap for 85c (ex:123456.xyz)

    • Flmaker@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      14 days ago

      just started an account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc

      also found a community group at https://www.reddit.com/r/Infomaniak/ will search if any group here as well

      • Kualdir@feddit.nl
        0·
        14 days ago

        I used ik.me before going to my own email and no issues with any site, its a valid email if they have issues with it honestly just take your business elsewhere cause if they can’t get an email validation figured out what else can’t they do well 😂

  • rpl6475@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    14 days ago

    Proton or Tuta should suit your needs for email and calendar. Native apps are decent too.

  • Matt@lemmy.ml
    0·
    13 days ago

    Android file manager

    It is a part of core AOSP, you don’t need to change it. And this may be controversial, but try Proton.

  • Steve@communick.newsEnglish
    0·
    15 days ago

    Why are you switching from Google? Is it privacy and data collection? Anything you switch to, will charge you, or sell your data. That’s just how it works.

    Free isn’t a business model. Money needs to come from somewhere. If it’s not coming from you, it’ll be someone else.

  • JASN_DE@feddit.org
    0·
    15 days ago

    free

    That’s the thing, the Google services are only free on paper, you’re basically paying with your data.

    Get yourself a reliable paid email provider. Many of them are 10-15 moneys per year.

  • puntinoblue@lemmy.ml
    0·
    15 days ago

    Proton has a free tier for email, calendar, Drive, password manager. They may do other things too but those are the 4 that I use.

  • Hossenfeffer@feddit.ukEnglish
    0·
    11 days ago

    I’ve moved to infomaniak too (also using Thunderbird), though I’ve gone for the first tier of paid account which lets me use my own domain for my email address. Been super happy so far. Instead of firstname.lastname@gmail.com I now have firstname@lastname.uk. Which is better. Might cash up to the next tier which will let me have multiple email addresses so I can let the wife and kids share in the glory.

    Only downside is iOS so far. I’ve got an iPhone 15 which is less than a year old so I won’t be changing it anytime soon. Sadly Thunderbird doesn’t have an iOS app so I’m using Apple’s own mail app for the moment but I’d love to move to a European email app if there are any on iOS. My next phone probably won’t be an iPhone. Or an Android.

    Any suggestions for an iOS European FOSS email app?

    • Flmaker@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      10 days ago

      I’ve got a free account to test it for now. I could get another free one if I delete the first one according to the help files. I have a domain name already if I set the email through my domain host to infomaniak, will I be charged for that or having one email would still be free?

      • Hossenfeffer@feddit.ukEnglish
        0·
        10 days ago

        I transferred registration of my domain to infomaniak which costs about the same per year as it did with my previous domain registrar. The single email address is free on that basis.

  • ThePooDragon@lemmy.world
    0·
    15 days ago

    You are not going to get a free email service that respects your privacy, as others have said if it’s free you are the product.

    I went with fastmail over encrypted alternatives like proton and tuta because they don’t support using IMAP to connect with your email client of choice (Thunderbird android/windows) and that convenience was more important to me than the encryption. Fastmail also has calendar and contacts which you can also connect to Thunderbird.

    Also if you are going through the effort of changing email providers then now would be a good time to look into buying your own domain to use in order to decouple your address from the email provider.

    • Flmaker@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      0·
      14 days ago

      just started an account with infomaniak so far happy with infomaniak except the free email extensions like @ik.me @etik.com or @ikmail.com addresses whether will be accepted / recognized by institutions like banks etc

      also found a community group at https://www.reddit.com/r/Infomaniak/ will search if any group here as well

  • Hyunta🫥@discuss.tchncs.de
    0·
    15 days ago

    I’m an early adopter of the Proton services, I always payed a subscription. The free plan could almost correspond to me, but as I can afford it I prefer to support them and free users 😁 one of the thing I love is Pass (password/key vault) and the ‘Hide my email’ function. The free plan let’s you use every app : https://proton.me/pricing