2025 was a year that I made a lot of changes regarding what computer software and tools I use for reasons of cost, privacy and more.
Microsoft
At the beginning of 2025 things went seriously south with Microsoft when they announced they would hike the annual charge for 365 to pay for the AI tools I never use. There was no consultation, no warning; they opted users in rather than let them upgrade if they needed it. Microsoft Outlook had also been going downhill with a more or less featureless program compared with others.
Replace with:
LibreOffice which is a free open source package of software including Word, Excel and Access equivalents. Not only do I have the feel-good factor of using an open source program but the programs appear to be better than the Microsoft ones.
eM Client is my replacement for email. I did try Apple Mail but the response times were really slow downloading emails etc. I also tried Thunderbird but despite improvements it still felt dated.
TapForms I have been using for quite some time. It’s a database tool in which I created my own type of CRM. Now I have no need to have multiple apps for clients, contacts, tasks and more as I manage it all in one database. The backing up features are good so there is hardly any risk of losing my data.
myTello is a replacement for Skype. I made calls via Skype to the UK but Microsoft scrapped that. I found a service called myTello which has a better solution than Skype ever did, for example, call from your landline or through their app. I am very happy with this service.
In other words, parting ways with Microsoft has created new benefits for me and of course saved me money.
Adobe
Another company that kept hiking prices year by year but especially this year again to pay for their AI development. I had no issues with the actual software, it was just the pricing was too high, maybe ok for corporations but not for individuals or small businesses.
Replace with:
Affinity. I bought version two of the three programs Photo, Publisher and Designer. There was a little learning curve but mainly finding where they had put tools for common tasks. They are very decent programs. Later in 2025 the amalgamated all three programs into one and made them free, they would make money from AI subscriptions that you can opt into if you want, not forced into it like Adobe or Microsoft. This company also has a feel-good factor and I believe they really are more customer focused.
Davinci Resolve. A movie making program like Adobe Premier Pro but they have a free or non-subscription model. The program is pretty easy to use for basic stuff but with a learning curve for more advance actions. I am enjoying using this program and look forward to getting to know it better. I can see long term I would need to paid for program, maybe in the new year.
Genius Scan. I used Adobe Scan for a while, it was really awful. I found this cute app for my phone called Genius Scan, its brilliant. For larger scanning jobs I use my printers scanner.
Messenger Services
I dumped WhatsApp and Telegram. WhatsApp, owned by Meta, I don’t believe is privacy friendly at all for reasons I won’t go into here. Telegram had some controversies and deleted my account there.
Replace with:
Signal and Session are now my go to messenger apps, again more people and privacy focused companies/non-profits. I’m not keen on messenger type services but I have them just in case.
Cloud
I rarely use Cloud services now. I believe its becoming more risky to put too much in the cloud, not only from an availability perspective but also privacy as well.
Replace with:
My own external hard drives.
Browsers
Google is another company that is becoming a bad actor. Google collects an extensive amount of data when you use any of their products such as Chrome and Gmail. The money they want to make appears to be more important than protecting their customers. Firefox, part of the Mozilla organisation, has even been criticised for its advertising, potential data collection and AI.
Replace with:
LibreWolf is my favourite browser, an off-shoot of Firefox but with privacy lockdown. I tried Vivaldi but have quite a few problems with it such as playback of my asian movie website subscription.
Social Media
Mastodon is still the best place to be. I came off Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads some time ago, and don’t miss it. There is a Canadian orientated one called Eh and an upcoming one called Gander; will see what they are like but I’d rather cut back on social media than become more involved – I don’t assume that many would be interested in my day to day life. Social media for me is connecting with like minded subject matter experts for which Mastodon appears best suited for me.
Summary
There is always room to make further changes to step away from commercial entities that don’t appreciate their customer base so we’ll see what 2026 brings.
