A list of applications I use, heading into 2022

These are applications that I use on a day-to-day basis and will continue to do so heading into 2022. I will update this blog post if I ever stop using an application that is listed, or I find a new application that I love to use.

Security and privacy:

1Password

I have been using 1Password for a nearly a year now and I find 1Password to be an excellent password manager for my needs. 1Password is costly compared to other password managers on the market, but the overall design and the functionality of auto filling passwords is far better than other password managers I've used in the past.

SimpleLogin

SimpleLogin has become one of my go-to tools when creating new logins on websites or services. Instead of using my real email address, I generate an email alias from either the website, app or browser extension. SimpleLogin gives me peace of mind knowing websites don't know my real email address and if they were to ever be breached, my real email remains safe. SimpleLogin is very underrated and in my opinion, a must use tool.

TokenVault by Standard Notes

It's no secret that I am heavily invested in Standard Notes' ecosystem. I run a blog from it, I create notes within the application pretty much daily and I try to stay active within the community, whether that's messaging in their Slack group or on Twitter. So why should I keep my 2FA tokens elsewhere? It's just super convenient for me to store them there and saves me a few steps in opening a dedicated authenticator app. Furthermore, my tokens are super safe in Standard Notes' Token Vault because they are protected by strong encryption.

VPN:

Mullvad VPN

In my opinion, Mullvad VPN is one of the most trusted VPNs on the market. No logging of data, open-source and no questionable history. They've been audited and have transparent pricing. You won't find the usual BS "limited time sales" like most other VPNs, and they don't pay people to say nice things about them.

Notetaking:

Standard Notes

Standard Notes has become a trusted place I can write down all of my thoughts and feelings safely. When I first downloaded Standard Notes, I never thought I would use it as much as I do today. From noting down reminders, ideas, and running my blog from within Standard Notes, I have achieved more productivity within my work and personal life. I can see myself still using Standard Notes in 50 years time. It's become an integral part of my life.

Cloud storage:

Filen

Filen is a new open-source cloud storage provider based in Germany and I've recently made the switch to it. Filen has Zero-knowledge encryption by default, it's open-source and offers generous storage plans for a reasonable price.

Cryptomator

I use Cryptomator to store sensitive documents like bank statements and bills in cloud storage providers like Google Drive. Crpytomator is open-source and essentially adds zero-knowledge encryption to services that don't have it.

Music:

Spotify

Out of any product on this list, I definitely use Spotify more than the rest. I've been using this music service for years as I just love listening to music. I've tried other music services like Deezer and Tidal but they didn't quite meet my expectations like Spotify does. I honestly think Spotify knows more about my music tastes than I know myself. (Take that as a good thing or a bad thing)

Misc:

Discord

I've been using Discord ever since it released back in 2015. It is my main communication platform to talk and hang out with friends.

Forecastie

Forecastie is an open-source weather app that uses data from OpenWeatherMap.

Imagepipe

Imagepipe is an app that removes exif data from images. I also use it to reduce image size of pictures if I need to send them over email or another service that may limit image size.

NewPipe

NewPipe is an open-source YouTube alternative for Android. I like NewPipe because it doesn't use any of Google's framework libraries or the YouTube API itself. It also makes YouTube Premium irrelevant because NewPipe has all of the features from YouTube Premium that's locked behind a paywall, for free. I can listen to videos in background mode and download those videos through the app and not have to pay £11.99 per month to do so.

Wikipedia

This is probably a something people who personally know me would not of expected to be on this list. I cannot deny the fact that I love Wikipedia. In fact, I've been donating to Wikipedia for the past 4 years because I believe in the vision that knowledge should be free for all, and Wikipedia stands for that. You'll always find the Wikipedia app on my phone as I am always wanting to find more information and gain more knowledge about anything that sparks my interest. I know that people say that Wikipedia can be unreliable, but I believe that opinion is no longer relevant for most topics. Information on the website has gotten more accurate in recent years and therefore I have more trust in Wikipedia.

Vgy(dot)me

Vgy(dot)me is a free image hosting website. It's super simple to use and it even supports ShareX. They unfortunately no longer support video uploading, but they are still one of the best out there.

What are some of your go-to applications and have you got any recommendations for me to try out? Let me know by writing in my guestbook.