Recommendations

Tools I actually use and trust.

I’m an advocate for open-source software, privacy-preserving tools, and not needing to rely on fallible trust to protect your data. The most prosperous future lies in open protocols, decentralized systems, and software that respects you. Open fields, not closed gardens.

Everything below is something I genuinely use or recommend. No sponsorships, no affiliate deals — just valuable, reliable tools.

“Don’t trust, verify.”

Bitcoin

Wallets, tools & infrastructure

Hardware Wallets

Coldcard The gold standard for cold storage. Maximum security, open-source. coldcard.com → Trezor Reliable, open-source hardware wallet. Great for beginners. trezor.io →

Lightning Wallets

Zeus Powerful Lightning wallet. Connect to your own node. zeusln.com → Phoenix Self-custodial Lightning wallet. Simple and reliable. phoenix.acinq.co → Alby Browser extension and wallet. Great for Value 4 Value. getalby.com → Bull Bitcoin Non-custodial Bitcoin exchange and wallet. bullbitcoin.com → Wallet of Satoshi Easiest Lightning wallet for beginners. Non-custodial. walletofsatoshi.com →

Desktop & Infrastructure

Sparrow Best desktop Bitcoin wallet. Feature-rich, privacy-focused. sparrowwallet.com → Mempool.space Open-source Bitcoin block explorer and mempool visualizer. mempool.space → Start9 Run your own node. Sovereign, private, self-hosted. start9.com → Umbrel Personal server and node. Easy setup, open-source. umbrel.com →

General

Privacy & open-source tools

Messaging

Signal End-to-end encrypted messaging and chatting. The standard for private communication. signal.org → SimpleX No user IDs. No metadata. Maximum privacy messaging. simplex.chat →

Email & Storage

Proton Mail Encrypted email. Swiss-based, open-source, privacy-first. proton.me → Tutanota Encrypted email and calendar. Open-source alternative. tuta.com → Proton Drive Encrypted cloud storage. The private alternative to Google Drive. proton.me →

Browser & VPN

Mullvad No-logs VPN and privacy browser. Accepts Bitcoin. mullvad.net → Brave Privacy-focused browser with built-in ad blocking. brave.com → Ungoogled Chromium Chromium without Google. Maximum browser privacy. github.com → Proton VPN Open-source, no-logs VPN. Free tier available. proton.me →

Passwords, Notes & 2FA

Standard Notes Encrypted, open-source notes. Your notes, only yours. standardnotes.com → Proton Pass Open-source password manager from the Proton suite. proton.me → Bitwarden Open-source password manager. Self-hostable. bitwarden.com → Proton Authenticator 2FA from Proton. Encrypted and backed up. proton.me → Aegis Open-source 2FA for Android. Encrypted vault. getaegis.app →

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A note on Proton

I genuinely love the Proton Suite as a full alternative to Google. No sponsorship or affiliation — but if you’re thinking about switching, here’s my Proton referral link. You get a free month of Proton Unlimited and so do I.