Chocolatey

Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows. In simpler terms: Chocolatey is an app store. Installing programs from Chocolatey is safer than installing them from the Internet. Are you sure you have the right download link? Are you sure you're selecting the right options when you install? Neither of these are problems when you install software with Chocolatey.

Chocolatey is also the best way to keep your applications up to date. Windows update will not update the different programs you have installed, and many programs do not update themselves. Any software you have installed with Chocolatey, you can update in Chocolatey with a single click.

We have included a custom installer, for anyone who is not comfortable using the command line. Downloading and running this installer will install both Chocolatey and the Chocolatey GUI, which lets you use chocolatey without having to type commands into the command prompt. If you can't figure out how to install Chocolatey, use the installer below, it will install Chocolatey and the Chocolatey User Interface for you.

Unchecky

Unchecky helps prevent installing unwanted software by unchecking 'additional options' offered during the installation. It also offers warnings when installers are being misleading

Firefox for Android

If you are using an Android phone or tablet, Firefox is a must-have. We have a preference for Firefox in general, but on Android there really is nothing that compares. Firefox for Android supports Add-ons. In fact, Firefox for Android supports most of the add-ons listed on this page. This is an amazing benefit, which the other popular browsers on Android do not offer.

Firefox Focus for IOS

The bad news is that Firefox for IOS does not, and can not, support add-ons. Apple does not allow it. The solution? Firefox Focus. It doesn't support add-ons, but it does have built-in ad-blocking. In addition to this, you can enable that same ad-blocking in Safari, check out the article linked below on support.mozilla.org!

BitWarden

You need to be able to access your passwords on your phone or tablet. Bitwarden has an excellent companion app, available on Android and IOS, to help you access your passwords securely on your mobile devices.

BitWarden

BitWarden is our recommended password manager. A password manager is a service or program that stores your passwords, and gives you tools to help manage and use them.

Re-using passwords is very dangerous. If you had used the same password for you Adobe account as your email account when Adobe was hacked, the hacker would now have access to your email account. It's hard to remember a secure password, and it's impossible to remember unique, secure passwords for every site you use. A password manager means you don't have to.

To use Bitwarden at its best, you create one strong password for your BitWarden account, and that will be the only password you need to remember. Use BitWarden's password generation tool to randomly generate super secure passwords for all of your different sites.

When used in this way, accessing your sites becomes easier, and it becomes harder for anyone else to access them.

uBlock Origin

You will never see the Internet the same way again. uBlock Origin is a blocker that will block advertisements, trackers, and known infected websites.

Forget all of the 'Internet Security' and 'Safe Browsing' programs. Frankly, none of them hold a torch to a good ad blocker, and uBlock Origin is the best ad blocker. uBlock Origin makes your web browsing faster, more secure, and less cluttered.

There is nothing unethical about blocking advertisements. If advertisers didn't want to be blocked, they should stop pushing scams and malware. That being said sometimes you want to support a website you trust, and allow ads on that site. This is easily done with uBlock Origin, by clicking on the add-ons icon in the top right of your browser, and clicking the big blue ON/OFF button.

HTTPS Everywhere

HTTPS Everywhere is an addon that forces HTTPS. If you have read our article on reading web addresses, then you know that HTTPS is a connection type that prevents people from intercepting your traffic. HTTPS everywhere forces HTTPS connections wherever possible

Privacy Badger

Privacy Badger is an add-on designed to stop people from tracking what you do on the Internet. Specifically advertisers will try to track what you do and where you go so they can sell that information.

Privacy Badger is meant to protect your right to consent to your information being tracked across multiple sites.

Decentraleyes

Decentraleyes is a clever add-on. There are certain files and resources frequently used by multiple websites across the Internet. Typically, your browser has to connect to a centralized server somewhere to download these resources any time you connect to a site that needs them. Decentraleyes does one better, it stores these resources on your computer. This can marginally speed up browsing, but more importantly it prevents the owners of the centralized servers in question to help stop them from tracking you.

This add-on is not in the new Edge addon store yet. However, if you are using the newest Microsoft Edge click on the Chrome link instead, you can click Allow extensions from other stores at the top, and install the extension from the Chrome web store instead!

Noscript (Advanced)

Noscript is a (regrettably) Firefox-only addon that will block any and all scripts unless otherwise instructed. It takes time and a bit of dedication to build up your whitelist, but it really highlights how abused Javascript is on the modern Internet.