Ethical Alternatives & Resources
Tools, services and organisations that do less harm than the default choice, in 43 categories. We’re re-checking every entry against our checklist, one category at a time.
Tools
Small, useful tools for living and working online more lightly: privacy guides, website blockers, carbon calculators and a donations platform. We look for clear owners, as little tracking as possible and published methods behind any numbers.
Our top picks: Data Detox Kit, free, plain-language guides to digital privacy, AI and wellbeing from Tactical Tech, a Berlin non-profit, in dozens of languages. And Website Carbon, a free calculator for a web page’s carbon footprint from London studio Wholegrain Digital, built on the published Sustainable Web Design Model.
How we choose: we check every tool against the 6 principles in our manifesto (who owns it and how it makes money, what it collects, how it treats people, honesty, openness and staying power). Last checked on 13 October 2026.
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Carbon Intensity (NESO)
Half-hourly carbon forecasts for Britain's grid in 14 regions, from grid operator NESO and WWF
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Hexadecimal
Uptime and certificate checks with no spyware and no dark patterns
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Citationsy
Reference manager that shares no data and runs its own analytics, €4.99 a month for students
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Design Life-Cycle
Life-cycle studies of everyday products and materials, made by UC Davis design students
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Cold Turkey
Website and app blocker that keeps your stats on your device, with a one-time Pro licence
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Freedom
App and site blocker for all your devices, from $3.33 a month; its site uses Google Analytics
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Data Detox Kit
Free, plain-language guides to digital privacy, AI and wellbeing from Berlin NGO Tactical Tech
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Trip to Carbon
Free API that estimates a trip's carbon footprint using IPCC, DEFRA and GHG Protocol methods
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Action Builder
Organising toolkit from the not-for-profit Action Network, built with the AFL-CIO
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Website Carbon
Free calculator for a web page's carbon footprint, by London studio Wholegrain Digital
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Alex
Open-source checker that flags insensitive or exclusionary words in your writing
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Liberapay
Recurring donations platform run by a French non-profit that takes no cut of what you get