WhatsApp is the messaging app most of your contacts already use. The phone install is an easy call, while the Windows desktop app is where the real tradeoff sits.
Messenger is Meta's free messaging app for Android and iPhone, with encrypted personal chats. The catch is that no desktop app comes with it anymore.
FaceTime is Apple's free video calling app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, encrypted end to end. The catch is who can call you back, and who can only join.
Development on Baidu Browser stopped years ago, leaving a Chromium browser that still launches on Windows with a decade of security fixes missing from it.
Lunascape is a Japanese browser that blocks ads at the engine level and connects to desktop AI assistants over MCP, with an Ethereum wallet switched on by default.
Wanting Chrome's engine without Google's services is the problem this web browser solves. Chromium's price is manual updates and no Netflix playback.
Private mode in most web browsers still shows every site your IP address. Tor Browser hides it behind volunteer relays, which matters most on watched networks.
Zen Browser is a free, open-source Firefox fork that brings Arc's Workspaces and vertical tabs to web browsers on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
For anyone who wants Tor-grade anti-fingerprinting on the everyday web, Mullvad Browser is the desktop browser to keep beside the one you use for everything else.
Opera Air is Opera's free wellness browser for Windows and macOS, with guided breaks and binaural Boosts sitting in the sidebar. Who it suits, and who gains nothing.
One long read on the week's biggest shift, every Sunday.
