{
  "version": "v1",
  "slug": "privacy-on-a-budget",
  "title": "Privacy on a budget — every slot has a free pick",
  "description": "You don't need a paid VPN, paid email, paid VPS, and a hardware wallet to be private. The directory's no-cost picks per slot — what works for free, what costs marginally, and where paying actually buys you something.",
  "intro": "A common stuck-point: people read a privacy guide, see five paid subscriptions stacked, and decide it's not realistic. The honest answer is that most of the directory's A-grade privacy stack has zero-cost or near-zero-cost picks. Below: every functional slot with a no-cost pick named, where the freemium ceiling actually bites, and the four places paying buys real privacy (not just convenience).",
  "body_plain": "What's actually free You can run a complete, A-grade privacy stack at $0/month and zero up-front spend. The free picks below are not freemium throttled into uselessness — they're software the privacy community runs as a default. Browser: Tor Browser (free). Already includes uBlock-equivalent + anti-fingerprint hardening. Email: Tuta or Proton free tier. 1 GB is plenty for a privacy-clean identity. Email aliases: Anonaddy / SimpleLogin / addy.io free tiers — fine for casual signup compartmentalisation. Monero wallet: Feather (Linux/macOS/Windows, free, open-source) or Cake Wallet (mobile, free, open-source). Bitcoin wallet: Sparrow or BlueWallet — free, open-source, Tor-aware. Operating system: Tails (free) for highest-stakes work; mainstream Linux distro for everyday. Messaging: Signal (free) — username-only signup since 2024, no phone number required. File transfer: OnionShare (free) — peer-to-peer over Tor hidden service. Self-hosted services: Monero node, Tor relay, mail server, web server — free at the software level; only your VPS or home electricity costs money. Where freemium bites Three slots where the free tier of an otherwise-fine product caps your privacy posture in subtle ways: VPN free tiers are almost universally honeypot-grade. Either the provider monetizes by selling traffic data, or the throttle makes it unusable, or both. The free pick here is not Mullvad-free (doesn't exist) — it's Tor Browser , which gives you a stronger privacy property than any paid VPN for the kinds of browsing where it matters. Email free tiers usually cap aliases or block custom domain. For a personal pseudonymous identity that doesn't matter. For a public-facing project identity, you'll outgrow the free tier in months — that's the place paying ~€3/mo is justified. Cloud storage — the free tiers from Proton / Filen / Internxt are real (5-10 GB), but if you actually rely on the storage you'll hit the ceiling and the upgrade is significant. Decide upfront whether you'll pay or self-host before depending on a free tier. When paying buys real privacy (not just convenience) VPN with no-logs commitment + no-email signup — Mullvad €5/mo. The privacy property bought: a stable IP that isn't your home + isn't a Tor exit node. Useful when Tor is blocked at the destination, or when you need to look like a \"normal\" IP to avoid bot-checks. Cash-by-mail accepted; pseudonymous account number, no email. No-KYC VPS — €5-€10/mo from an A-grade no-KYC host . Buy: ability to run your own services (mail server, Monero node, Tor relay, hidden service) on infrastructure you control. Replace one paid SaaS with self-hosted and the VPS pays for itself. Hardware wallet for serious balance — €60-€100 one-time. Buy: offline key storage. The free alternative is a watch-only / cold-signing setup on an air-gapped machine, which works but takes more discipline. See monero cold storage for the trade-off. Anonymous domain — €10-€20/year. Buy: an identity surface you control independent of any platform. Cheaper than the cost of getting platform-banned mid-project. See buy a domain anonymously . A $0/month full stack To prove it's possible, here's a complete A-grade privacy stack at zero recurring spend: Tor Browser for daily web browsing. Tuta free tier for primary email; Anonaddy free tier for aliases. Feather wallet for Monero, Sparrow for Bitcoin. Both Tor-aware out of the box. P2P fiat → XMR via RoboSats or Bisq (network fees only). Signal (no phone) for messaging; OnionShare for file transfer. Monero node optional via a community node (run your own only when ready). This stack handles 90% of privacy threat models without spending a euro. The other 10% is where the four paid upgrades above earn their place. The mindset trap The biggest budget-related privacy mistake is thinking the stack is gated by money. It isn't — it's gated by attention. People spend €50/mo on a VPN + email + cloud-storage bundle and use it inconsistently; people running €0/mo Tor Browser + Tuta + Feather get a stronger privacy property by being deliberate. Privacy without paranoia for the habit layer; this guide for the cost layer. Curated free picks per slot",
  "body_html": "\n      <section>\n        <h2 class=\"section-h\">What's actually free</h2>\n        <p>You can run a complete, A-grade privacy stack at $0/month and zero up-front spend. The free picks below are not freemium throttled into uselessness — they're software the privacy community runs as a default.</p>\n        <ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n          <li><strong>Browser:</strong> <a href=\"/tools/tor-browser\">Tor Browser</a> (free). Already includes uBlock-equivalent + anti-fingerprint hardening.</li>\n          <li><strong>Email:</strong> <a href=\"/email/tutanota\">Tuta</a> or <a href=\"/email/proton-mail\">Proton</a> free tier. 1 GB is plenty for a privacy-clean identity.</li>\n          <li><strong>Email aliases:</strong> <a href=\"/email/anonaddy\">Anonaddy</a> / SimpleLogin / addy.io free tiers — fine for casual signup compartmentalisation.</li>\n          <li><strong>Monero wallet:</strong> <a href=\"/wallets/feather\">Feather</a> (Linux/macOS/Windows, free, open-source) or <a href=\"/wallets/cake-wallet\">Cake Wallet</a> (mobile, free, open-source).</li>\n          <li><strong>Bitcoin wallet:</strong> <a href=\"/wallets/sparrow\">Sparrow</a> or BlueWallet — free, open-source, Tor-aware.</li>\n          <li><strong>Operating system:</strong> Tails (free) for highest-stakes work; mainstream Linux distro for everyday.</li>\n          <li><strong>Messaging:</strong> Signal (free) — username-only signup since 2024, no phone number required.</li>\n          <li><strong>File transfer:</strong> OnionShare (free) — peer-to-peer over Tor hidden service.</li>\n          <li><strong>Self-hosted services:</strong> Monero node, Tor relay, mail server, web server — free at the software level; only your VPS or home electricity costs money.</li>\n        </ul>\n      </section>\n\n      <section>\n        <h2 class=\"section-h\">Where freemium bites</h2>\n        <p>Three slots where the free tier of an otherwise-fine product caps your privacy posture in subtle ways:</p>\n        <ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n          <li><strong>VPN free tiers</strong> are almost universally honeypot-grade. Either the provider monetizes by selling traffic data, or the throttle makes it unusable, or both. The free pick here is not Mullvad-free (doesn't exist) — it's <em>Tor Browser</em>, which gives you a stronger privacy property than any paid VPN for the kinds of browsing where it matters.</li>\n          <li><strong>Email free tiers</strong> usually cap aliases or block custom domain. For a personal pseudonymous identity that doesn't matter. For a public-facing project identity, you'll outgrow the free tier in months — that's the place paying ~€3/mo is justified.</li>\n          <li><strong>Cloud storage</strong> — the free tiers from Proton / Filen / Internxt are real (5-10 GB), but if you actually rely on the storage you'll hit the ceiling and the upgrade is significant. Decide upfront whether you'll pay or self-host before depending on a free tier.</li>\n        </ul>\n      </section>\n\n      <section>\n        <h2 class=\"section-h\">When paying buys real privacy (not just convenience)</h2>\n        <ol class=\"bullet-list\">\n          <li><strong>VPN with no-logs commitment + no-email signup</strong> — <a href=\"/vpns/mullvad\">Mullvad</a> €5/mo. The privacy property bought: a stable IP that isn't your home + isn't a Tor exit node. Useful when Tor is blocked at the destination, or when you need to look like a \"normal\" IP to avoid bot-checks. Cash-by-mail accepted; pseudonymous account number, no email.</li>\n          <li><strong>No-KYC VPS</strong> — €5-€10/mo from an <a href=\"/hosting\">A-grade no-KYC host</a>. Buy: ability to run your own services (mail server, Monero node, Tor relay, hidden service) on infrastructure you control. Replace one paid SaaS with self-hosted and the VPS pays for itself.</li>\n          <li><strong>Hardware wallet for serious balance</strong> — €60-€100 one-time. Buy: offline key storage. The free alternative is a watch-only / cold-signing setup on an air-gapped machine, which works but takes more discipline. See <a href=\"/guides/monero-cold-storage\">monero cold storage</a> for the trade-off.</li>\n          <li><strong>Anonymous domain</strong> — €10-€20/year. Buy: an identity surface you control independent of any platform. Cheaper than the cost of getting platform-banned mid-project. See <a href=\"/guides/buy-domain-anonymously\">buy a domain anonymously</a>.</li>\n        </ol>\n      </section>\n\n      <section>\n        <h2 class=\"section-h\">A $0/month full stack</h2>\n        <p>To prove it's possible, here's a complete A-grade privacy stack at zero recurring spend:</p>\n        <ul class=\"bullet-list\">\n          <li>Tor Browser for daily web browsing.</li>\n          <li>Tuta free tier for primary email; Anonaddy free tier for aliases.</li>\n          <li>Feather wallet for Monero, Sparrow for Bitcoin. Both Tor-aware out of the box.</li>\n          <li>P2P fiat → XMR via <a href=\"/exchanges/robosats\">RoboSats</a> or <a href=\"/exchanges/bisq\">Bisq</a> (network fees only).</li>\n          <li>Signal (no phone) for messaging; OnionShare for file transfer.</li>\n          <li>Monero node optional via a <a href=\"/nodes\">community node</a> (run your own only when ready).</li>\n        </ul>\n        <p>This stack handles 90% of privacy threat models without spending a euro. The other 10% is where the four paid upgrades above earn their place.</p>\n      </section>\n\n      <section>\n        <h2 class=\"section-h\">The mindset trap</h2>\n        <p>The biggest budget-related privacy mistake is thinking the stack is gated by money. It isn't — it's gated by attention. People spend €50/mo on a VPN + email + cloud-storage bundle and use it inconsistently; people running €0/mo Tor Browser + Tuta + Feather get a stronger privacy property by being deliberate. <a href=\"/guides/privacy-without-paranoia\">Privacy without paranoia</a> for the habit layer; this guide for the cost layer.</p>\n      </section>\n\n      <section>\n        <h2 class=\"section-h\">Curated free picks per slot</h2>\n      </section>\n    ",
  "picks": [
    {
      "category": "tools",
      "id": "tor-browser",
      "name": "Tor Browser",
      "url": "https://www.xmr.club/tools/tor-browser",
      "markdown_twin": "https://www.xmr.club/llm/tools/tor-browser.txt",
      "why": "Free. Strongest browser-side privacy property; comes hardened."
    },
    {
      "category": "email",
      "id": "tutanota",
      "name": "Tuta Mail",
      "url": "https://www.xmr.club/email/tutanota",
      "markdown_twin": "https://www.xmr.club/llm/email/tutanota.txt",
      "why": "Free tier sufficient for a clean privacy identity; E2E at rest."
    },
    {
      "category": "wallets",
      "id": "feather",
      "name": "Feather",
      "url": "https://www.xmr.club/wallets/feather",
      "markdown_twin": "https://www.xmr.club/llm/wallets/feather.txt",
      "why": "Free, open-source Monero wallet with cold-signing support."
    },
    {
      "category": "exchanges",
      "id": "robosats",
      "name": "RoboSats",
      "url": "https://www.xmr.club/exchanges/robosats",
      "markdown_twin": "https://www.xmr.club/llm/exchanges/robosats.txt",
      "why": "Free no-KYC fiat→BTC peer-to-peer; network fee only."
    },
    {
      "category": "exchanges",
      "id": "bisq",
      "name": "Bisq",
      "url": "https://www.xmr.club/exchanges/bisq",
      "markdown_twin": "https://www.xmr.club/llm/exchanges/bisq.txt",
      "why": "Free no-KYC fiat→BTC + multisig; community-maintained."
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://www.xmr.club/guides/privacy-on-a-budget",
  "markdown_twin": "https://www.xmr.club/llm/guides/privacy-on-a-budget.txt"
}