What Are privacytools.io's Editor's Top Picks for 2026?

Updated

privacytools.io's "Editor's Top Picks | 2026" is a set of twelve tools the editors say they would install on a fresh machine. The page presents each pick with a star rating and a short description, and some entries are explicitly marked "Ad." The picks shown on the page include LibreWolf (Browsers, 4.7), PrivacyNotes (Notebooks, 4.8), ProtonMail (Email, 4.5), Surfshark VPN (VPN, 3.5), Bitwarden (Password Managers, 4.7), NextDNS (Ad Blocking, 4.7), Organic Maps (Maps, 4.0), and ProtonVPN. The page does not publish a single methodology explaining how the ratings are calculated, so treat the stars as editorial signals rather than independent test scores.

The picks listed on the page

Tool Category Rating shown What the page says
LibreWolf Browsers 4.7 A modified Firefox build aimed at stronger protection against tracking and fingerprinting, plus security improvements
PrivacyNotes Notebooks 4.8 Encrypted notes, tasks, calendar, files, passwords and a journal with mood and medication tracking, unlocked by one 12-word recovery phrase; sign-up with no email or password; open source
ProtonMail Email 4.5 Marked "Ad"; free and paid plans include security features such as end-to-end encryption, zero-access encryption, anti-phishing, anti-spam and 2FA; Android, iOS and web apps
Surfshark VPN VPN 3.5 Marked "Ad"; based in the Netherlands, operating since 2018, obfuscated RAM-only servers, audited by Cure53, unlimited devices, "3 months FREE" promotion
Bitwarden Password Managers 4.7 Described as the top choice; easy import from other password managers; free for personal use; desktop, browser and Android availability
NextDNS Ad Blocking 4.7 Marked "Ad"; configurable via parental controls, website restrictions and category blocking
Organic Maps Maps 4.0 Offline Android and iOS maps for travelers, tourists, hikers and cyclists, built on OpenStreetMap data
ProtonVPN VPN — Listed among the picks; no rating captured in the page excerpt

The page states there are twelve picks in total; the excerpt above shows only part of the list, so the remaining entries should be read directly on the page.

How to read the ratings and the "Ad" labels

  • Stars are relative, not absolute. A 3.5 (Surfshark VPN) sits in the same list as a 4.8 (PrivacyNotes), which suggests the editors are comfortable including tools they consider good-but-not-top in a category. A lower star count is not a disqualification.
  • "Ad" means paid placement. ProtonMail, Surfshark VPN and NextDNS carry an "Ad" marker. Their descriptions read like promotional copy (for example, "Currently 3 months FREE" and "Unlimited devices"). Weigh these entries as advertising plus editorial mention, not as unsponsored reviews.
  • Ratings are not comparable across categories. A 4.0 maps app and a 4.7 password manager are scored against different expectations. Compare within a category, not across the list.

A practical way to use the list

  1. Identify the category you actually need to replace (browser, email, VPN, password manager, DNS filtering, maps, notes).
  2. Open that category on privacytools.io rather than relying only on the top-picks strip, so you see the full set of alternatives and can compare like with like.
  3. Check the specific claims that matter to you against the tool's own documentation — for example, whether a VPN's jurisdiction and audit match your requirements, or whether a notes app's recovery-phrase model fits how you store backups.
  4. Treat ad-marked entries as a starting point for your own verification, especially where pricing or promotions are mentioned.

What the list does not tell you

The page does not disclose how the twelve were chosen, whether editors tested each tool hands-on, or how star ratings were assigned. It also does not state pricing beyond scattered mentions (Bitwarden "free for personal use," ProtonMail "free and paid plans," a Surfshark promotion). For a decision on any single tool, use the top picks as a shortlist and confirm the details on the vendor's own site.