What Is ethical.net and What Does It Offer?

ethical.net is an independent guide to "ethical alternatives" — tools, products, and ideas positioned as doing less harm to people, animals, and the planet. It is most useful if you already know which everyday service you want to replace (Gmail, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and so on) and want a starting point for comparing options. The site describes itself as small and independent, and it publishes a directory plus longer guides and magazine-style articles.

What the site actually contains

The core of the site is a directory of alternatives, organized by the thing you use today. According to the site, it lists 454 alternatives across 43 categories, with 97% re-checked in the last 90 days. The categories shown on the homepage include:

The site says every entry goes through the same checklist, and that each guide states when it was last checked and what changed. That last-checked date is the main signal you can use to judge whether an entry is current.

The guides most readers start with

Beyond the directory, ethical.net publishes longer guides on specific replacements. The homepage names these as the popular starting points:

• Ethical alternatives to Gmail — covers who owns each email provider, how it makes money, which have free plans, and the trade-offs. Last checked 13 October 2026.
• Ethical alternatives to Facebook — covers alternatives for friends, groups, events, Marketplace, and messaging, with ownership, revenue model, and trade-offs. Last checked 13 October 2026.
• Ethical alternatives to Microsoft — covers Windows, Office, OneDrive, Teams, and GitHub alternatives, again with ownership and trade-offs. Last checked 15 October 2026.

The recurring structure — ownership, how the service makes money, trade-offs, last-checked date — is what makes these guides usable for a decision rather than just a list.

The magazine side

The site also runs articles that go beyond app replacements. Examples named on the homepage include an explainer on why IKEA is cheap (bulk buying, flat packs, DIY assembly, supply-chain control) and what that costs forests and the climate; a guide to sustainable pens and pencils organized by job, covering refillables, brand ownership, FSC and B Corp claims, and what to do with old pens; and a piece on GDP alternatives as ways to measure a country's wealth. These are marked with their own last-checked or updated dates.

How the site defines "ethical"

ethical.net is explicit that "ethical" is not an objective word and means different things to different people. Its own working definition is moving toward less harm to other people, animals, and the planet, and it says six principles from its manifesto shape every page. Practically, this means the site is a values-based filter, not a neutral product database — expect recommendations framed around harm reduction rather than pure performance or price.

When it's useful — and when it isn't

Use ethical.net when you have a specific service in mind and want a shortlist with ownership and funding-model context, or when you want a periodic check on whether a tool you already use has changed hands. Check the last-checked date on any guide before acting on it.

It is less suited to questions the site doesn't cover: the homepage shows no pricing details, no account or login requirements, and no claim that listed alternatives are free. If cost is your deciding factor, verify pricing on each provider's own site. And because the site frames itself around a stated set of principles, treat its rankings as one informed perspective rather than a consensus verdict.