The Kremlin’s influence on the Russian economy is great, and software companies are no exception. But does that apply to all programs from Russia? We show which alternatives you can use.
Many countries around the world responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with sanctions. Private individuals are now also looking for ways to show their solidarity. CHIP received more and more addresses that we should no longer offer software from the Russian manufacturer Kaspersky – one cannot rule out that Putin’s government gains access to user data. We have already taken a position on this.
But besides Kaspersky, there are other well-known programs that come from Russian developers. From CHIP’s point of view, the presumption of innocence also applies here, because even with these programs it cannot always be proven that or whether the developers are connected to the government.
If you still want to know what alternatives you have to popular programs from Russia, we will show you the appropriate downloads here.
Telegram: Originally from Russia
Along with Kaspersky, Telegram is probably one of the internationally best-known Russian applications. The free messenger comes from Nikolai and Pavel Durow – the inventors of VKontakte, the Russian variant of Facebook. The site has often been criticized for allegedly forwarding data from opponents of the Kremlin to the domestic secret service FSB.
The Durow brothers left vk.com in 2013 and 2014 and focused on their new messenger app, Telegram. Unlike in the past, however, this time the developers resisted pressure from the Russian government, for example when they were asked to block the Telegram page of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who has since been imprisoned.
Telegram has distanced itself from cooperation with the Russian authorities in recent years and even later moved its headquarters to Dubai. In the meantime, however, the platform has also come under criticism in Germany, since anti-constitutional ideas and calls for violence are often spread in relevant groups there.
So if you are unsure and are looking for a successful alternative, you should install the test winner Signal. This is recommended by numerous security experts such as Edward Snowden.
Yandex: browser and search engine from Russia
Not only does Russia have its own infrastructure for social networks, but also for searching on the Internet. The Yandex search engine, which also has its own Chrome-based browser, is often used throughout the Russian-speaking region. However, we strongly advise against using the tool due to various data protection concerns.
In Germany, Yandex is hardly used anyway, most people just use Google. If you want even more privacy when searching the Internet, you should use DuckDuckGo or Startpage. These services have caught up significantly in terms of the quality and presentation of search results in recent years.
AIMP: Iconic music player
The AIMP media player, which has been around since 2006, is a very popular download from CHIP with almost 800,000 downloads. The freeware still gets regular updates and is well respected by the community.
There is no evidence that the developers are connected to the Kremlin – this is unlikely if only because no confidential information is exchanged between users via a music player as in a social network รก la vk.com.
If you are still looking for an alternative, then it is best to use the free MediaMonkey. The tool can be expanded as required with plugins and, in addition to playing music, offers numerous bonus functions such as editing MP3 tags or creating playlists.
Doctor Web CureIt: Enough alternatives
When it comes to security software in particular, many users ask themselves whether it would be better to uninstall it. Although “Doctor Web” as a manufacturer in Germany is not nearly as widespread as Kaspersky, some tools like the free CureIt, which wants to free the PC from virus infections, still use it.
The tool is less a full antivirus solution than a scanner that removes viruses if the system is suspected to be infected. An alternative would be McAfee Labs Stinger for Windows. Instead, if you’re looking for comprehensive free antivirus protection that kicks in before an infection occurs, grab Avast Free Antivirus.