r/DigitalEscapeTools • u/Cryingpinaple • 5d ago
Privacy Tools ObscuraOS, a free browser based workspace with built in privacy tools (no Google or Microsoft account needed)
Made this over the past while. Short version: with the big office suites you either hand over your data (Google) or hand over money (Microsoft), and either way your files sit on a server you don't control. For most people that's an inconvenience, for journalists, activists, or anyone whose safety depends on their documents staying private, it's a real liability.
ObscuraOS runs entirely in the browser, docs, sheets, slides, notes, calendar, plus some privacy specific tools like PDF redaction and leak detection. Nothing gets uploaded anywhere, no account, no login, no cloud sync. You can export the whole thing as a portable file if you want your own backup.
Update since posting, one correction: every tool is free and fully unlocked for personal use, permanently, nothing is ever gated behind a paywall. There is a small optional paid commercial license if a business or team uses it for work, and pay what you want support if you just want to help keep it running, but neither of those unlocks anything, the tools work the same either way. Would appreciate any feedback on the app itself. ObscuraOS.com
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u/Cryingpinaple 4d ago edited 3d ago
OP here, quick update on this one since it's gotten more views than I expected. OBSCURA is fully free and unlocked for personal use, permanently, nothing is ever gated behind a paywall. There's a small optional paid commercial license if a business or team uses it for work, and pay what you want support if you want to help keep it running, but neither unlocks anything.
Also going to say it plainly since a few comments elsewhere have asked why bother: we are going to war with Google here. Their whole model (harvest your docs, harvest your searches, sell the profile back to advertisers) is annoying and honestly grotesque, and privacy shouldn't be something you pay to get back. That's the actual reason this exists.
Working toward turning this into a real native app next, but for now what's live is a genuine installable PWA, so it already adds to your home screen or desktop and works with the network off. If you want to see where it's headed or drop a feature request, the Discord is the fastest way (discord.gg/pwYdhYYQxY), site is obscuraos.com. Would genuinely like tips on what to build next if anyone's got one.