~/setups

Recommended Setups

last updated 2026-06-12 · 3 setups · what changed

Complete configurations, not shopping lists. Each setup names the threat model it's built for, what it costs in time and money, and the order to do things in. Pick the one that matches your situation, not the most impressive-sounding one.

how to choose If you haven't read threat modeling, that's the real first step. The short version: most people belong on Beginner or Standard. Hardened is for people with a concrete reason to be there: it charges real daily friction for protection most models don't need.

the three tiers

Beginner

covers most people
threat model: data brokers + opportuniststime: one afternooncost: €0friction: none

Sane defaults with nothing exotic: a password manager, app-based 2FA, Brave, Signal, and encrypted DNS. No accounts deleted, no platforms abandoned, nothing your family will notice, except that the obvious attacks stop working. If you do nothing else, do this one.

6 tools · all free open the beginner setup →

Standard

the balanced pick
threat model: + surveillance capitalism at largetime: a weekend + slow migrationcost: ~€10/mofriction: low

Everything in Beginner, plus the structural moves: your email leaves Gmail for a provider that can't read it, a domain of your own, aliases for signups, a hardware key on the accounts that matter, an audited VPN, and encrypted storage. This is where "they have my whole life" stops being true.

~10 tools · ~€10/mo + ~€55 one-off open the standard setup →

Hardened

for real threats
threat model: targeted adversariestime: weeks, then a practicecost: ~€15/mo + hardwarefriction: real

For journalists, activists, abuse survivors, and anyone a specific someone is actually looking at: GrapheneOS in your pocket, compartmentalized identities, anonymous payment, Tails for the sessions that can't exist, and habits that matter more than any tool. Built for need, not for sport, though the curious are welcome to read.

hardware required · ongoing discipline open the hardened setup →

how the tiers relate

They stack. Standard assumes you did Beginner; Hardened assumes both. There's no skipping to the end: the boring foundations are what the advanced layers stand on.

You can live between tiers. Plenty of people run Standard plus GrapheneOS, or Beginner plus a VPN. The tiers are coherent starting points, not club memberships.

Done beats perfect. A finished Beginner setup protects you more than a Hardened setup you got 30% through and abandoned in week two.