Turtlecute · open-source privacy apps for Android and Mac

I build my own.

Plicomail client · Android

VarcoSSH client · Android

OmbraVPN app · Android

MegaGlasscloud drive · Android / macOS

Fonteapp updater · Android

WisprBoardkeyboard · Android

NotallyXYZnotebook · 4 platforms

TextFixproofreader · macOS / Windows

btcpayapppayment terminal · Android

Plico

mail client

Push mail without Google. One IMAP IDLE connection for each account brings new mail in seconds, with no Firebase and no relay server.

  • Blocks remote images, tracking pixels and link trackers
  • Shows the real domain behind each link and flags faked senders
  • Its own IMAP, SMTP and MIME code, in a 4.5 MB app
Runs on
Android 15+
Asks for
network, background push, exact alarm
Talks to
your mail server
Release
0.2.5 · GPL-3.0

Varco

SSH client

SSH with keys that cannot be stolen. They stay in the phone's secure chip or on your YubiKey, and post-quantum key exchange comes first.

  • ML-KEM and sntrup761 first. No SHA-1, CBC or ssh-rsa
  • Termux terminal: vim, tmux and htop, with sessions that stay open
  • No HTTP requests at all, in a 3.6 MB app
Runs on
Android 15+
Asks for
network, NFC (YubiKey), biometrics
Talks to
your SSH servers
Built on
Termux terminal engine
Release
0.2.0 · GPL-3.0

Ombra

VPN app

The Obscura VPN, tuned for speed. In our test it downloaded about 9× faster than the official app, on 12× less CPU.

  • 270 Mbit/s down, against 30 for the official app
  • Ping under load of 25–55 ms, not 110–250 ms
  • Stealth, Speed or TCP/TLS, on 17 patches to the Rust core
Runs on
Android 16+ · arm64
Asks for
network, VPN
Talks to
Obscura VPN
Built on
Obscura Rust core
Release
0.2.7 · GPL-3.0

Not made by Obscura. Estimates from one Pixel on one Wi-Fi network.

MegaGlass

cloud drive

MEGA, built for speed and without the tracking: the official engine with desktop transfer settings, and no telemetry on Android.

  • 8 parallel connections each way and 8× larger requests
  • Hardware AES on every Apple Silicon Mac, not only the M1
  • Video seeks play at once, with no wait of up to 36 s
brew install --cask turtlecute33/tap/megaglass
Runs on
Android 15+ · macOS 26+
Asks for
network, photos and videos for camera uploads
Talks to
MEGA
Built on
MEGA SDK
Release
0.2.4 pre-release · GPL-3.0

Alpha software. Not made or endorsed by MEGA.

Fonte

app updater

Apps straight from their developers, checked before every install: the SHA-256 digest and the pinned signing certificate must match.

  • GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg, F-Droid and IzzyOnDroid in one list
  • Fast HTTP/3 checks of all your apps at the same time
  • 2.7 MB, with no native code, no WebView and no dynamic code
Runs on
Android 15+
Asks for
network, install and update apps, see installed apps
Talks to
only the sources you add
Release
0.1.6 · GPL-3.0

WisprBoard

keyboard

Talk, and get clean text in any app. HeliBoard with AI dictation and one-tap text fix, on your own key: no account, no subscription.

  • Long-press Return, speak, and clean text comes back
  • Fix or translate a selection, and check it before it replaces yours
  • Zero data retention by default, or dictation fully offline
Runs on
Android 5+
Asks for
microphone, contacts (optional), network
Talks to
OpenRouter or PayPerQ, only with your key
Built on
HeliBoard
Release
7.13.2 · GPL-3.0

NotallyXYZ

notebook

NotallyX on all your devices: end-to-end encrypted sync to your own server, and native apps for macOS, Windows and Linux.

  • The server never sees your key, text, labels or file names
  • No account: one 256-bit key, no email and no password
  • Edits sync in seconds, and a conflict keeps both versions
brew install --cask turtlecute33/tap/notallyxyz
Runs on
Android 7+ · macOS 26+ · Windows · Linux
Asks for
microphone for voice notes, alarms for reminders
Talks to
nothing, or your own server when sync is on
Built on
NotallyX
Release
1.1.2 · GPL-3.0

TextFix

proofreader

A “fix my text” key for your whole computer. Press it in any text box and the text comes back correct, in place. One undo brings back the original.

  • Native and small: 1 MB on a Mac, 6 MB on Windows
  • Your own OpenRouter or PayPerQ key, zero data retention first
  • Refuses password fields and terminals, and never logs your text
brew install --cask turtlecute33/tap/textfix
Runs on
macOS 13+ · Windows
Asks for
Accessibility on macOS, one global hotkey
Talks to
OpenRouter or PayPerQ, only with your key
Release
1.3.0 · GPL-3.0

btcpayapp

payment terminal

Your BTCPay Server in your pocket: a native point of sale, invoices with refunds, and on-chain and Lightning wallets.

  • A fingerprint or PIN before each send or payout
  • Talks only to your server, also over Tor
  • No analytics, no push service and no Google
Runs on
Android 15+
Asks for
network, camera for QR codes
Talks to
your BTCPay server, through Orbot for .onion
Release
0.2.5 pre-release · MIT

Unofficial. Not made or endorsed by the BTCPay Server Foundation.

Turtlecute

privacy advocate · bitcoiner

Hi, I'm Turtlecute: a Bitcoin educator, privacy advocate and security researcher from Italy.

I write free guides in Italian on turtlecute.org about GrapheneOS, Bitcoin privacy, Tor and self-hosting. To me, privacy is a right that you use every day, not something to hide.

These apps come from the same idea. Most began as a fix for an app that I used: a VPN that was too slow, a cloud drive with too much telemetry, a dictation app that wanted a subscription.

The turtle is slow. The apps are not.

Apps
9, all open source
This page
67 KB · 6 files · no scripts
Talks to
apps.turtlecute.org only