Exfilac vs Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
Side-by-side comparison of two open source alternatives
Exfilac
The exfilac application is a simple application that aims to do one thing well: Get data out of Android devices and into S3 buckets. Features: - The application can work with any S3-compatible storage provider. This includes Amazon AWS, Vultr Object Storage, IDrive®, and many other commercial offerings. Additionally, the application can work with self-hosted S3 storage solutions such as MinIO. - The application can (recursively) upload the contents of any directory on an Android device to which it has been granted access. The set of directories is configurable. - The application conserves precious bandwidth by avoiding uploading files that already exist on the remote storage. The cryptographic hashes of files are computed locally and files are only uploaded if the hashes of the files on the remote server do not match. - The application can be configured to upload files on a timed schedule, and/or in response to various events occurring on the device such as a photo being taken, or the network becoming available. - The application vigorously respects the privacy of users: The application contains no telemetry or analytics of any kind, and never collects any user data. - Development of the application is performed in the open. The complete source code is made available under an extremely liberal ISC license, and development and bug tracking is handled in a public GitHub repository. - The application rejects bug-prone Android programming practices and libraries and instead strives for correctness and stability using battle-hardened, well-tested components designed outside the traditional Android ecosystem. - The application adopts a cautious development approach and does not pursue huge sets of complex features. The application attempts to adhere to the Unix philosophy and provide a simple, sharp tool that does one thing well. - The application attempts to respect the intelligence of users. Technical details of many aspects of the system are clearly displayed onscreen, and important information is not hidden in the misguided pursuit of "user-friendliness". - The application is comprehensively documented.
Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN
Say hello to a safer, transparent, and secure Android. VPN: Connects to multiple WireGuard VPNs of your choice. Safe: Reveals network activity of installed apps and lets you disable, uninstall, or firewall them. Secure: First line of defense against spyware, ransomware, and malware that steal personal information and takeover accounts. Protects from DNS manipulation typically employed to censor websites, social media, and messaging apps. Fast: DNS Servers deployed to 300+ locations world-wide to ensure your internet is as fast and highly available as it can be. Open: Open source and free of any trackers. ***Features*** Firewall: Prevent apps from connecting to the Internet. Block spyware, malware, ransomware and more. A firewall blocks any app connecting to the Internet over WiFi or Mobile data. Since most forms of surveillance require the data to be sent the network to a server, firewalling them effectively mitigates the threat (File Managers, Alarm Clock, Calculator are few such examples of apps that do not require any Internet access to function). The firewall feature uses Accessibility Service to detect and firewall background applications. Monitoring: Keep tabs on incoming and outgoing Internet traffic. If enabled, the connectivity logs are collected and analyzed. Automated reports flag previously unknown or suspicious connections, and reveal the extent of attempt to steal data by spyware networks. In our tests, around 60% of the traffic is flagged and reported as being initiated by known spyware. Logs generated are made available in near-real time to the user for their own analysis. WireGuard: Secure outgoing Internet traffic. The app uses fast, modern, light-weight, and secure WireGuard protocol to encrypt outgoing connections to any compatible VPN provider of your choice. Anti-censorship: The app encrypts your internet connection to Domain Name System (DNS) server run by Rethink with presence in our 300+ locations world-wide. DNS servers are the address book of the internet: A DNS server provides the exact addresses you need to visit a website or open an app. Data Monitor: Track per-app and per-connection Mobile or WiFi data usage.
| Feature | Exfilac | Rethink: DNS + Firewall + VPN |
|---|---|---|
| License | ISC | Apache-2.0 |
| Install sources | F-DroidGitHub | F-DroidGitHub |
| Categories | Dev ToolsMessagingBrowser | Password ManagerVPNFirewallDev ToolsMessagingBrowser |
| Features | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking | Ad-FreeOpen SourceNo Tracking |
| Platforms | Android | Android |
| Website | ||
| Source code |