Blocked services and their analogues in Russia

Since 2022, Russian entrepreneurs have faced the withdrawal of many Western services and the blocking of a number of key business tools. This affected marketing, advertising, cloud solutions, payment systems, analytics and other areas. However, worthy alternatives, both Russian and international, appeared to replace the departed platforms.

In this article, we will look at 15 popular services that no longer work in Russia (or operate with restrictions), as well as their available counterparts.

Social networks and advertising tools

1. Facebook and Instagram (Meta)

Problem: Meta is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia, and its social networks are banned. Promotion of business through Facebook and Instagram is impossible without a VPN, and the advertising office is blocked.

Analogues:

• VKontakte The main alternative with wide opportunities for business, including advertising, targeting and stores.
• Classmates Suitable for promoting goods and services to an audience of 35+.
• Telegram It is actively developing as a marketing platform, replacing Instagram.
• Yandex. Direction - an alternative to the advertising office Meta Ads.

2. YouTube

Problem: Monetization is disabled, paid subscriptions do not work, and advertising to the Russian audience is not available.

Analogues:

• RuTube Russian video platform, but inferior in functionality.
• VK Video Built into the VK ecosystem, allows you to upload videos and broadcast live.
• Yandex. Zen The video format is actively developing.
• Boosty A platform for monetizing content through subscriptions (alternative to YouTube Monetization).

Payment systems and banks

1. PayPal PayPal

Problem: The service has suspended operations in Russia, you can not receive and send money.

Analogues:

• YuMoney (formerly Yandex.Money) Russian service with similar capabilities.
• Quiwi Wallet and payment system for business.
• WebMoney International system available in Russia.
• Cryptocurrency (USDT, BTC, ETH) It is actively used for international payments.

2. Visa/Mastercard

Problem: Cards issued in Russia do not work abroad and in international services.

Analogues:

• Peace. – works within Russia and in some countries (Turkey, UAE, Armenia, Belarus).
• UnionPay Chinese payment system, cards can be issued in Russian banks.
• Cryptocurrency cards (Binance, Bybit) – allow you to pay abroad through USDT and other tokens.

Cloud services and hosting

1. Google Drive and Google Docs

Problem: The service is not blocked, but Google has restricted access to corporate accounts and may impose new sanctions.

Analogues:

• Yandex. Disc. Russian alternative with similar functionality.
• Cloud Mail.ru Another convenient option for storing data.
• VK WorkSpace Corporate solution with documents and storage.
• Onlyoffice An alternative to Google Docs.

2. Dropbox

Problem: Restricted access for users from Russia.

Analogues:

• Yandex. Disc.
• Cloud Mail.ru
• My Office.

Marketing tools

1. Google Analytics

Problem: The service is not available for new users in Russia, and some functions are blocked.

Analogues:

• Yandex. Metrica. Russian instrument with similar functions.
• roistat Advanced analytics system.
• ClickHouse (Yandex) A system for deep data analytics.

2. Google Ads

Problem: Advertising in Russia is disabled, new accounts are not registered.

Analogues:

• Yandex. Direction The main platform for contextual advertising.
• VK Ads. Advertising campaigns within the VK ecosystem
• myTarget (Mail.ru Group) - a platform for targeting in Odnoklassniki and partner services.

Design and creative tools

1. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro

Problem: Adobe has stopped sales and support of products in Russia.

Analogues:

• Canva A convenient online service for design.
• CorelDRAW An alternative to Illustrator.
• GIMP It's a free version of Photoshop.
• DaVinci Resolve A powerful video editor instead of Premiere Pro.

Remote work programmes

1. Zoom.

Problem: Restricted access to paid accounts, possible sanctions in the future.

Analogues:

• VK Calls
• TrueConfff.
• Yandex. Teleconference

2. slack

Problem: The service banned the registration of new users from Russia.

Analogues:

• VK WorkSpace
• Telegram (chats and bots for teamwork)
• Bitrix24

Development and IT

1. GitHub

Problem: Blocking corporate accounts.

Analogues:

• GitLab
• Bitbucket
• Gitea (on its own server)

Despite the departure of many Western services, worthy analogues have appeared on the Russian market that help businesses adapt to new conditions.

IT and marketing Yandex. Metric, VK Ads, myTarget
Finance. UnionPay, Cryptocurrencies, YuMoney
Cloud services Yandex. Disc, Cloud Mail.ru
Design and video Canva, DaVinci Resolve
Teamwork. VK WorkSpace, Yandex. Teleconference

If your business is still dependent on Western services, you should prepare in advance and find alternative solutions to avoid disruption.