Apple have their own eco system that are fully closed source. If you want to install apps from another place than from AppStore and if you don’t live in EU, good luck.
If you want privacy, choose a custom ROM of Android that respects your privacy (like GrapheneOS) or (better yet) choose Linux. But to be honest, Android from Google (no custom ROM) do have better privacy options compared to iOS, mainly thanks to being able to installing and using apps with no Google account whatsoever.