Written by
Oana NΔslΔu
, Content Writer Specialist
Let’s face it: Big Tech companies will always put their interests first.
If Europe truly wants digital sovereignty, we need to stop handing over our infrastructure to Silicon Valley giants. Yet, despite all the talk, many businesses and governments still sign contracts with Microsoft, Google, and Atlassian, locking themselves into foreign control. We can’t afford to keep making the same mistake.
The solution exists.
Building with open, European alternatives. Open-source software offers full transparency, control, and flexibility, without hidden costs or forced updates. You decide how your tech works and where it’s deployed, not some corporation thousands of miles away.
Initiatives like openDesk from Zentrum Digitale Souveränität are already proving that Europe can build a strong digital ecosystem with tools like XWiki, CryptPad, OpenProject, and NextCloud that are open-source and privacy-oriented alternatives to platforms outside Europe. Additionally, there's been some progress in acknowledging open-source excellence through the European open-source awards.
Bottom line? Change starts with us. If you care about Europe’s digital future (and yours), explore local alternatives, adopt them, and spread the word. They’re just as powerful, except this time, the power (and data) stays where it belongs: with you.
And speaking of seeking out local alternatives, below we have compiled a list of open-source software solutions that are based and developed in Europe. We hope you'll find it useful if you're looking for reliable and transparent solutions made locally.
- Google Docs alternatives
- Confluence alternatives
- Jira alternatives
- Notion alternatives
- Figma alternatives
- YouTube alternatives
- Microsoft Teams and Slack alternatives
- GitHub alternatives
- Google Analytics alternatives
- Google Drive alternatives
- Gmail alternatives
- Grammarly alternatives
- Mailchimp alternatives
Google Docs alternatives
π«π· CryptPad
CryptPad is a powerful, free open-source end-to-end (E2E) encrypted platform consisting of a suite of real-time collaborative editors and apps, developed by a dedicated team of developers from XWiki SAS, the top sponsoring company for the XWiki open-source project. A ready-to-use alternative to Google Docs, it is also a great alternative to popular office tools and comes with a major benefit, i.e., total protection of your data. With CryptPad, your content is encrypted on your device before being sent, so no one can access your data unless you give them the keys. On top of that, it's easy to use, it has a short learning curve, and it requires no installation on your machine.
Hosted in the European Union (France), CryptPad empowers organizations of all sizes with a scalable, modern, and GDPR and BSI C5-compliant private office solution. The CryptPad Cloud service provides you with the option to test out the full suite of apps and features. If you're happy with what we provide, then you can opt for a cloud hosting contract that also includes long-term technical support for your instance.
At XWiki SAS, we strongly believe that all organizations should have the freedom of choice when it comes to how they deploy software and handle their data. Therefore, we will never limit or lock you in if you want to deploy CryptPad on-premises.
What users say about CryptPad
Digitalcourage, the NGO I am volunteering for, had used Etherpad for many years to write texts collaboratively. When I set up a CryptPad server, everyone switched to it within a few weeks. As a pro-privacy organization, using a zero-knowledge service is a no-brainer. As an IT admin, I am glad that I cannot read the documents stored on my CryptPad server. As a user, it feels good that I can control who gets to read my documents. There is no reason to use Google Docs or Microsoft 365 any more! Christian Pietsch – Digitalcourage e.V.
π¬π§ Collabora Online
Collabora Online is another compelling, open-source alternative to Google Workspace and other Big Tech tools. Based on LibreOffice technology, it enables teams to edit text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations directly in their browsers while ensuring privacy and control through self-hosting options. With strong compatibility for Microsoft Office formats and seamless integration into platforms like Nextcloud and ownCloud, Collabora Online is a reliable choice for secure and flexible online document editing.
What users say about Collabora Online
The ability to use Collabora with all Office programs gives us more collaborative capabilities when preparing reports and presentations or updating databases. Collabora is very helpful and saves me a lot of time, especially when linking and updating data, as the links it allows us to create provide strong support when making updates and make moving between a set of files easy, and contribute to reversing updates directly. Capterra review
π©πͺ Nextcloud Office
Nextcloud Office is an open-source online office suite that lets you create, edit, and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in real time. Integrated seamlessly with Nextcloud’s secure file-sharing platform, it offers a privacy-focused alternative to Google Docs and Microsoft 365. With support for collaborative editing, version control, and integration with other Nextcloud apps, it’s perfect for teams and individuals who want full control over their data while staying productive.
What users say about Nextcloud Office
Many configuration options, great possibilities of cooperation with files. Possibility to add plug-ins to expand functionality. Client for iOS and Android desktop and mobile phones. Capterra review
Confluence alternatives
π«π· XWiki
XWiki is a robust and open-source enterprise wiki platform that provides extensive customization, collaborative editing, document and file management, and granular rights control. It’s a flexible, scalable solution for creating, organizing, and sharing knowledge within organizations. Over the years, we've seen many Confluence users migrate to XWiki. Our Migration Toolkit and bridge macros make the transition seamless, ensuring you maintain full ownership of your data and avoid lock-in policies when moving to a Confluence alternative.
What users say about XWiki
The XWiki migration tool is constantly evolving and they are adding features requested by different customers. We appreciate how easy it is to understand the management of access rights, especially when compared to Confluence. Camille Herry, Systems and Network Administrator, University of Lorraine
Proprietary capabilities.
Open-source possibilities.
starting at 1€ / month / user
Compare with Confluence
π¬π§ BookStack
BookStack is a knowledge management platform designed for ease of use, featuring a simple structure with a book-chapter-page hierarchy and optional shelves for better organization. It’s a versatile solution suitable for freelancers, small to medium businesses, or large enterprises. Whether you're looking for an FAQ, forum, or knowledge base, BookStack serves as an alternative to Confluence, offering an open-source option for managing and sharing documentation.
What users say about BookStack
Easy to use. It's pretty much install and run. Fast, intuitive, but not for that reason less powerful. It has all the characteristics that an application of this type has to have; Version Control, powerful editor, facilities to organize information. Its structure in shelves and books is extremely comfortable when assigning permissions. GetApp review
π©πͺ BlueSpice
BlueSpice is an enterprise wiki platform built on MediaWiki, designed for collaboration, knowledge management, and documentation. It comes with advanced features like access control, content management, and integration with other enterprise systems. It’s an alternative to Confluence, especially for companies that prefer an open-source solution with a focus on enterprise functionality.
What users say about BlueSpice
Easy, quick to get started. Lots of functions available, but they are always optional, never mandatory. User requests for changes are taken seriously and implemented quickly. GetApp review
Jira alternatives
π©πͺ OpenProject
OpenProject is an open-source project management solution and a strong alternative to Jira. Supporting classic, agile, and hybrid methods, it helps teams collaborate efficiently from planning to execution with robust tools for scheduling, issue tracking, and portfolio management. With 30+ language options, it offers both on-premises and cloud hosting.
What users say about OpenProject
It was super fast to insert and organize the tasks/milestones for our project. The interface is so intuitive that we didn't even need to take the introductory tutorial. This lowers the adoption effort for all members of a team and therefore makes it more likely for them to be consistent users, rather than stopping updating the project after a while. The board feature is complete and useful to have. Capterra review
πͺπΈ Taiga
Taiga is an intuitive project management tool designed for agile teams. Whether using Kanban or Scrum, Taiga streamlines workflows with a full suite of features, including backlog management, sprint planning, burndown charts, Kanban boards, Epics, issue tracking, and a built-in wiki. Highly customizable yet easy to adopt, its user-friendly interface ensures a smooth start. Taiga offers the flexibility of both self-hosted and cloud-based deployment, making it a reliable Jira alternative.
What users say about Taiga
Taiga is an easy and complete tool that provides excellent Agile collaboration and sharing functionalities. Taiga covers the whole left by most of similar software when it is needed as a collaboration tool between different organizations. The way it is licensed allows to easily share and collaborate between parties without the company boundaries found in other software models. Capterra review
Notion alternatives
π«π· CryptPad
Besides being a reliable replacement to Google Docs and other office applications, CryptPad is also a Notion alternative, offering real-time collaboration with encrypted note-taking. With an intuitive interface and easy learning curve, CryptPad allows teams to collaborate securely using apps and team drives, while providing fine-grained access controls. As a zero-knowledge platform, it can't access your notes, and only those with encryption keys can decrypt them. Plus, you can use CryptPad anonymously, making it ideal for private projects or working with external collaborators.
What users say about CryptPad
CryptPad is both secure AND easy to use. No registration required which makes note-taking on the fly so much easier. What's not to love about that ? Privacy isn't limited to tech-savvy people anymore! Alternativeto review
π«π· XWiki
Besides being an excellent Confluence replacement, XWiki also acts as a powerful open-source alternative to Notion, built for professional collaboration and knowledge management. It offers enterprise-level features, including fine-grained access control, strong security, and full customization. With RESTful APIs, extensions, and easy app creation, XWiki adapts to your business needs. Unlike Notion, it provides unlimited, free access to page history, ensuring you never lose content. Available for free or with support, XWiki can be used on-premises or in the cloud, making it a flexible, secure choice for teams and organizations.
What users say about XWiki
Our organization transitioned from using three different wikis to just XWiki with no problems. Most important for us is that XWiki is open source, allowing for a quicker pace of development, greater stability, broader features. Quick, easy, great features and open source – everyone is happy! Capterra review
Proprietary capabilities.
Open-source possibilities.
starting at 1€ / month / user
Compare with Notion
π¨π Anytype
Anytype is a privacy-focused, open-source alternative to Notion that allows users to create and organize notes, wikis, tasks, and databases while keeping full control over their data. Unlike cloud-based platforms, Anytype stores data locally and encrypts it, with the option to sync across devices using peer-to-peer technology. Designed for offline-first usage, it ensures privacy and security without reliance on centralized servers.
What users say about Anytype
I spent a long time looking for a single source of truth for my data. The privacy offered with Anytpe coupled with the community based updates made this the perfect option. Capterra review
Figma alternatives
πͺπΈ Penpot
Penpot is a top open-source alternative to Figma, designed for seamless collaboration between designers and developers. It offers powerful features like Flex Layout and Code Inspect, enabling stunning visuals, interactive prototypes, and scalable design systems. Developers get ready-to-use code, while teams retain full file ownership. Web-based or self-hosted, Penpot runs on open web standards (SVG, CSS, HTML) for ultimate flexibility.
What users say about Penpot
An amazing open-source alternative to sketch and Figma. I cannot quite believe that it’s free. It’s literally just as good as those apps and in fact… it’s better. It’s free. You should try it. Companies everywhere should use it. Good design tools can be free and this is solid proof. Alternativeto review
YouTube alternatives
π«π· PeerTube
PeerTube is a decentralized, open-source video-sharing platform that serves as an alternative to YouTube. It’s developed by Framasoft, a French non-profit. Instead of relying on a single central server, it uses peer-to-peer technology and federation via the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to host their own instances while connecting with others. This gives creators full control over their content, enhances privacy, and reduces dependence on a Big Tech platform such as YouTube.
What users say about PeerTube
The only federated YouTube alternative. Having support for activitypub in a video hosting platform is a great idea. Alternativeto review
Microsoft Teams and Slack alternatives
π¬π§ Element
Element is an open-source secure communications platform built on the Matrix standard, a decentralized and end-to-end encrypted protocol. As a powerful alternative to Microsoft Teams and Slack, it allows teams to collaborate efficiently, it boosts productivity and workplace satisfaction, while ensuring full data ownership. You can even connect your Slack, MS Teams and WhatsApp accounts to easily collaborate with your external partners. For high-security environments, it can be restricted using secure border and cross-domain gateways.
What users say about Element
Element provides our organization with an open source and user-friendly enterprise SaaS solution to bridge our internal communication tools. Additionally, it provides us with a platform for true end-to-end encrypted conversations. Capterra review
GitHub alternatives
π©πͺ Codeberg
Codeberg is a nonprofit, community-driven Git hosting platform that offers a free and privacy-friendly alternative to GitHub. Run by the Codeberg e.V. organization in Berlin, Germany, it prioritizes open-source development, data privacy, and ethical hosting without ads or tracking. Funded by donations, it provides a sustainable space for open-source projects with features like repositories, issue tracking, and wikis.
What users say about Codeberg
Non-profit git services for free/libre/open-source software projects. Familiar interface, works well, and easy to migrate from GitHub and other forges. Keep in mind that they only host FOSS projects, so you'll want to look elsewhere to host proprietary projects. Alternativeto review
Google Analytics alternatives
πͺπͺ Plausible
Plausible is a simple, lightweight, and open-source web analytics tool, fully GDPR-compliant. Developed and hosted in the EU, Estonia, it runs on European-owned cloud infrastructure. With a script 75 times smaller than Google Analytics, Plausible improves site loading speed and helps reduce your carbon footprint for a more sustainable web. It doesn't use cookies or collect personal data, ensuring your site data is used solely for analytics. All visitor data is processed on servers owned by European companies and stays within the EU.
What users say about Plausible
It is easy to implement and to use. Without hassle. For daily analysis it is really great and I do like it is very lightweight and fast. I use for it all my personal sites and recommend it to most of my customers. Capterra review
Google Drive alternatives
π©πͺ Nextcloud Files
Nextcloud Files is a secure cloud storage and file sharing software solution that’s part of the open-source Nextcloud platform. It allows users to store, sync, and share files securely across devices, thanks to a modern and intuitive web interface, for both desktop clients and mobile apps. As an alternative to Google Drive and Dropbox, it offers full control over your data with features like file versioning and strong encryption.
What users say about Nextcloud Files
I've been using Nextcloud as a replacement for Google Drive and Google Docs for the last four or five years. It has a ton of really great apps that I can install that can replicate popular Google services. For instance, I can use the Nextcloud desktop and mobile sync clients to have Google Drive like functionality. Captera review
π«π· Cozy Drive
Cozy Drive is a file synchronization and storage feature of Cozy Cloud, allowing users to store, manage, and share their files in a secure and private cloud environment. It’s an open-source alternative to Google Drive and Dropbox, enabling users to sync files across devices, organize documents, and share them with others. Cozy Drive focuses on privacy, giving users full control over their data while offering seamless access from any device.
What users say about Cozy Drive
Comparable to Drive or Dropbox but even better: secure, French, privacy by design, ethical, self-hosted or not, multiservice and with a lot of promises. Cozy.io review
Gmail alternatives
π¨π Proton Mail
ProtonMail is a secure, open-source email service developed by MIT and CERN scientists, based in Switzerland. It operates under strict Swiss privacy laws, outside US and EU jurisdiction. With end-to-end encryption, no one, including Proton Mail, can access user data. As a privacy-focused alternative to Gmail and Outlook, it works with all web browsers and email providers, allowing communication with non-Proton Mail users. It offers a free plan with premium upgrades, doesn’t log IP addresses, and requires no personal info for sign-up. Proton Mail is accessible on any device without plugins or apps.
What users say about Proton Mail
I am delighted since I started using ProtonMail: the migration has been easy, although it took some time (but this is 100% due to a personal choice to rewrite almost from scratch my email setup and usage), and it simply worked out of the box. Not many bugs encountered as of now, no spam, no deliverability issues. The interface is clean and good looking, and it's a pleasure to work with. The help documents and guides are tailored more to the average user, and makes setting it up a breeze. I'm really satisfied and just subscribed for two years. Capterra review
Grammarly alternatives
π©πͺ LanguageTool
LanguageTool is an open-source grammar, style, and spell checker that helps users improve their writing in over 30 languages and dialects. It detects grammar mistakes, typos, punctuation issues, and stylistic errors in emails, documents, and web content. Available as a browser extension, desktop app, and add-on for word processors and email tools, LanguageTool serves as a privacy-friendly alternative to Grammarly, offering local or self-hosted processing to keep data secure.
What users say about LanguageTool
It works with a lot of languages. It has better visual helpers than Grammarly. And the free version is more than enough. AND you can use the Chrome extension WITHOUT creating an account. Capterra review
Mailchimp alternatives
π«π· Webmecanik
Webmecanik is a European marketing automation platform and an open-source alternative to Mailchimp. It provides marketing automation tools, including email campaigns, lead management, segmentation, and CRM integration, aimed at helping businesses manage customer relationships and automate marketing efforts. Unlike Mailchimp, Webmecanik is focused on data privacy and compliance, making it a suitable option for businesses that prioritize these aspects.
What users say about Webmecanik
It allows me to create personalized, automated marketing campaigns, as well as manage my sales team, analyze their performance, keep track of their sales pipelines, store their information in one centralized location, and provide them with leads and opportunities. Also, it helped me to build a better relationship with them. G2 review
