Europeans must act now to seek alternatives to U.S. tech giants, whose dominance increasingly harms society. Children are drawn into distracting apps, while personal data is exploited in intrusive ways. U.S. firms resist transparency and regulation, so Europe must build its own digital path. We are publishing a series of factual articles listing European and Nordic alternatives. We are independent and receive no compensation from any named company. These are not endorsements, but reasoned listings of viable options. With data privacy concerns growing, Europe is advancing ethical, local tech alternatives to such.

In response to growing concerns about data privacy and control, several European and Nordic platforms have emerged as secure, open-source, and GDPR-compliant alternatives to Microsoft Teams and Slack. These tools emphasize decentralized hosting, encrypted communication, and regional data sovereignty.

🇪🇺 European Alternatives

• Element (UK)

Based on the Matrix protocol, Element offers real-time chat, voice/video calls, and interoperability with Slack and Teams. Trusted by EU governments for its strong security and decentralization.

• Wire (Switzerland)

Enterprise-focused platform offering end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice/video calls, and file sharing. GDPR-compliant and hosted entirely in Europe.

• Nextcloud Talk (Germany)

Part of the Nextcloud suite, this tool enables team calls, messaging, and secure file sharing with on-premise hosting options.

• Mattermost (EU-hosted)

Though originally US-based, it is widely self-hosted by European entities such as NATO and the European Commission. Offers Slack-like interface with open-source flexibility.

🇩🇰 🇫🇮 🇳🇴 🇸🇪 🇮🇸 Nordic Alternatives

• Samtal (Sweden)

Tailored for the Swedish public sector, Samtal provides encrypted, role-based communication with data hosted under Swedish jurisdiction.

• Tismi Business Messenger (Finland/Netherlands)

Offers telecom-grade secure messaging for businesses, with number masking and multi-device support. GDPR-aligned.

• Runbox Meet (Norway – upcoming)

Developed by the Runbox email team, this planned tool will focus on secure communication with all data stored in Norway.

Summary Table