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+---
+layout: post
+title: Handpicked list of privacy-focused European alternatives to big tech
+  products for your business
+description: Discover 16 European, GDPR-compliant tools for website management,
+  marketing, and business operations—secure, reliable, and hosted in the EU.
+slug: european-privacy-friendly-tools-for-business
+date: 2025-03-07T05:55:40.934Z
+author: hricha-shandily
+---
+Europe has been building world-class digital tools for years. A major advantage is that many of these tools prioritize privacy and open-source development by default.
+
+If you’re looking for alternatives to mainstream big tech services, here’s a handpicked list of high-quality European alternatives for your business.
+
+1. Ordered list
+{:toc}
+
+## Criteria for choosing these tools
+
+We selected these tools based on:
+
+* Built in the EU – Companies headquartered in a European country.
+* Hosted in the EU – Ensuring your data doesn’t leave the European borders and stays compliant with European privacy laws.
+* GDPR-compliance –  Tools that align with European data protection laws.
+* High quality – Competitive with mainstream solutions.
+* Privacy-focused – Respecting user data and following GDPR regulations.
+
+**Note**: This list is based on information available in March 2025. If a tool is listed as GDPR-compliant, it is based on the vendor’s own claims. Always verify compliance for your specific needs.
+
+## Privacy-friendly European B2B tools (A-Z)
+
+Let’s go alphabetically as we have no order of preference:
+
+### AppSignal (Datadog alternative)
+
+AppSignal is an intuitive APM for developers which helps track performance, spot any errors, monitor servers & uptime of your apps. It’s easy to use and powerful at the same time.
+
+**Based in**: The Netherlands
+
+**Hosted in**: EU
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Starts at €18 per month (30-day free trial)
+
+[Visit AppSignal](https://www.appsignal.com/)
+
+### Brevo (Mailchimp alternative)
+
+Brevo is a comprehensive email marketing platform, they also help you manage customer relationships across email, SMS, chat, and more—bringing communication and support in one place.
+
+**Based in**: France
+
+**Hosted in**: EU ([source](https://help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001005510-Data-storage-location))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free to start
+
+[Visit Brevo](https://www.brevo.com/)
+
+P.S. If you just need a transactional email service, try [Scaleway TEM](https://www.scaleway.com/en/transactional-email-tem/), (hosted in the EU).
+
+#### Self-hosted alternatives
+
+Quick revision: Self-hosting may require some developer hours, but if you have the expertise available, it can help you have full control over its deployment and infrastructure, eliminating concerns about where a third party might be hosting it in the cloud.
+
+If you are looking for a comprehensive list manager, check out [Listmonk](https://listmonk.app/) – a fully open-source, simple newsletter and mailing list manager.
+
+### BunnyCDN (Cloudflare alternative)
+
+BunnyCDN is a Content Delivery Network (CDN) designed to enhance website performance by caching and delivering content through a global network of servers. 
+
+Unlike many big-tech CDNs that track user data, BunnyCDN focuses on speed and efficiency [without invasive data collection](https://bunny.net/blog/building-a-privacy-first-platform-at-bunny-net-tools-to-safeguard-data-and-build-trust/). They also include features like image optimization, video delivery, and edge storage. 
+
+P.S. We use BunnyCDN at Plausible and have been happy users for a long time now.
+
+**Based in**: Slovenia
+
+**Hosted in**: Global. It’s not possible for a CDN to be hosted from a singular location.
+
+**GDPR compliant?** This needs to be checked for your specific case because Bunny is global, but according to their website, “no user-identifiable data is collected or processed whenever possible.”
+
+**Cost**: Pay as you go (14-day free trial)
+
+[Visit BunnyCDN](https://bunny.net)
+
+### Crisp (Intercom alternative)
+
+​Crisp chat is a business messaging platform that provides a unified messaging platform with live chat, email, and chatbot automation.
+
+It offers features like a collaborative inbox, AI-powered chatbots, CRM integration, help desk management, etc. They also have a mobile app.
+
+**Based in**: France
+
+**Hosted in**: EU. Messaging data is stored in The Netherlands and Plugin data is stored in Germany. However, their relay data is stored in the USA, UK and Singapore ([which they plan to change](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/whats-crisp-eu-gdpr-compliance-status-nhv54c/))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free plan available
+
+[Visit Crisp](https://help.crisp.chat/en/)
+
+#### Self-hosted alternatives
+
+[Chatwoot](https://www.chatwoot.com/) – an open source customer engagement platform. It provides omnichannel support, allowing businesses to manage customer conversations across email, live chat, social media, and messaging apps.
+
+### DeepL Translate (Google Translate alternative)
+
+DeepL Translate is an AI-powered translation tool known for its accuracy and privacy focus, making it a strong alternative to Google Translate.
+
+* Based in: Germany
+* Hosted in: Iceland and Sweden ([source](https://deepl.safebase.us/?itemUid=1a0dc64a-1178-440c-8a61-4d4d70c89ea2&source=click))
+* GDPR compliant? Yes
+* Cost: Free for basic use
+
+[Visit DeepL](https://www.deepl.com/en/translator)
+
+### Element (Slack & Microsoft Teams alternative)
+
+Element is an open-source app for team communication, powered by an open protocol called [Matrix](https://matrix.org/), it’s also built by the builders of Matrix.
+
+It keeps messages private with end-to-end encryption. Because Matrix is decentralized, Element users can chat with people on other Matrix apps and servers without being tied to one provider. You can even self-host your own Matrix server.
+
+**Based in**: UK (not EU)
+
+**Hosted in**: EU ([source](https://element.io/privacy))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Starts at €5 per user/month, paid annually (Free app available for personal use)
+
+[Visit Element](https://element.io/)
+
+### LanguageTool (Grammarly alternative)
+
+LanguageTool is an AI-based, open-source, multilingual grammar and spell checker supporting over 30 languages. They have a Chrome extension, Google Docs add-on, and a desktop app as well.
+
+It also comes with features to help track your productivity, see an overview of languages used, errors made, etc., so you can track your improvements over time. You can also self-host.
+
+**Based in**: Germany
+
+**Hosted in**: Dublin, Ireland ([source](https://languagetool.org/legal/dpa))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit LanguageTool](https://languagetool.org/)
+
+### Mistral AI (ChatGPT alternative)
+
+Mistral is a French AI startup, with their own chat app called Le Chat, similar to ChatGPT, Deepseek, etc. They also published an [OSS model](https://ollama.com/library/mistral) a while back, which you can run on your own.
+
+**Based in**: France
+
+**Hosted in**: Sweden ([source](https://help.mistral.ai/en/articles/156206-when-using-mistral-ai-s-api-where-is-my-data-stored))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit Mistral AI](https://mistral.ai/)
+
+### **Morning Score (Ahrefs & SEMrush alternative)**
+
+Morning Score is a user-friendly SEO tool designed to simplify keyword tracking, competitor analysis, and website optimization while respecting privacy.
+
+* **Based in:** Denmark
+* **Hosted in:** Info not available
+* **GDPR compliant?** Info not available
+* **Cost:** Starts at €49/month (free trial available)
+
+[Visit Morning Score](https://morningscore.io/)
+
+### Mullvad (NordVPN & ExpressVPN alternative)
+
+Mullvad is a privacy-focused VPN service with over 700 servers in 38 countries. It provides apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and a Firefox add-on—all of which are open-source and available on GitHub.
+
+True to European values, Mullvad VPN has a very strong stance on privacy which is clear upon visiting their homepage.
+
+**Based in**: Sweden
+
+**Hosted in**: A VPN cannot be restricted to a singular hosting location, however, they claim that all their VPN servers run from RAM, and don’t use any shared compute resources. Given these claims, it seems worth taking a look. 
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: €5 per month flat
+
+[Visit Mullvad](https://mullvad.net/en)
+
+### Odoo (Salesforce & SAP alternative)
+
+Odoo is an open-source enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that integrates multiple business applications into a single platform. They have a wide range of modules, including CRM, sales management, e-commerce, warehouse management, accounting, manufacturing, and human resources. 
+
+This modular approach helps businesses to customize the system to their specific needs for efficiency.​
+
+**Based in:** Belgium
+
+**Hosted in**: Data stored closest to your region, and you can request to change it ([source](https://www.odoo.com/privacy#part_12))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit Odoo](https://www.odoo.com/)
+
+#### Self-hosted alternatives
+
+While the community edition of Odoo is open source, they do have a proprietary offering with additional features. In case you’re looking for a fully open source offering, try [ERPNext](https://erpnext.com/), which many consider easier to self-host and manage.
+
+### Passbolt (1Password & LastPass alternative)
+
+Passbolt is an open-source password manager for secure team collaboration. It offers end-to-end encryption using OpenPGP standards, ensuring that only authorized users can access stored data. They have been around for over a decade.
+
+You can also self-host it.
+
+**Based in**: Luxembourg
+
+**Hosted in**: EU
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit Passbolt](https://www.passbolt.com/)
+
+### Plausible Analytics (Google Analytics alternative)
+
+We’re Plausible Analytics and after using Google Analytics for many years we believe we have created an alternative that’s privacy-first, simple to use, lightweight and much [better at certain things](https://plausible.io/blog/easy-insights).
+
+We don’t use cookies so there’s no need for cookie banners. We don’t collect personal data so no need for GDPR and CCPA consent prompts either.
+
+We’re open source and can be self-hosted too.
+
+**Based in**: Estonia
+
+**Hosted in**: EU
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Starts at $9 per month, cheaper for an annual subscription (30-day free trial)
+
+[Visit Plausible demo](https://plausible.io/plausible.io)
+
+### ProtonMail (Gmail and Outlook alternative)
+
+ProtonMail is an email service that emphasizes security and privacy through end-to-end encryption. The service is accessible via webmail, as well as Android and iOS applications. They have a strict no-logs policy, ensuring that even ProtonMail cannot access user emails. 
+
+With features like Hide-my-email aliases, calendar and drive, they offer a compelling alternative to Google and Microsoft.
+
+**Based in**: Switzerland
+
+**Hosted in**: Switzerland, Germany, and Norway ([source](https://proton.me/blog/sustaining-mission-over-time))
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit ProtonMail](https://proton.me/mail)
+
+### Tally Forms (Google Forms and Typeform alternative)
+
+Tally Forms is a free and intuitive forms builder. You can build your form by working in a text document like format.
+
+It also offers advanced features like conditional logic, signatures, calculations, file uploads, etc. In other words, a better alternative to Google Forms or Typeform.
+
+They initially created it in a motivation to replace the big tech as they were expensive, and have been at it for about 5 years now, completely funded by customers.
+
+**Based in**: Belgium
+
+**Hosted in**: EU
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit Tally](https://tally.so/)
+
+### Whereby (Zoom and Google Meet alternative)
+
+Whereby is a user-friendly, browser-based video conferencing tool, requiring no downloads or logins for guests.
+
+It offers features such as screen sharing, customizable meeting rooms, and integrations with tools like Trello, Google Docs, and Miro Whiteboard. Whereby also provides an API for embedding video conferencing capabilities into websites and applications.
+
+P.S. We use Whereby at Plausible for internal video calls.
+
+**Based in**: Norway
+
+**Hosted in**: User data stored in Ireland. However, being fully EU-hosted isn’t entirely feasible since they serve a global audience and need to maintain video routers worldwide. However, users in a European country will connect to a data center physically located within the EEC.
+
+**GDPR compliant?** Yes
+
+**Cost**: Free
+
+[Visit Whereby](https://whereby.com/)
+
+#### Self-hosted alternatives
+
+If you wish to self-host, check out [Jitsi](https://jitsi.org/).
+
+## Final thoughts
+
+By choosing European-built alternatives, you support businesses that respect privacy, security, and local data regulations. Whether self-hosted or cloud-based, these tools provide viable, high-quality replacements for big tech solutions.
+
+**Do you have any suggestions? You can write to us at [reading@plausible.io](mailto:reading@plausible.io).**