This guide is designed for anyone looking to take greater control of their digital life by choosing open-source solutions developed and maintained within Europe. It highlights projects that promote transparency, reduce reliance on non-European tech ecosystems, and align with Europe’s strong commitment to privacy and data protection. The goal is to support digital autonomy in Europe while uplifting the local developers and communities who build trustworthy, user-centric software.
Privacy-focused browser with over 500 settings for enhanced security and performance, independent of Firefox, and not affiliated with Mozilla.
The Mullvad Browser is a privacy-focused web browser developed in a collaboration between Mullvad VPN and the Tor Project. It’s designed to minimize tracking and fingerprinting. You could say it’s a Tor Browser to use without the Tor Network.
Waterfox is an open-source, privacy-focused browser based on the popular open source browser with a red panda as a mascot. It is designed to be a drop-in replacement for said browser that offers enhanced privacy features, performance improvements, and customizability while...
Privacy-centric, open-source browser with unique UI features like vertical tabs, Split View, and Zen Glance, focusing on security and tranquility.
SearXNG is a free internet metasearch engine which aggregates results from various search services and databases. Users are neither tracked nor profiled.
Spot is a fork of Searx which is a metasearch engine, aggregating the results of other search engines while not storing information about its users.
xPrivo Search is a 100% European, privacy-focused search engine that operates on a fully independent european index instead of relying on US Big Tech like Bing. Choose between classic web results or AI enhanced results with full European data sovereignty & privacy.
Privacy-friendly Swiss email solution with 20 GB free storage, custom domain options, contact and calendar sync, and cross-device access in a secure suite.
Calendar interface for CalDAV, enabling cross-device event sync, web editing, recurring events, Nextcloud Contacts integration, WebCal support and attendee invites.
Web- and IMAP-based email service. 4GB cost 1€/month. Information is hosted on encrypted hard drives. Electricity from renewable resources is used.
Secure Swiss-based email with end-to-end encryption and zero third-party access. Available across devices, offering a free version to promote privacy.
Organize events with encrypted privacy, zero-knowledge and no tracking. Features include multi-device sync, multiple views, and offline support.
End-to-end encrypted app for email, calendar, and contacts, requiring no personal data, with open source code and quantum-resistant security.
Cozy makes the personal cloud more accessible. Respectful of the user's privacy, Cozy simplifies daily tasks: synchronize and backup photos, automate bills downloading, manage expenses, etc. Flexible and easy to use, their Open Source platform allows users to create and...
Filen is a cutting-edge cloud storage provider that offers client-side, end-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption. Headquartered and operated entirely in Germany, Filen is at the forefront of combining comprehensive features with uncompromising privacy and security.
kDrive is a Swiss online storage service that respects its users' privacy and makes storing, sharing & collaborating on files a breeze.
Koofr is a safe, secure and simple way to store, backup and share your documents, photos, videos and more. It offers up to 10 GB of free safe storage for your files with affordable upgrades and options to connect multiple cloud accounts.
Emphasizes privacy with end-to-end encryption, Proton Drive safely stores, synchronizes, and shares files across devices via web and mobile applications.
Enterprise-ready on-premise suite with advanced word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tools, maximizing interoperability and file compatibility.
CryptPad is a private-by-design alternative to popular office tools and cloud services. All the content stored on CryptPad is encrypted before being sent, which means nobody can access your data unless you give them the keys.
Disroot is a platform providing online services based on principles of freedom, privacy, federation and decentralization.
Free and open-source office suite with advanced word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, vector graphics, math formula editor, and database tools.
On-premises file sync, universal access, integrated collaboration, real-time communication with privacy and data control focus.
Open-source suite for editing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, forms, and PDF files with co-editing modes, plugin support, AI assistant, and integration across 40+ platforms.
End-to-end encrypted manager for passwords, aliases, and unique email addresses, offering local data encryption, alias creation, and optional cloud or self-hosting.
Free and open source password manager storing passwords in a local encrypted database with strong AES or Twofish encryption and master key access.
Open-source password manager storing passwords, notes, and attachments offline with AES-256 encryption, browser extensions, cross-platform support, and TOTP.
USB security device for encryption, digital signing, and secure login, featuring secret key storage, user PIN, tamper-proof smart card, and open source design.
Passbolt is an open source password manager for teams. It allows to securely share and store credentials. For instance, the wifi password of your office, or the administrator password of a router, or your organisation social media account password, all of them can be secured...
A password manager that ensures identity and password security with rigorous, end-to-end encryption, built by scientists from CERN, and recommended by the United Nations.
Cryptee is a safety and privacy focused, encrypted and cross-platform personal data storage service. You can write personal documents, notes, journals, store photos (including raw photos from DSLR cameras) and all sorts of other files.
Open source note-taking app with Markdown support, to-do integration, and synchronization with cloud services like Dropbox and OneDrive.
Marknote lets you create rich text notes and easily organise them into notebooks. You can personalise your notebooks by choosing an icon and accent color for each one, making it easy to distinguish between them and keep your notes at your fingertips.
Distraction-free note-taking app with categories, Markdown formatting, favorites, and RESTful API. Integrates with Nextcloud clients for seamless syncing.
Plain text notepad with markdown support and todo list manager for Linux, Mac OS X and Windows, that works together with the notes application of ownCloud.
Comprehensive writing tool for notes, citations, and drafting with privacy-first features and multi-language support, perfect for diverse writing tasks.
Zim brings the concept of a wiki to your desktop. Store information, link pages and edit with WYSISYG markup or directly typing some lightweight markup syntax and see it previewed as-you-type. Creating a new page is easy by either clicking on the "Create new note"...
Uses email as a decentralized chat platform with modern interface, open source code, no central servers, strong privacy controls, and no account signup.
A secure collaboration app with end-to-end encryption and interoperability across web, desktop, and mobile. Includes chat, voice, and video calls.
*Loops and Pixelfed are Canadian, but they are the best FOSS alternatives to Instagram and Tiktok.
Comments
Koofr is also a great european cloud storage provider, very privacy oriented, and Bunny.net, they are both from Slovenia.
Thank you for the suggestions! Koofr has now been added to the list.
The list is based on two criteria:
There are no exceptions to the first criteria. For the second one, exceptions may apply in certain cases. For example if the software is developed internationally (such as LibreWolf or VSCodium) or if no European alternatives exist (e.g. Pixelfed or Loops as alternatives to Instagram and TikTok).
For this reason, Bunny.net will not be added to the list, as the software is not open-source.
Never knew Krita was European, do you know of any specifically German open source projects?
Yes, Krita is actually part of the KDE ecosystem, which is a German-based FOSS community. KDE is best known for the KDE Plasma desktop (Linux), but they also develop a huge collection of applications across many categories.
Some prominent KDE apps include Kdenlive (video editing), Okular (document viewer), Gwenview (image viewer), Dolphin (file manager) and many more. All FOSS and actively developed in Europe.
Germany in general has a very strong open-source scene.
Wow, I thought that I was the only person loving European open-source projects! Maybe we need to a collaborate? Just to help you, Infomaniak isn't that privacy focused: when you sign up, you (sometimes) have to make a selfie and give a lot of personal information... In general this list looks amazing and your username is awesome. Let's go Europe!
Thanks! Always great to meet another person who cares about European FOSS projects
I’m definitely curious about collaboration. Did you have anything in mind? It could be anything from sharing resources, testing projects, contributing to open-source or even writing about European alternatives together.
And you’re absolutely right about Infomaniak: they’re not the most privacy-focused option out there. For me it’s a pragmatic choice right now - European jurisdiction, transparent, sustainable and very competitive pricing. I see them as a “good enough” step away from US hyperscalers, not a perfect privacy solution.