EU Alternatives to Big Tech You Can Self-Host

A growing number of European businesses and individuals are asking the same question: why are our documents, emails, and contacts stored on servers controlled by a handful of American corporations?

It’s not just a matter of principle. GDPR exists for a reason, and interest in European alternatives is growing faster than ever. The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has completely ditched Microsoft tools in public offices, switching to open-source software. Lyon, France’s third-largest city, is moving to OnlyOffice and Linux for 10,000 civil servants. And Danish cities Copenhagen and Aarhus are following suit after Microsoft licensing costs jumped 72% in just five years.

The problem many overlook

When you use Gmail, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, or Dropbox for work, your documents, emails, contacts, and calendars live on servers in the United States. Access to that data is governed by US law, not European law.

For personal use, that might be an acceptable trade-off. But for a company handling client data, contracts, and financial documents? That’s worth thinking about.

Nextcloud: your own “Google”

Nextcloud is an open-source platform that replaces almost all Google services at once:

• Files: like Google Drive, but on your server
• Calendar & Contacts: syncs with your phone and computer
• Email: integrates with your existing mail server
• Talk: video calls and group chat (a Google Meet alternative)
• Office: built-in document editing (via OnlyOffice integration)

The key difference: you control where the data lives. Nextcloud can run on a server in Croatia, Germany, or anywhere in the EU. Your data never leaves European soil.

OnlyOffice: Microsoft Office without Microsoft

OnlyOffice is a European alternative to Microsoft Office offering:

• Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations: fully compatible with .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx formats
• Real-time collaboration: multiple users can work on the same document simultaneously
• Self-hosting: run it on your own server, integrate it with Nextcloud

No Microsoft 365 subscription, no per-user monthly fees, and no sending data to a cloud you don’t control.

Why self-host?

There are excellent EU cloud services like Proton Mail and Tuta. But there’s an important distinction between using someone else’s EU service and running your own server:

	EU Cloud Service	Self-Hosting
Data location	EU, but someone else’s server	Your server, your location
Control	Depends on provider	Complete
Monthly cost	Per user	Fixed (server)
Customization	Limited	Full

For smaller teams (5–50 people), self-hosting on a single server can be cheaper than commercial subscriptions, and you get complete control.

How to get there?

Setting up Nextcloud and OnlyOffice isn’t a one-click operation. You need to configure the server, ensure security, set up backups, SSL certificates, and maintain the system. But once it’s running, it works reliably for years.

At TechCraft, we set up exactly these kinds of solutions, from Linux server and Docker configuration, through Nextcloud + OnlyOffice integration, to ongoing server management. If you’re interested in owning your cloud infrastructure instead of renting someone else’s, get in touch.