Back to Blog
comparisons

Best European Alternatives to Google Workspace in 2026

European SaaS TeamFebruary 21, 20269 min read
Best European Alternatives to Google Workspace in 2026

Best European Alternatives to Google Workspace in 2026

Google Workspace dominates business productivity — email, docs, spreadsheets, video calls, storage — all under one roof. But for European companies serious about data sovereignty, the question keeps coming up: where does your data actually live?

Google processes data globally across US-based infrastructure. For businesses bound by GDPR, sector-specific regulations (healthcare, finance, government), or simply wanting to keep data on European soil, there are now genuine alternatives that don't require sacrificing productivity.

Here are the best European alternatives to Google Workspace, ranked by completeness, pricing, and data sovereignty.

Why Switch from Google Workspace?

  1. Data residency — Google offers EU data regions, but processing and support access can still involve US infrastructure
  2. Schrems II compliance — EU-US Data Privacy Framework exists but faces ongoing legal challenges
  3. Digital sovereignty — Some industries and governments require European-hosted solutions
  4. Vendor lock-in — Diversifying away from a single US tech giant reduces risk
  5. Cost — Some European suites offer better value, especially for small teams

For more context on why data location matters, see our data sovereignty deep dive.


1. Nextcloud + Collabora Office

🇩🇪 Germany | Self-hosted or managed

The open-source powerhouse. Nextcloud is the most popular self-hosted productivity platform in Europe, used by the German federal government, French Ministry of Education, and thousands of businesses.

What you get:

  • File storage and sync (Dropbox/Drive replacement)
  • Collabora Online — full office suite (docs, sheets, presentations) in the browser
  • Nextcloud Talk — video calls, chat, screen sharing
  • Email integration, calendar, contacts
  • Nextcloud Groupware — full productivity suite

Pricing:

PlanPriceNotes
Self-hostedFreeCommunity edition, unlimited users
Nextcloud EnterpriseFrom €36/user/yearSupport, compliance features
Managed hostingFrom €5/user/monthVia partners like Hetzner, IONOS

Pros:

  • Full data control — host on your own servers or EU cloud
  • No vendor lock-in (open source, AGPLv3)
  • Massive app ecosystem (200+ integrations)
  • Used by governments across Europe

Cons:

  • Self-hosting requires technical expertise
  • Collabora is good but not as polished as Google Docs
  • Video calling quality varies with server resources

Best for: Organizations that want full control, public sector, privacy-first teams.

🔗 nextcloud.com


2. Open-Xchange (OX App Suite)

🇩🇪 Germany

Open-Xchange powers the email and productivity suites for major European ISPs — if you use email from 1&1, T-Online, or Comcast, you're already using OX technology. Their App Suite is a complete Google Workspace competitor.

What you get:

  • OX Mail — webmail with conversation view
  • OX Documents — collaborative docs, spreadsheets, presentations
  • OX Drive — file storage and sharing
  • OX Calendar & Contacts
  • OX Guard — email encryption

Pricing:

PlanPriceNotes
Via ISP/hosterVariesOften included in hosting packages
OX CloudFrom €3/user/monthManaged deployment
EnterpriseCustomOn-premise or private cloud

Pros:

  • Battle-tested at massive scale (200M+ mailboxes worldwide)
  • Strong email platform (their core strength)
  • European data processing guaranteed
  • White-label friendly for service providers

Cons:

  • Less known as a direct-to-business product
  • Document collaboration not as advanced as Google Docs
  • UI can feel dated compared to modern alternatives

Best for: Businesses already with European hosting providers, organizations prioritizing email.

🔗 open-xchange.com


3. Infomaniak kSuite

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Swiss-made, Swiss-hosted, and increasingly popular across Europe. Infomaniak's kSuite bundles email, storage, video conferencing, and an office suite — all hosted in Swiss data centers powered by renewable energy.

What you get:

  • kMail — professional email with custom domains
  • kDrive — 15GB–6TB cloud storage with real-time collaboration
  • kMeet — video conferencing (no account needed for guests)
  • kChat — team messaging
  • Online office suite (OnlyOffice-based)

Pricing:

PlanPriceNotes
kSuite FreeFree1 user, 15GB
kSuite StandardCHF 5.54/user/month1TB storage, custom domain
kSuite ProCHF 7.40/user/month6TB, advanced admin

Pros:

  • Swiss data protection (among the strongest globally)
  • Carbon-neutral infrastructure
  • Competitive pricing with generous storage
  • Clean, modern interface
  • GDPR + Swiss FADP compliant

Cons:

  • Smaller ecosystem than Nextcloud
  • Less well-known outside French-speaking Europe
  • Some features still maturing

Best for: SMBs wanting a polished, affordable, Swiss-hosted alternative.

🔗 infomaniak.com


4. Teamplace / Stackfield

🇩🇪 Germany

Stackfield is a German all-in-one collaboration platform with end-to-end encryption built in. It's not a full Google Workspace replacement (no email), but covers project management, file sharing, video calls, and team chat — all encrypted.

What you get:

  • Encrypted file sharing and storage
  • Project management (Kanban, Gantt, tasks)
  • Team chat and video calls
  • Wiki / knowledge base
  • Encrypted forms

Pricing:

PlanPriceNotes
Business€11/user/month1TB storage, all features
EnterpriseCustomOn-premise option, SSO

Pros:

  • End-to-end encryption for everything
  • Made in Germany, hosted in Germany
  • Replaces Slack + Trello + file sharing in one tool
  • ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR certified

Cons:

  • No email hosting
  • No office suite (docs/sheets)
  • Higher price point for smaller teams
  • Need to pair with another tool for email + documents

Best for: Teams needing secure collaboration with encryption, especially in regulated industries.

🔗 stackfield.com


5. Mailfence

🇧🇪 Belgium

Mailfence is a Belgian secure email and collaboration platform. While more email-focused than Google Workspace, it includes documents, calendar, contacts, and file storage — making it a viable lightweight alternative.

What you get:

  • Encrypted email with OpenPGP and S/MIME
  • Online documents and spreadsheets
  • Calendar with scheduling
  • Contacts management
  • File storage (5–50GB)
  • Groups and shared workspaces

Pricing:

PlanPriceNotes
FreeFree500MB email, 500MB files
Entry€2.50/month5GB email, 12GB files
Pro€7.50/month20GB email, 50GB files, custom domain
Ultra€25/month50GB email, 70GB files, full features

Pros:

  • Strong encryption (OpenPGP built-in)
  • Belgian privacy laws + GDPR
  • No tracking, no ads, even on free plan
  • Supports custom domains
  • Good value at lower tiers

Cons:

  • Document editor is basic compared to Google Docs
  • No video conferencing built-in
  • Smaller team/fewer integrations
  • Interface feels functional rather than modern

Best for: Privacy-conscious individuals and small businesses who prioritize secure email.

🔗 mailfence.com


6. OnlyOffice Workspace

🇱🇻 Latvia (EU)

OnlyOffice has one of the best Microsoft Office-compatible document editors available. Their Workspace product bundles it with project management, email, CRM, and file storage.

What you get:

  • Full office suite (Writer, Spreadsheet, Presentation) — closest to MS Office compatibility
  • Project management and Gantt charts
  • CRM module
  • Email aggregator
  • File storage with real-time co-editing

Pricing:

PlanPriceNotes
CommunityFreeSelf-hosted, unlimited users
Cloud (Startup)From €4/user/month1TB, managed hosting
EnterpriseCustomPrivate cloud, SLA

Pros:

  • Best-in-class .docx/.xlsx compatibility
  • Self-hosted or cloud options
  • Open source community edition
  • Full CRM and project management included
  • EU-based company and hosting

Cons:

  • Workspace UI can feel overwhelming
  • Email is an aggregator, not a full mail server
  • Cloud version has fewer users than self-hosted
  • Some advanced features need Enterprise license

Best for: Teams that need excellent Microsoft Office compatibility and want an all-in-one platform.

🔗 onlyoffice.com


Quick Comparison

SolutionEmailDocsVideoStorageSelf-hostFrom
Nextcloud + CollaboraVia integrationFree
OX App Suite~€3/user/mo
Infomaniak kSuiteFree
Stackfield€11/user/mo
MailfenceBasicFree
OnlyOfficeAggregatorFree

Our Verdict

For most European SMBs: Start with Infomaniak kSuite. It's the closest drop-in replacement for Google Workspace — email, storage, video calls, and docs in one package, hosted in Switzerland, at a competitive price.

For maximum control: Nextcloud + Collabora gives you full sovereignty. Host it on Hetzner or IONOS for a fully European stack. It's the choice of governments and large organizations across the EU.

For document-heavy teams: OnlyOffice has the best Microsoft Office compatibility — essential if you exchange files with clients who use Word and Excel.

For security-critical industries: Stackfield (encrypted collaboration) + Mailfence (encrypted email) cover regulated sectors where end-to-end encryption is mandatory.


The Bigger Picture

Switching productivity suites is a big decision. But the European ecosystem is now mature enough that you don't have to sacrifice features for sovereignty. The tools listed here are used by millions of Europeans daily — including government agencies that have some of the strictest compliance requirements on the planet.

Want to see more European alternatives? Check out:

Your data, your infrastructure, your rules.

google-workspaceproductivityeuropean-techgdprcollaborationoffice-suite

Related Articles