Show HN: European alternatives to Google, Apple, Dropbox and 120 US apps
by madman_dev on 4/3/2026, 9:37:24 AM
Comments
by: sdoering
If you an advertising free, non affiliate spam variant (that actually shows alternatives not because they pay money), a former boss of mine published this more than a year ago:<p><a href="https://www.decoupl.eu/" rel="nofollow">https://www.decoupl.eu/</a><p>Not sure how current it is, though - but you can submit tools.
4/3/2026, 12:02:36 PM
by: outsidein
The affiliate information shows that it the website shows mostly / only affiliate offers, and omits (intentionally?) much better a lternatives like posteo.de for email. Listed vendors like OVHcloud must follow the US cloud act, so not really independent from US.<p>Just advertising, no real privacy focused.
4/3/2026, 10:44:03 AM
by: vldszn
I’m working on a free and open-source invoice generator: <a href="https://easyinvoicepdf.com" rel="nofollow">https://easyinvoicepdf.com</a><p>- No sign-up, works entirely in-browser<p>- Live PDF preview + instant download<p>- VAT EU support<p>- Shareable invoice links<p>- Multi-language (10+) & multi-currency (100+)<p>- Multiple templates (incl. Stripe-style)<p>- Mobile-friendly<p>- QR code support<p>GitHub: <a href="https://github.com/VladSez/easy-invoice-pdf" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/VladSez/easy-invoice-pdf</a><p>Would love feedback, contributions, or ideas for other templates/features.<p>The project has no backend and is purely browser-based, but I’m based in Europe and developing the project here, so I consider it a European project.<p>PS: e-invoice is wip (Ksef, XRechnung, Factur-X)
4/3/2026, 10:34:19 AM
by: miyuru
only-eu.eu registered on Porkbun LLC and hosted on Cloudflare, Inc<p><a href="https://whois.eurid.eu/en/search/?domain=only-eu" rel="nofollow">https://whois.eurid.eu/en/search/?domain=only-eu</a><p>MX points to route1.mx.cloudflare.net as well.<p>they should use their own product before giving others advice.
4/3/2026, 10:47:05 AM
by: monegator
what was wrong with <a href="https://european-alternatives.eu/" rel="nofollow">https://european-alternatives.eu/</a> ?
4/3/2026, 10:25:11 AM
by: R_Spaghetti
why is it hosted by cloudflare (us company) in stead of <a href="http://bunny.net" rel="nofollow">http://bunny.net</a> ?<p><a href="https://info.addr.tools/only-eu.eu" rel="nofollow">https://info.addr.tools/only-eu.eu</a>
4/3/2026, 10:50:22 AM
by: broken-kebab
I think we have enough petty chauvinisms, there's no need to breed an EU variety. Europe does it better? Dunno, European gov'ts are full of ideas about backdooring, with one of those failing by just one vote recently.<p>Also the website is impractical, it simply groups brands vs brands without much detail.
4/3/2026, 11:53:10 AM
by: morpheuskafka
I find it somewhat odd that "European software/servers" has taken off for what is clearly political purposes, but without any clear definition of what "Europe" even means. How can you claim that "Made in Europe has stood for top quality and durability" if "Europe" is defined based on current political allegiance, not geography?<p>In fact, the domain "only-eu.eu" and the title, "European" are contradictory. Belarus and most population of Russia are unquestionable European, but not EU and clearly not something the author of this website would endorse.<p>For that matter, Hungary is both Europe and EU, but very likely not politically favorable by the author either. Does that make it not count as buying EU? On the other hand, I assume you support buying from Iceland and Norway, which are not EU (but are EEA and politically aligned). And of course, the biggest question is whether or not the UK counts as "buying European" -- it is not EU and arguably anti-EU but geographically European and aligned in being anti-Russia.
4/3/2026, 11:02:09 AM
by: neya
Home page boldly claims:<p><pre><code> EuRopE dOeS iT BeTtEr. </code></pre> There is literally a story trending on HN right now:<p><pre><code> Proton built Proton Meet to escape the CLOUD Act. They built it on CLOUD Act infrastructure. Their website promises "not even government agencies" can access your calls. The company routing them hands your call records to the government when asked. Proton hid them from their privacy policy. </code></pre> This superiority complex needs to stop.<p>Source: <a href="https://www.sambent.com/proton-meet-isnt-what-they-told-you/" rel="nofollow">https://www.sambent.com/proton-meet-isnt-what-they-told-you/</a>
4/3/2026, 10:35:32 AM
by: yreg
NordVPN claims to operate under Panama jurisdiction (but is otherwise still based in Europe).<p>The specific reason why they want to operate under Panama law is that there's no mandatory data retention.<p>So it seems misguided to claim that purely-EU-based alternatives to NordVPN are 'safer' and 'more private' than Nord due to the location alone.
4/3/2026, 10:44:38 AM
by: DocTomoe
It's ironic to call something 'Europe does it better' when all alternatives mentioned are - objectively - worse, sometimes catastrophically worse than the things they are meant to replace.<p>This is especially true for offers that are content-related. Claiming that RTL+ is anywhere NEAR Netflix is insulting. I love GOG, but the library and ease-of-use of Steam is unmatched (to the point that half of my GOG library does no longer run on the hardware I own because apparently they don't keep updates in mind.)
4/3/2026, 12:00:06 PM
by: dhruv3006
I think you should consider Voiden too : <a href="https://voiden.md/" rel="nofollow">https://voiden.md/</a>
4/3/2026, 11:32:57 AM
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4/3/2026, 11:33:10 AM
by: medvidek
Is it only me, or does the logo in the header really look like someone forgot a zero in the number of pixels when running some compression tool?
4/3/2026, 10:32:15 AM
by: DaedalusII
this looks like it was vibe coded using an american llm<p>also, why not chinese or indian alternatives? they're cheaper and oftentime work better
4/3/2026, 11:17:58 AM
by: smarx007
Spotify is already European...
4/3/2026, 10:20:15 AM
by: Galanwe
Pretty much the answer is Proton (mail, storage, password manager, VPN calendar, etc)
4/3/2026, 10:21:37 AM
by: sneela
Uhhh, I don't think Ente is Norwegian? Yeah, they have an office in Norway, but I remember them starting from India --- Ente means 'mine' in Malayalam, a language spoken in Kerala, South India.<p><a href="https://only-eu.eu/en/categories/foto-backup/ente-photos/" rel="nofollow">https://only-eu.eu/en/categories/foto-backup/ente-photos/</a><p>Also, their LinkedIn page shows that their HQ is Dover, Delaware, USA: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ente-com/about/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linkedin.com/company/ente-com/about/</a><p><a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ente-technologies" rel="nofollow">https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ente-technologies</a><p>Which is interesting.
4/3/2026, 10:34:08 AM
by: hk__2
See also <a href="https://european-alternatives.eu/" rel="nofollow">https://european-alternatives.eu/</a>
4/3/2026, 11:25:52 AM
by: sunaookami
New account + affiliate links + AI generated (likely via an US-based LLM lol) = flag + spam + slop
4/3/2026, 10:58:17 AM
by: agrishin
Do they really match full functionality and user experience though?
4/3/2026, 10:29:19 AM
by: _imnothere
Did you mean: _Alternatives with age verification_?
4/3/2026, 10:37:51 AM
by: hulitu
Searching for Android: "Volla Systeme GmbH develops Android smartphones", besides Hmd/Nokia and Gigaset also with Android.<p>Microsoft Windows has no alternatives.<p>Apache, bind, no alternatives.<p>I guess there is still work to do.
4/3/2026, 11:34:48 AM
by: deaux
It's so funny to see all of these websites generated by American LLMs hosted on American clouds. Footer "Made in Europe" needs a change to "Prompted in Europe", a la Apple's "Designed in California".<p>I'm a big proponent _and practitioner_ of moving away from US-controlled services. I urge people to do so at any opportunity I get and have already moved many things over. Any new project I undertake uses non-US services wherever possible.<p>But this vibecoded slop doesn't help much. If you want to actually be helpful, contribute to any of the 50 websites about the exact same concept that have been posted on HN over the last year.
4/3/2026, 10:39:03 AM
by: cromka
"Europe does it better".<p>Sorry, but as an European who roots for EU very much, I found that branding laughable, because it's absolutely not true at all. Those Eurooean alternatives are absolutely of significantly worse quality almost across the board, simply because there's less money thrown at them. It's also making it sound pretty, disingenuous, and adding to ongoing gamification of relationship with the US.<p>"Europe does it differently" would be so much better, because of the obvious better privacy, openness and standards compliance, as mandate by our regulations.
4/3/2026, 11:22:02 AM
by: hvb2
Is this just to plug the site? What's unique about this, there's quite a few others already?
4/3/2026, 10:15:32 AM
by: madman_dev
Hi HN, I built only-eu.eu, a curated bilingual (DE/EN) directory of European alternatives to common US software and services. Motivation: The CLOUD Act creates a structural difference between US and European cloud providers that's separate from GDPR. European companies can't be compelled by US federal courts to hand over data regardless of server location. For companies and individuals who care about this, finding verified European alternatives is surprisingly hard. Most "alternatives" sites are US-focused. Technical implementation: Static Astro site, hosted on Cloudflare Pages. 326 pages, fully bilingual. Search via Fuse.js. Product suggestion form via Cloudflare Worker into n8n webhook. No cookies. Currently covers: cloud storage, email, VPN, password managers, office suites, browsers, search engines, video conferencing, messaging, social media, photo backup, project management, notes and knowledge tools, analytics, hosting, AI tools, smartphones, sport and fashion, cosmetics, audio hardware, e-commerce, freelance platforms, website builders. Monetized via affiliate links (clearly labeled). Most products have no affiliate relationship and are listed purely on merit. Happy to hear what I got wrong or am missing.<p>Also: You can suggest a product on the page, if you got something, feel free to use that button.
4/3/2026, 9:37:43 AM
by: austinwade
This is so funny
4/3/2026, 10:42:35 AM
by: iLoveOncall
Most of those are not at all alternatives but rather "solutions roughly in the same domain space that might have a 10% overlap".<p>Klarna has nothing in common with Paypal, bare metal hosting is not at all an alternative to AWS, PeerTube has nothing in common with Netflix, etc.
4/3/2026, 10:31:32 AM
by: johnwhitman
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4/3/2026, 12:00:52 PM
by: Remi_Etien
Interesting list. One thing I've noticed while talking to founders across Europe: the adoption gap often isn't about features but discoverability and network effects. A European tool can be technically superior but loses because everyone's already on the US alternative. For early validation work especially, the switching cost rarely justifies the gains unless there's a specific regulatory or latency requirement. Worth considering what actual lock-in exists vs perceived lock-in.
4/3/2026, 10:25:32 AM
by: Praxwise
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4/3/2026, 11:08:25 AM
by: Serhii-Set
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4/3/2026, 11:07:02 AM
by: fricanest
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4/3/2026, 11:34:07 AM
by: personomas
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4/3/2026, 10:12:29 AM
by: i_love_retros
Trump is destroying America and I'm running out of popcorn.
4/3/2026, 10:54:00 AM