Brands

Hot News

Sick of Microsoft and Google? This new European office suite is a private, open-source alternative
Publish Time: 06 Mar, 2026
gettyimages-1351882564-cropped
imaginima/E+ via Getty

Follow : Add us as a preferred source  on Google.

Key takeaways

  • Office EU is a European open-source office suite.
  • The creators are counting on Europe's demand for digital sovereignty.
  • It aims to rival Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

Digital sovereignty in Europe is taking another step forward. Office.eu has officially launched in The Hague. This new cloud service is positioning itself as a fully European, open‑source‑based alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. The service promises digital sovereignty, strict compliance with European Union (EU) law, and a familiar cloud‑office experience for organizations wary of US platforms.

Also: How digitally sovereign is your organization? This Red Hat tool can tell you in minutes

The new service is operated entirely by European owners and runs solely on EU-based infrastructure and data centers. This design, the company argues, keeps customer data "under European jurisdiction" and insulated from foreign legal regimes, such as the US CLOUD Act. By tying its technical and corporate structure to European territory, the company is directly tapping into long‑running concerns among EU policymakers and public bodies about dependence on US cloud giants for everyday productivity tools.

In a statement, Maarten Roelfs, CEO of Office EU, made this position clear: "We have seen more and more how essential it is to become cloud-independent and to rely on software that is built around European values. For many years, Europe has relied on American software and, therefore, created a certain risk of dependency. We have also given away control over our own data. Office.eu proves that we now have a strong European alternative, with sovereignty, privacy, and transparency at its core."

Also: Why France just dumped Microsoft Teams and Zoom - and what's replacing them

Roelfs isn't trying to convince people to change. With the change in government in the US, many EU governments and agencies are dumping American-based cloud services as fast as they can. This movement includes France, which is dumping Microsoft Teams and Zoom, the Austrian military, the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Danish government organizations, and the French city of Lyon. These governments and agencies are dropping Microsoft programs in favor of homegrown European alternatives.

Built primarily on the EU-based, open-source Nextcloud Hub, Office.eu bundles file storage and sharing, email, calendar, online document editing, and chat plus video calls into a single, browser‑based platform. The service deliberately mimics the look and feel of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace to ease migration. 

Office.eu suggests most migrations will be fast and easy because core components rely on standard formats and protocols. For example, email via IMAP and calendars via CalDAV. For documents, Office EU supports common Microsoft Office formats such as DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX. Office.eu will provide migration tools, though it hasn't said what these tools will be. 

Also: Rolling out AI? 5 security tactics your business can't get wrong - and why

The company also provides desktop sync clients for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, as well as mobile apps. You can also use the web interface if you don't want to install anything.

However, Office.eu recognizes its service isn't right for everyone. 

Microsoft 365 is a strong choice when you want the widest feature set and the most familiar experience, especially if your team already lives inside Outlook, Teams, and Microsoft identity.

Office EU is the better choice when you want a Europe-hosted workspace by default, a more transparent foundation, and a simpler place for daily work. For many teams, that makes it the best alternative to Office 365, not because it tries to copy every Microsoft feature, but because it reduces complexity and gives you a clearer sense of control over where your data lives, who can access it, and how dependent you are on decisions made outside your organisation.

Still, for many Europeans, Office EU will prove an excellent choice. If privacy and control are important to you, Office EU deserves your attention. 

Office.eu's pricing is set roughly in line with existing Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace subscriptions. The company is betting that digital sovereignty alone will be enough to pry customers away from deeply entrenched incumbents rather than trying to undercut them on cost alone. 

Also: Why open source may not survive the rise of generative AI

The service is not yet available. You can, however, sign up to give it a try. 

Office EU's debut comes as EU institutions debate how far to go in encouraging or even mandating "sovereign cloud" solutions. For now, the new entrant is a minnow in a sea dominated by Microsoft and Google. But its blend of open‑source technology, EU‑only infrastructure, and political timing turns what might have been just another cloud productivity launch into a pointed statement about who should control Europe's digital office.

SanDisk High Endurance review: 20,000 hours of testing later, it's the microSD card to beat We surveyed remote workers for their favorite tech gadgets - these 8 top the list
Business Open Source
I’d like Alerts: