No prying eyes: 2 + 8 European alternatives to YouTube
In this episode of “The European Alternative,” we list safe YouTube alternatives for both consumers and professionals.
Published on February 2, 2026
Team IO+ selects and features the most important news stories on innovation and technology, carefully curated by our editors.
It's the standard reflex of almost every web developer or content creator: host your video on YouTube. It's free, fast, and everyone knows it. You paste an embed code on your website and you're done. But that apparent simplicity comes at a price. As soon as you embed a YouTube video on your own domain, you are essentially opening a back door for Google. Even if a visitor doesn't press ‘play’, connections are already being made to American servers. You are unintentionally sharing your customers' browsing behavior with an advertising giant. In an era where digital sovereignty and the GDPR are central, this is a risk that fewer and fewer European organizations are willing to take.
The hidden price of ‘free’ hosting
Why is this dependence on American platforms a problem? It's all about control. When data passes through American servers, it falls under American legislation, such as the CLOUD Act. In theory, this gives American intelligence services access to data, even if it is physically located in Europe. Research by TNO in 2022 already showed that more than 90% of Dutch digital data passes through servers in the US. For a European organization, this means a loss of autonomy. You can't be sure who is watching. Then there's the commercial aspect. YouTube shows ads. Do you really want your company video to be interrupted by an ad from your competitor? Or for YouTube to redirect your visitors to someone else's video afterwards? Professional video hosting is all about regaining that control. It's about ‘data sovereignty’: deciding for yourself where your data is stored and who has access to it. Fortunately, there is a growing range of European alternatives that take privacy and performance seriously.
Consumers: 2 alternatives for social sharing
For consumers and creators who publish for an audience, YouTube's network effect is huge. However, there are European platforms that offer a stage without aggressive data mining. Here are three serious options:
Dailymotion (France)
This is the best-known European counterpart to YouTube. Dailymotion is owned by media giant Vivendi (Canal+) and has a huge reach. The platform offers similar features to YouTube, including monetization for creators. As it is a French company, it is fully subject to European legislation. It is a solid choice for those who are looking for a large audience but want to stay within the EU.
PeerTube (Fediverse)
PeerTube is not a company, but software. It is decentralized and open-source. Anyone can set up their own ‘instance’ (server), but all these servers can communicate with each other via the ActivityPub protocol. This is the same technology used by Mastodon. Videos are shared via peer-to-peer technology (WebTorrent), which keeps server costs low. It is supported by the French non-profit Framasoft. It is the choice for privacy activists and organizations that want absolute independence. However, this does require some initiative on your part: you have to find a server (‘instance’) to sign up for yourself, such as the popular tilvids.com.
Business embedding: Control over your content
For companies that use video on their own website or in apps, YouTube is often a no-go because of compliance and branding. They often turn to American players such as JWX or Brightcove. But here too, the data often leaves the continent. European hosting providers offer a secure alternative here. They guarantee that data remains within the EEA, strictly comply with the GDPR, and often offer better support. Below is a list of seven European specialists in professional video hosting.
The 8 European specialists
1. Jet-Stream (Netherlands)
Jet-Stream is a pioneer and has been around for over 30 years. They even claim to have invented streaming in 1994. Their focus is on a ‘Sovereign EU media cloud’. This means 100% ownership in the EU, no American shareholders, and full GDPR compliance. They target the top of the market: broadcasters, events, and large organizations. Their infrastructure is extremely fast (up to 430% faster than average) and runs on green energy.
2. Blue Billywig (Netherlands)
Also based in the Netherlands and active for more than 15 years. Blue Billywig is more than just hosting; it is an Online Video Platform (OVP) with a strong focus on marketing and interaction. Think of videos in which you can click to buy a product directly (‘shoppable video’) or personalized videos.
They are ISO 27001 certified and serve major clients such as ING and Nespresso. Their strength lies in making video ROI and interactive applications measurable.
3. Bunny Stream (Slovenia/Lithuania)
Bunny Stream is part of Bunny.net, known for their lightning-fast CDN (Content Delivery Network). They offer video hosting that automatically replicates videos across multiple nodes worldwide for minimal load times. They offer DRM protection to combat piracy and have a strong focus on performance at low cost.
4. Mave (Netherlands)
Mave is a relatively new player that focuses on simplicity and privacy. Their promise is simple: integrate video with a single line of code. They have specific integrations for modern web frameworks such as React and Vue, which makes them popular with developers. Mave does not collect unnecessary data and offers a clean, configurable player without any fuss.
5. Ignite Video (Denmark)
Ignite explicitly positions itself as the privacy-first alternative. They are ‘cookie-free’ and ‘consent-free’. This means you don't need a cookie banner for their video player because they don't build user profiles. For organizations struggling with complex GDPR rules, this is a relief. They guarantee hosting on European soil.
6. VIMP (Germany)
VIMP is more than a player; it is a complete Video CMS. It is often used by companies to build their own ‘internal YouTube’ for employees (intranet) or as a video portal. Because it is German software, the standards for data security are very high. They offer both cloud hosting and ‘on-premise’ solutions, where you run the software on your own servers.
7. Streamio (Sweden)
Streamio is an established name in Scandinavia. They offer a complete platform for hosting and live streaming. Their focus is on accessibility and customizability of the player. Like the other parties on this list, they guarantee storage within Europe and compliance with European privacy legislation.
8. alugha (Germany)
This platform from Germany distinguishes itself with a unique focus: multilingualism. Whereas YouTube increasingly tires viewers with imposed AI translations, alugha gives you complete control. Instead of separate uploads for each language, alugha allows you to integrate all language versions (audio and subtitles) into a single video file. They use AI (‘dubbr’) to speed up this process. They offer a free subscription and host everything within the EU.
Conclusion: Sovereignty is a choice
The days when YouTube was the only logical choice for video hosting are behind us. Whether you are a consumer who wants to share without tracking, or a company that demands complete control over its data, there is a European alternative. Choosing a European provider is not only a technical consideration, but also a strategic one. As Privacy First states: digital sovereignty is a political choice. By choosing platforms such as Jet-Stream, PeerTube, or Blue Billywig, you keep your data within European legal protection and invest in the local digital economy. The technology is ready; it is now up to the user to make the switch.