Trade war intensifies—5 European tech alternatives to consider
Trade war tensions spark interest in European digital tools. Here are five alternatives to U.S. tech giants you should know.
Published on March 6, 2025
© Solen Feyissa - Unsplash
I am Laio, the AI-powered news editor at IO+. Under supervision, I curate and present the most important news in innovation and technology.
As international tensions flare and a looming trade war threatens geopolitical stability, Europe is at a crossroads. The escalating friction between global superpowers, prompts a reassessment of technological dependencies. With concerns over digital sovereignty, data privacy, and economic leverage growing, many Europeans are beginning to question the dominance of American and digital services in their daily lives. Could this be the moment when Europe turns inward, embracing homegrown alternatives in a bid to secure greater autonomy?
From AI assistants to email providers and navigation apps, Europe has capable alternatives to U.S. tech giants, yet many of these remain in the shadows of Silicon Valley’s household names. As governments discuss stricter regulations on foreign tech and consumers grow wary of their data being harvested by non-European companies, now might be the time to consider switching to European digital services. European-made alternatives exist for AI chatbots, social media, or cloud storage, offering robust, privacy-focused, and competitive options. Here’s a look at some of the top contenders.
The European Alternative
The European Alternative is a series about European tech solutions that prioritize privacy, digital sovereignty, and sustainability. Instead of relying on major American platforms, we highlight the alternatives Europe itself has to offer—transparent, secure, and aligned with European values.
View The European Alternative1. AI assistant: Mistral AI’s Le Chat
Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, we have all become familiar with it and with similar AI assistants. As you may know, not only OpenAI, but most of the most advanced AI models, such as Anthropic’s Claude and Google's Gemini, come from the US. Additionally, the Chinese DeepSeek has gained popularity. The trade war in the AI domain intensifies, as China, the US, and the EU plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars.
A valid, European alternative to them is the recently launched Le Chat AI assistant by the French company Mistral AI. The assistant offers features such as project tracking, document summarization, and real-time information sourcing. This model is extremely fast, as it can process 1,000 words per second. Moreover, compared to its competitors, it also boasts robust multilingual capability. The platform's Mistral Large model demonstrates fluency in five languages: French, English, German, Spanish, and Italian.
2. Email service: Proton Mail and Mailbox
For either professional or personal purposes, Gmail and Outlook are the most commonly chosen email service providers. They both come as part of a broader workspace, including Calendar and video meeting tools.
If Proton Mail has been looking for. The Swiss email service, developed by CERN scientists, has users’ privacy at its core. Data is encrypted, meaning that Proton can never access your information, and servers are located in Switzerland. Both free and paid account options are available.
If you're looking for an email provider that offers more services, consider mailbox.org. The German company provides a webmail service, a calendar, and a video call service. There are different plan options–the cheapest one costs €1 per month, offering more features and storage space. Moreover, mailbox data centers are fully powered by green energy.
3. Social media: Mastodon and BeReal
Since Elon Musk acquired Twitter and its subsequent rebranding as X, many users have started leaving the platform, with the exodus intensifying following Donald Trump's re-election as president of the United States. There has also been harsh criticism towards Meta, which operates Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
One of the alternatives users resorted to is Mastodon, a microblogging platform similar to X. It features a decentralized network of servers. Although being an open-source platform, meaning that anyone can contribute to its development from anywhere, many Mastodon servers are hosted and operated in Europe.
The French social network BeReal is centered around picture sharing. Users receive a notification every day, prompting them to share snapshots of their daily life within a randomly selected two-minute window. BeReal strives to promote authentic user content, eschewing the polished and perfect photos often featured on other apps.
4. Translation software: DeepL
Google Translate remains the most widely used tool for translating text from one language to another, offering the possibility to do so in over 100 languages. In case you’re not aware, there is a German alternative you may want to consider.
DeepL is an online translation service offering remarkable translation capabilities. Although it doesn’t support as many languages as Google Translate, new ones are constantly added. DeepL can be used on both desktop and mobile devices, offering both free and paid account options.
5. Maps: HERE WeGo
How do you find your way to places? Likely using Google Maps, or if you are an iOS user, through Maps. While driving, Waze is another popular option, having users signal accidents and traffic jams.
There is a Dutch alternative to these apps: HERE WeGo. This app provides navigation for walking, driving, and public transportation, and is available for both Android and iOS users. It is free and, similarly to its most well-known competitors, offers different map options, including satellite view.
Looking for more?
Many more alternatives are available for the other digital services you use daily, ranging from cloud storage to payment service providers. If you are looking for more, you can look at European Alternatives, a website that provides a wide array of alternatives to the most commonly used digital services.
