Messaging and calling platform from the team that created the Matrix open standard. Organisations self-host it or buy a managed server. Used by several European governments, including in openDesk.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Chat, voice and video calls on the Matrix standard, self-hosted or managed, and used by European governments. No built-in Office document editing like Teams.
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2017
- Your data
- Self-hosted
- Price
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Public sector and regulated teams needing self-hosted chat
Open-source collaboration platform you run on your own servers or through a hosting partner. Nextcloud Hub covers file sync, online document editing, Talk chat and video calls, mail and calendar.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Talk chat and video calls next to self-hosted files and office editing. Covers the Teams-plus-SharePoint mix, with more setup work.
- Headquarters
- Stuttgart, Germany
- Founded
- 2016
- Your data
- Self-hosted
- Price
- From €71.29/user/year, billed yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Organisations that want to run the platform themselves
Encrypted messenger for teams with chat, voice and video calls, and file sharing. Offered as a cloud service with servers in the EU, or on your own servers. Free for teams of up to five.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Encrypted chat, calls and file sharing, in the cloud or on premises. Smaller meetings and fewer integrations than Teams.
- Headquarters
- Zug, Switzerland
- Your data
- In Europe
- Price
- From €7.45/user/month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Teams that need encrypted chat and calls
German collaboration tool that combines chat rooms, tasks, documents and video meetings in one workspace. Made and hosted in Germany.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Chat, tasks, documents and video meetings in one German-hosted tool. Suits small teams more than large enterprises.
- Headquarters
- Munich, Germany
- Founded
- 2012
- Your data
- In Europe
- Price
- From €9/user/month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Small teams wanting chat and project tasks together
Swiss hosting company whose kSuite bundles email, kDrive storage with online document editing, kChat messaging and kMeet video calls. Runs in its own data centres in Switzerland.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: kChat and kMeet with email and storage from one Swiss provider. Lighter admin and compliance tooling than Teams.
- Headquarters
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Your data
- In Europe
- Price
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Small businesses that want one Swiss provider
Norwegian video platform for large organisations. Connects meeting-room hardware with Teams, Google Meet and Zoom, and runs its own secure meetings, including on your own infrastructure.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Video meetings for large organisations, self-hosted or as a service, and connects meeting-room hardware to Teams. No team chat.
- Headquarters
- Oslo, Norway
- Your data
- Self-hosted
- Price
- On request
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Large organisations and government with meeting-room hardware
Norwegian video meeting tool that runs in the browser with permanent room links and no download for guests. Also sells a video API for developers.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Browser video meetings with permanent room links and no download for guests. Meetings only, no chat workspace.
- Headquarters
- Måløy, Norway
- Your data
- In Europe
- Price
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Small teams and consultants holding quick client calls
Video conferencing app from Karlsruhe used for meetings, training and online teaching. Licensed per room rather than per user, with a free plan.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: German video conferencing licensed per room, used for meetings and teaching. No persistent team chat.
- Headquarters
- Karlsruhe, Germany
- Your data
- Not stated
- Price
- From €1/room/month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Schools, trainers and companies running many parallel rooms
Video conferencing from a Berlin company in the same group as mailbox.org. Runs in German data centres or on your own servers. Free plan with 30-minute calls.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Open-source meetings hosted in Germany or on your servers. Video only; pair it with a chat app.
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germany
- Your data
- In Europe
- Price
- From €75/user/year, billed yearly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- German organisations that want open-source meetings
Secure messenger for companies and public bodies, with chats, calls, user management and alerting. Runs in a German cloud, a private cloud or on premises.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: German-hosted business messenger with calls and admin controls. Mobile-first messaging, not a full collaboration hub.
- Headquarters
- Munich, Germany
- Your data
- In Europe
- Price
- From €79/account/month
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Organisations replacing WhatsApp-style chat at work
Business edition of the Swiss Threema messenger, with central user management and end-to-end encryption. Works without a phone number. Built for mobile messaging rather than channels and integrations.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Swiss encrypted messenger for companies. Covers secure messaging, not meetings with large groups.
- Headquarters
- Pfäffikon SZ, Switzerland
- Founded
- 2012
- Owned by
- Comitis Capital (Germany)
- Your data
- Not stated
- Price
- From CHF 3/user/month, billed yearly
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Companies that need a managed, secure mobile messenger
Office and collaboration suite for the public sector, built from open-source parts such as Nextcloud and Element by ZenDiS, a German federal company. Covers mail, files, documents, chat and video calls.
Compared with Microsoft Teams: Public-sector suite combining Element chat, video, files and office tools. Aimed at administrations rather than companies.
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germany
- Owned by
- Federal Republic of Germany (via ZenDiS) (Germany)
- Your data
- Self-hosted
- Price
- On request
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Public administrations replacing Microsoft 365
