EU alternatives to USA tech services
Look at the tech stack of almost any modern European company, and you’ll see a familiar pattern. From the cloud infrastructure to the browser you're using to read this, the backbone of our digital life is overwhelmingly "Made in the USA".
While the US has spent decades perfecting the art of scaling software, European businesses are starting to ask a difficult question: Is being 100% dependent on a single foreign jurisdiction a structural risk?
The Innovation Paradox
It’s not for a lack of talent. Europe has the engineers, the researchers, and the "brains." However, we’ve historically struggled with the "financial engine." For years, we’ve seen a "brain drain" where our most promising founders move their companies to the USA, drawn by deeper capital markets and financial incentives.
Up until now, it has been a significant pain point that the EU trails behind the USA in product development despite having the intellectual capacity.
The Shift in the Geopolitical Climate
Up until recently, the dominance of US tech was seen mostly as a matter of convenience and superior UX. But the tides are changing. Given the current financial policies of the USA administration, it has become clearer than ever that we should not be mainly relying on USA services.
Relying solely on US-based services for our core infrastructure is no longer just a technical choice; it’s a strategic vulnerability. We should not be solely dependent on a single foreign power for our critical systems.
Excellence vs. Independence
Let’s be clear: This isn't meant to say that US products are bad. On the contrary, US services are often the gold standard. Even while researching EU alternatives, I still find myself reaching for US tools because, in many categories, they are simply "plain better" than their European counterparts.
The goal isn't a total boycott, but rather diversification. We need a vibrant European ecosystem so that we are not solely dependent on USA services for our core infrastructure.
The EU Tech Landscape: Current Alternatives
Based on current market data, here is a snapshot of where Europe is standing its ground. While some US giants remain the leaders, the EU counterparts are providing powerful, localized solutions.
Infrastructure & Productivity
The Path to Digital Sovereignty: Self-Hosting
To achieve true digital sovereignty, many organizations are shifting from "Managed USA Services" to a Self-Hosted Open Source Stack. By hosting these tools on European infrastructure—such as Hetzner (Germany), Scaleway (France), or TransIP (The Netherlands)—you retain 100% control over your data while avoiding vendor lock-in and jurisdictional risks.
Below is a snapshot of leading open-source models and databases ready for self-hosting.
The Self-Hosted AI & Data Stack
You can also opt for self-hosting. For example, you could download open-source AI models like Llama, Mistral, or DeepSeek and run them on your own machine. Similarly, with databases, you can use the open-source code for PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB. And for Git, you can host your own GitLab instance.
Why Self-Host?
While it requires more investment in DevOps, self-hosting provides several critical strategic advantages:
- Data Residency: Your data never leaves your controlled environment, ensuring strict compliance with GDPR and the EU AI Act.
- Predictable Costs: You eliminate recurring "pay-per-token" fees, paying only for the raw European infrastructure.
- Zero Counterparty Risk: You are shielded from sudden policy changes or foreign trade restrictions that could disrupt US-managed services.
- Deep Customization: Open-source weights allow you to fine-tune models on your own industry-specific data (legal, medical, or financial).
How to Get Started
Most of these tools are available as Docker images, making them highly portable across European managed Kubernetes clusters. For a fast start, tools like LangChain, Hugging Face, or Ollama allow you to pull and run models like Mistral or DeepSeek with a single command. However, this approach requires significant technical know-how and an understanding of the associated risks, so it may not be suitable for everyone.
Finding the Balance
Transitioning to a fully EU-based stack isn't going to happen overnight. I will still use several US services because they are sometimes the best tools for the job. However, by intentionally integrating European alternatives—like using Mistral for AI or Adyen for payments—we support the local ecosystem and build a more resilient foundation.
As we discussed in the context of security risks like prompt injections, being able to control and understand the infrastructure your data lives on is vital. Digital sovereignty isn't about building a wall; it's about making sure we have a door that we control.