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EnglishWhat Are the European Alternatives on privacytools.io?
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The European Alternatives section on privacytools.io is a curated list of privacy tools that operate under European law rather than being subject to US subpoenas. It exists for people who want their data governed by European legal protections, and it covers major categories like browsers, password managers, email, search, VPN, cloud storage, and messaging. The page names one top pick per category—Mullvad Browser, NordPass, StartMail, Mojeek, Surfshark VPN, Internxt Drive, and SimpleX Chat—and points to "+117 more" for the full set.
What "European Alternatives" actually means here
The site frames the section with a single line: privacy tools that "answer to European law, not a US subpoena." That is the defining criterion. The tools are grouped by what they replace, and each category shows one highlighted option rather than an exhaustive ranking.
This is a jurisdiction filter, not a quality ranking. A tool appearing here means it is European-headquartered or European-operated, not that it is the most private or most secure option in its category. The site's separate "Editor's Top Picks" list uses different criteria and includes non-European tools.
The named picks by category
| Category | European pick | What it replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Browsers | Mullvad Browser | Chrome and other mainstream browsers |
| Password managers | NordPass | LastPass and similar |
| StartMail | Gmail and similar | |
| Search engines | Mojeek | Google Search |
| VPN | Surfshark VPN | ISP-level tracking and geo-restrictions |
| Cloud storage | Internxt Drive | Google Drive |
| Messaging | SimpleX Chat |
The page states there are "+117 more" European options beyond these seven, so this list is a starting point rather than the complete set.
Why jurisdiction matters for privacy
Where a provider is based determines which government can compel it to hand over data, and under what rules. A US-based provider can be subject to US subpoenas and national security requests; a European provider falls under European legal frameworks instead. For someone choosing a tool specifically because they distrust US legal reach, the provider's home jurisdiction is a real selection criterion, not a marketing detail.
Two caveats worth knowing before you treat "European" as automatically safer:
- Jurisdiction is one factor among several. Encryption model, logging policy, audit history, and ownership all matter. The site's own top picks mix European and non-European tools, which suggests it does not treat jurisdiction as the only test.
- Some entries are marked "Ad." On the page, ProtonMail and Surfshark VPN carry an "Ad" label, and NextDNS in the top picks does too. Treat sponsored placement as separate from editorial judgment when weighing a recommendation.
How to browse the full set of European options
- Go to privacytools.io and locate the European Alternatives section on the homepage.
- Read the one-line framing ("answer to European law, not a US subpoena") to confirm the filter matches what you want.
- Scan the category cards—each shows one pick and its category label.
- Select +117 more (or the equivalent "Made in Europe" link) to see the expanded list.
- Cross-check any tool you're considering against the site's Editor's Top Picks and category pages, since a European listing and an editor's pick are different signals.
If your goal is simply to replace a specific app, the site's "Private Alternatives" flow—pick the app you use, get a private alternative—is the more direct path. The European section is the better entry point when jurisdiction is your primary concern.