Europe now has a new contender in the productivity software space. Office EU is a cloud-based workspace designed as a European alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, built around open-source technologies and hosted entirely in EU data centers. The project aims to reduce reliance on outside tech providers while prioritizing privacy, transparency and digital sovereignty for European organizations.
A new cloud productivity suite called Office.eu officially launched on March 4, 2026, from The Hague in the Netherlands. It bills itself as a 100% European-owned alternative to Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, built on open-source technology and running entirely on European infrastructure.
The pitch is squarely aimed at the data sovereignty crowd, European businesses, public bodies, and individuals who are uneasy about their documents and emails living on American servers, subject to American law.
For European organizations — especially in the public sector, healthcare, or legal fields — where data residency and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable, it deserves serious consideration.
For everyday Microsoft 365 users who are happy with their setup, there’s no compelling reason to switch. But if you’ve been looking for whether a credible European (or non-US) alternative to big-tech productivity suites, Office.EU is a possibility.
What’s actually in the box?
Office.eu includes documents, spreadsheets, presentations, file storage, email, calendars, and video meetings — the full suite you’d expect from a Microsoft 365 competitor. Each component gets a branded name: EU Docs, EU Spreadsheet, EU Calendar, EU Email, and so on.
EU Docs offers real-time collaborative editing compatible with .docx, and EU Spreadsheet handles .xlsx files, so you won’t need to convert your existing files to use it.
Office.eu supports standard Microsoft file formats including .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx.
Crucially, the stack runs on EU-only data centers, with European ownership and governance, to keep customer data under European law and away from foreign legal reach — including the US CLOUD Act.
The US CLOUD Act, if you’re unfamiliar, is the law that allows US authorities to compel American companies to hand over data stored anywhere in the world, including on European servers. That’s the specific legal risk Office.eu is positioning against.
What’s inside Office.EU?
Office.eu isn’t built from scratch. It appears to be a hosted instance of Nextcloud with Nextcloud Hub, using Collabora Online as its office suite.
Nextcloud is a well-established open-source file-sharing and collaboration platform, originally created in Germany. Collabora Online is a cloud-based document editor built on the same engine as LibreOffice, it’s what gives you the word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tools.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s perfectly possible to host this sort of setup yourself, and it’s also a good idea. But organizations looking to get their data away from US providers quickly may lack the people and skills to do it themselves, the more companies ready to help and make this easier, the better.
In other words: Office.eu is essentially a pre-configured, managed version of software that already exists, wrapped in a consumer-friendly package and hosted entirely within Europe. Think of it like buying a pre-built PC versus assembling one yourself from parts. Same components, much less hassle.
The company behind it is legally registered as EUfforic Europe BV, incorporated in the Netherlands in November 2025. Office.eu was founded in 2024 and started operating in early 2026.
Why now?
The timing isn’t accidental. The new service is operated entirely by European owners and runs solely on EU-based infrastructure, which the company argues keeps customer data under European jurisdiction and insulated from foreign legal regimes such as the US CLOUD Act.
Europe’s concerns about digital dependency on US technology have been building for years, but have intensified recently. France has begun replacing US-based collaboration tools across agencies, and Germany’s state of Schleswig-Holstein is migrating tens of thousands of workstations to open-source stacks. Denmark’s data protection authority has previously ordered municipalities to curtail Google Workspace in schools over data transfer risks.
Office.eu describes European values like democracy, freedom, and security as being “under mounting pressure” from geopolitical forces, and frames its product as a way to reclaim digital control. That’s a political pitch as much as a product one and for many European public-sector buyers, it will land.
Who is it for?
Office.eu is targeting private individuals and small to medium-sized enterprises, with pricing described as comparable to existing market alternatives and tools available to help migrate smoothly from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
Office.eu does not promise feature parity with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Its pitch is simplicity, privacy, and European residency by default not replicating every enterprise add-on. For many teams, especially in regulated industries or the public sector, that’s actually a selling point: fewer overlapping apps, clearer data governance, and no ambiguity about where your files live.
It’ll be of interest to many people and organizations, not just those in Europe. There’s plenty of global concern about the privacy and possible cross-border intrusions by governments.
Join the waitlist
A wider rollout across Europe is planned for Q2 2026. Right now, you can join a waitlist with access is by invitation only while the company scales up.
What to watch out for
It’s early days but a few things occur to us:
- The document editing layer is Collabora Online, which is LibreOffice-based. It’s capable, but it isn’t Word. Complex formatting, macros, and advanced Excel features may not translate perfectly. If your work depends on intricate Word or Excel functionality, test carefully before committing.
- Pricing hasn’t been published openly. The company says it’s “comparable” to Microsoft 365, but you’ll need to apply for access to find out more.
- The underlying tech is open source and auditable that’s a genuine advantage for organizations that need to verify what software is handling their data.
- It’s very new. The product went live in early 2026 so there’s no long track record to evaluate. Any new software is a worry, no matter who makes it.
The existing alternative
There’s another European based and privacy focused service available – Proton.
Proton is based in Switzerland and is best known for very private cloud storage and email. Now it’s expanded into VPN, Authentication plus online document and recently workbook editing.
