European Alternatives to Zoom: Privacy-First Video Conferencing

Zoom hosts 3.3 trillion meeting minutes annually. That's 3.3 trillion minutes of business discussions, client calls, board meetings, and sensitive negotiations—all flowing through a US company that openly acknowledges receiving FISA surveillance requests and CLOUD Act demands.

With 700 million monthly active users and 55% of the global video conferencing market, Zoom became the default for remote meetings. But for European organisations, every Zoom call creates potential legal exposure. US intelligence agencies can compel Zoom to provide meeting content without European judicial oversight.

European video conferencing platforms now match Zoom's quality while operating entirely under European law. Your meetings stay private—genuinely private, not "private until a US warrant arrives."

Top European Alternatives to Zoom

These platforms provide professional video conferencing with true data sovereignty. All operate under European jurisdiction, immune to US surveillance demands.

Tixeo

Hold secure video meetings with end-to-end encryption certified by France's ANSSI. A GDPR-compliant tool for private, high-quality collaboration and calls.

Tixeo stands alone as the only video conferencing solution certified and qualified by ANSSI, France's national cybersecurity agency. Their end-to-end encryption has been verified through rigorous penetration testing since 2017, with certification renewed three times. Unlike Zoom, where the company can technically access meeting content, Tixeo's encryption means even they cannot see your calls. Germany's BSI recognises the ANSSI certification as equivalent to their own standards. For regulated industries—defence, government, healthcare, legal—Tixeo provides security credentials no American platform can match.

Alfaview

Host GDPR-compliant meetings and webinars on secure German servers. Built for professional use with live translation, virtual rooms, and ISO 27001 certification.

Alfaview delivers enterprise-scale video conferencing with ISO 27001 certification verified by TÜV Hessen. All infrastructure operates exclusively on German servers under strict data protection law. The platform handles meetings with hundreds of participants, offers live translation, and provides persistent virtual rooms for ongoing collaboration. Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Alfaview was built specifically for professional use cases: corporate training, large conferences, and enterprise communication. When you need Zoom-like scalability without Zoom's surveillance exposure, Alfaview delivers.

Whereby

Host secure video meetings in a browser or use the API to embed WebRTC video into your platform. Built in Europe for full GDPR and HIPAA compliance.

Whereby offers the simplest path to European video meetings. No downloads, no accounts for guests—just share a link and join in the browser. Built in Norway, Whereby is designed for GDPR and HIPAA compliance from the ground up. The platform is particularly strong for customer-facing calls: sales meetings, client consultations, support sessions. Whereby's embeddable video API lets you build video directly into your own products. For organisations wanting friction-free meetings without the compliance headaches, Whereby provides Norwegian simplicity with Norwegian data protection.

Pexip

Host secure video meetings on your own servers for complete data control. Connect existing hardware from Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom without replacing equipment.

Pexip solves a problem other European alternatives don't address: interoperability with existing video infrastructure. If your organisation has meeting room hardware designed for Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet, Pexip connects it all while routing calls through European servers you control. The platform supports self-hosted deployment for maximum data sovereignty. Norwegian-built and trusted by government and enterprise customers, Pexip is ideal for organisations with complex video environments who need European data residency without replacing existing equipment.

Vectera

Host clients in branded video rooms with advanced scheduling, whiteboards, and co-browsing. All conversations are encrypted, secure, and GDPR-compliant.

Vectera focuses specifically on client meetings. The Belgian platform provides video rooms with integrated scheduling, document sharing, whiteboards, and co-browsing—everything consultants, financial advisors, and professional services firms need for client engagement. All features come with end-to-end encryption and GDPR compliance. Vectera's persistent meeting rooms with client-specific branding create a professional experience that generic video tools can't match. For client-facing professionals wanting European hosting and purpose-built features, Vectera is the specialist choice.

MeetGeek

Get AI-powered summaries and action items from every meeting. Works with Zoom, Teams, and Meet. Securely host your data in the EU for full GDPR compliance.

MeetGeek adds AI-powered meeting intelligence to European video conferencing. The Romanian platform automatically records, transcribes, and summarises meetings across Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet—but with data hosted in the EU under GDPR protection. This means you can keep using existing platforms for calls while ensuring your meeting records stay in Europe. MeetGeek's AI extracts action items, highlights key moments, and makes meetings searchable. For organisations wanting AI meeting assistance without sending data to US servers, MeetGeek provides European-hosted intelligence.

Why Zoom Creates Compliance Risk

Zoom's transparency reports reveal the uncomfortable reality: the platform receives and complies with US government data requests.

FISA and CLOUD Act Exposure

Zoom's own documentation confirms it receives "U.S. National Security Requests made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for non-content or content." The platform also responds to CLOUD Act requests that "can demand content from Zoom."

This isn't speculation about theoretical risks. Zoom actively receives surveillance requests and provides data in response. For non-US persons—including European citizens and businesses—the Fourth Amendment protections that limit domestic surveillance don't apply.

What "Encryption" Actually Means

Zoom offers end-to-end encryption for meetings, but with important limitations:

E2EE must be explicitly enabled for each meeting
Certain features (cloud recording, live transcription, breakout rooms) disable E2EE
Zoom holds the encryption keys for standard meetings

When Zoom controls the keys, Zoom can be compelled to decrypt and provide meeting content. This fundamentally differs from platforms like Tixeo where even the provider cannot access encrypted content.

The Recording Problem

Many organisations record meetings for training, compliance, or documentation. Zoom stores these recordings on US-controlled infrastructure. Even with EU data centers, Zoom's US headquarters means CLOUD Act access applies.

Your recorded client meetings, board discussions, and internal deliberations—all accessible to US authorities with a warrant you'll never see.

Feature Comparison: Zoom vs European Alternatives

Video Quality and Reliability

Zoom: Industry-leading quality with adaptive bitrate, excellent on poor connections.

European Alternatives: Tixeo, Alfaview, and Whereby all provide professional-grade video quality. Alfaview specifically handles large participant counts. Modern European platforms match Zoom's technical quality.

Large Meetings and Webinars

Zoom: Supports up to 1,000 video participants, 10,000 view-only webinar attendees.

European Alternatives: Alfaview excels here with enterprise-scale capacity. Pexip handles large deployments through self-hosted infrastructure. For standard business meetings (up to 100 participants), all listed platforms perform well.

Recording and Transcription

Zoom: Cloud recording, AI-generated summaries, searchable transcripts. All processed on Zoom infrastructure.

European Alternatives: MeetGeek provides AI transcription and summaries with EU data hosting. Tixeo and Alfaview offer recording with local or European storage. For organisations needing meeting intelligence without US data exposure, MeetGeek bridges the gap.

Integrations

Zoom: Extensive marketplace with calendar, CRM, and productivity integrations.

European Alternatives: Whereby offers embedding APIs for product integration. Pexip integrates with existing video infrastructure. Most platforms support calendar integration. For complex integration needs, evaluate specific requirements against each platform.

Mobile Experience

Zoom: Polished iOS and Android apps with nearly full feature parity.

European Alternatives: All listed platforms offer mobile apps. Whereby's browser-based approach works on any device without installation.

Breakout Rooms and Collaboration

Zoom: Robust breakout rooms, whiteboard, annotation features.

European Alternatives: Vectera includes whiteboards and co-browsing for client collaboration. Alfaview provides virtual rooms for workshop-style sessions. Feature coverage varies—evaluate based on specific collaboration needs.

Use Case Recommendations

Client Meetings and Sales Calls

Best choice: Whereby or Vectera

Whereby's no-download, browser-based meetings reduce friction for external participants. Vectera's purpose-built client meeting features (scheduling, document sharing, persistent rooms) serve professional services firms well.

Large Corporate Meetings and Training

Best choice: Alfaview

German engineering, ISO 27001 certification, and capacity for hundreds of participants make Alfaview ideal for enterprise-scale video communication.

Highly Regulated Industries

Best choice: Tixeo

ANSSI certification provides security credentials that satisfy the strictest compliance requirements. Defence, government, healthcare, and legal organisations benefit from verified end-to-end encryption.

Hybrid Infrastructure

Best choice: Pexip

If you have existing video conferencing hardware or need to connect with external parties on Zoom/Teams, Pexip provides interoperability while routing through European infrastructure.

AI Meeting Intelligence

Best choice: MeetGeek

For organisations wanting automated transcription, summaries, and action item extraction without sending data to US servers, MeetGeek provides European-hosted AI capabilities.

Migration Considerations

Gradual Transition

Unlike messaging platforms where you need team-wide adoption, video conferencing can transition gradually. Start using European alternatives for internal meetings while keeping Zoom for external calls with parties who haven't migrated.

External Participant Experience

Consider the experience for meeting guests:

Whereby requires no downloads or accounts—lowest friction
Pexip can receive calls from Zoom/Teams users
Other platforms may require app installation

For client-facing use, prioritise ease of joining.

Recording Policies

If you currently record Zoom meetings, plan your new recording workflow:

Where will recordings be stored?
How will EU data residency be maintained?
Do you need transcription? (Consider MeetGeek)

Cost Comparison

European alternatives often price competitively with Zoom. Whereby and Tixeo offer transparent per-user pricing. Alfaview and Pexip serve enterprise needs with custom pricing. Factor in the compliance cost savings from eliminating GDPR risk.

The Broader Communication Stack

Video conferencing is one component of business communication. For complete data sovereignty, evaluate your entire stack:

Team messaging: European alternatives to Slack for daily communication
Collaboration platforms: European alternatives to Microsoft Teams for integrated workspaces
Email: European alternatives to Google Workspace for business email
Cloud infrastructure: European alternatives to Google Cloud for hosting

Replacing Zoom while keeping other US platforms only partially addresses the surveillance exposure.

Making the Switch

Zoom's market dominance reflects its quality—the platform genuinely works well. But quality doesn't override legal reality. Every Zoom meeting creates records that US authorities can access without European oversight.

European alternatives have reached feature parity for most business use cases. Tixeo offers security credentials no American platform can match. Alfaview handles enterprise scale. Whereby provides frictionless client meetings. Pexip bridges existing infrastructure.

The question isn't whether you can replace Zoom—you can. The question is whether the convenience of a familiar platform justifies the ongoing legal exposure for every meeting your organisation conducts.

For organisations where meeting privacy genuinely matters—sensitive negotiations, confidential client discussions, strategic planning—European alternatives eliminate risks that Zoom cannot address.

Browse our complete directory of European communication and collaboration tools to find the right video conferencing platform for your needs.

European Alternatives to Zoom: Privacy-First Video Conferencing

Replace Zoom with European video conferencing platforms that keep your meetings private from US surveillance under the CLOUD Act and FISA 702.

Written by Kevin Christensen

Top European Alternatives to Zoom

Tixeo

Alfaview

Whereby

Pexip

Vectera

MeetGeek

Why Zoom Creates Compliance Risk

FISA and CLOUD Act Exposure

What "Encryption" Actually Means

The Recording Problem

Feature Comparison: Zoom vs European Alternatives

Video Quality and Reliability

Large Meetings and Webinars

Recording and Transcription

Integrations

Mobile Experience

Breakout Rooms and Collaboration

Use Case Recommendations

Client Meetings and Sales Calls

Large Corporate Meetings and Training

Highly Regulated Industries

Hybrid Infrastructure

AI Meeting Intelligence

Migration Considerations

Gradual Transition

External Participant Experience

Recording Policies

Cost Comparison

The Broader Communication Stack

Making the Switch

Tixeo

Alfaview

Whereby

Pexip

Vectera

MeetGeek