Replaces WhatsApp
European alternatives to WhatsApp
European messengers for private and work chats
Browse the category: Instant messaging apps · Team communication services
WhatsApp is the messaging app most of Europe already has on its phone, used for one to one chats, group conversations, voice notes, calls and file sharing. It is free to use, tied to a phone number and owned by Meta Platforms. Businesses also reach customers through it, which has pulled it into working life alongside private use.
Message content is one question, but metadata is the harder one: who you talk to, how often and when, held by a US company that also sells advertising. Organisations bound by professional confidentiality often cannot justify using it at all. A European alternative to WhatsApp keeps messaging with an EU or EFTA provider. Threema and Olvid are used where confidentiality matters, and ginlo Business is aimed at organisations rather than individuals.
European options
| service | Country | Hosting | Open source | Free plan | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Threema |
 Switzerland |
— | — | EU controlled | |
 Snikket |
 United Kingdom |
Self-hosted | ✓ | — |
Threema
Encrypted messaging app from Switzerland
Threema is an instant messaging app from Switzerland with apps for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. Communication is end to end encrypted, and the apps are open source, so the encryption can be reviewed by anyone rather than taken on trust.
SwitzerlandEU controlledSelf-hosted and open source
Open source projects you can run yourself. Not necessarily made in Europe, but nobody else holds your data.
Services without verified European control
Kept here for transparency, but excluded from the European options and totals. How we classify services →
Olvid
French messenger that works without a phone number
FranceFree plan Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
TeleGuard
Free messaging app from Switzerland
Switzerland Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
ginlo Private
Personal messenger from Germany
Germany Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
ginlo Business
Business messenger from Germany
Germany Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
SKRED
Encrypted peer to peer messaging from France
FranceFree plan Ownership reviewed, controller unresolvedQuestions
Can I bring my chat history across?
Chat history rarely transfers between messengers, so most people start fresh and keep the old app for a while. Check what Threema or ginlo Private support for backup and restore within their own service.
Do my contacts have to install the same app?
Yes. Messaging only works if both sides use the same service, so a move is easiest when a group or a team decides together. That is one reason work groups often switch before family ones do.
Which option suits a company rather than a person?
ginlo Business is built for organisational use with central administration, and Threema also offers a variant for organisations. TeleGuard and SKRED are further European messengers to compare.