Communication
European instant messaging apps
Private messaging from European app makers
An instant messaging app carries text, photos, voice notes and files between people, usually with voice and video calling built in. Group chats, read receipts and cross device sync are standard. This category covers apps for personal and small group conversation; tools built around company workflows, with channels and integrations, are listed separately under team communication services.
Metadata is the part people forget: even where message content is protected, the record of who you write to and when says a great deal. Threema, Olvid and TeleGuard are made by European companies, so that record sits with an operator under EU or EEA rules. Anyone picking a European alternative to WhatsApp should also check whether an account needs a phone number at all.
European options
| service | Country | Hosting | Open source | Free plan | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 mssgs |
 Netherlands |
EU hosted | — | ✓ | EU controlled |
 Threema |
 Switzerland |
— | — | EU controlled | |
 Snikket |
 United Kingdom |
Self-hosted | ✓ | — |
mssgs
Group chat for teams and communities from the Netherlands
mssgs is a group chat app for friends, communities and teams, developed in the Netherlands. It is organised into servers with channels, alongside direct messages and voice calls. Built-in mini-games, custom bots, webhooks and support for MCP and AI agents extend what a server can do, and there are apps for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux and the web.
NetherlandsEU hostedFree planEU 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 unresolved
