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ComparisonsJanuary 31, 20265 min read

7 Best EU Alternatives to Notion in 2026

Looking for a workspace tool that keeps your data in Europe? Here are seven European alternatives to Notion worth considering.

By Built in EU Team
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Notion has become the default workspace tool for teams worldwide—and for good reason. It's flexible, well-designed, and genuinely useful.

But if you're running a European business or handling EU customer data, there's a question worth asking: does it matter that your team's documents, databases, and wikis live on US servers?

For some organizations, it doesn't. For others, particularly those in regulated industries or with privacy-conscious customers, the data residency question is becoming harder to ignore.

Here's what we know about the European alternatives.

Why Data Location Matters

Under the US CLOUD Act, American companies can be compelled to hand over data regardless of where it's stored. This applies to Notion and other US-based SaaS tools.

For European businesses, this creates a compliance consideration. It's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it's worth understanding when choosing tools that will hold your organization's knowledge.

European Alternatives Worth Knowing

Nuclino (Germany)

Nuclino is often described as a lighter, faster take on the collaborative workspace concept. Based in Munich, it focuses on simplicity over feature depth.

Key points:

  • Real-time collaboration with a clean, minimal interface
  • Graph view for connecting related documents
  • German company, EU data hosting
  • ISO 27001 certified

Considerations: Less feature-rich than Notion. If you rely on complex databases and relations, you may find it limiting.

Pricing: Free tier available (limited). Paid plans from €5/user/month. See current pricing


CryptPad (France)

CryptPad takes a privacy-first approach with end-to-end encryption. It's developed by a research team in Paris and is fully open source.

Key points:

  • End-to-end encryption—even the CryptPad team can't read your documents
  • No account required for basic use
  • Open source with self-hosting option
  • Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more

Considerations: The interface is functional rather than polished. The trade-off for strong privacy is a less refined user experience.

Pricing: Free tier available. Premium from €5/month. See current pricing


OnlyOffice (Latvia)

OnlyOffice is a comprehensive productivity suite that includes document editing, project management, and collaboration features.

Key points:

  • Strong Microsoft Office compatibility
  • Self-hosted and cloud options
  • Combines docs, projects, and CRM in one platform
  • Based in Latvia (EU)

Considerations: More traditional office suite than modern wiki tool. The workspace features exist but aren't the primary focus.

Pricing: Free for personal use. Business plans from €4/user/month. See current pricing


Stackfield (Germany)

Stackfield combines project management with secure communication, built with German data protection standards in mind.

Key points:

  • End-to-end encryption included
  • Project management, chat, and document collaboration
  • ISO 27001 certified
  • Designed for security-conscious organizations

Considerations: Higher price point than alternatives. More focused on secure collaboration than flexible knowledge management.

Pricing: From €10/user/month. No free tier. See current pricing


Zenkit (Germany)

Zenkit offers flexible views of your data—Kanban, list, table, calendar, and mind map—making it adaptable to different workflows.

Key points:

  • Multiple view types for the same data
  • Custom fields and automation
  • German company with EU hosting
  • Integrates with common tools

Considerations: The flexibility can feel overwhelming initially. Some features are less polished than dedicated single-purpose tools.

Pricing: Free tier available. Premium from €9/user/month. See current pricing


Anytype (Switzerland)

Anytype is building a local-first, privacy-focused workspace where your data stays on your devices by default.

Key points:

  • Local-first architecture—data lives on your devices
  • Peer-to-peer sync option
  • Swiss company
  • Currently in development with active community

Considerations: Still evolving. Team collaboration features are limited compared to cloud-based alternatives. Best suited for individual use currently.

Pricing: Free during development phase.


Nextcloud (Germany)

Nextcloud isn't a direct Notion alternative, but with the right apps, it can serve similar purposes while giving you complete control over your data.

Key points:

  • Self-hosted by design—full data sovereignty
  • Modular: add wiki, Kanban, documents as needed
  • Large ecosystem of apps and integrations
  • Enterprise support available

Considerations: Requires technical knowledge to set up and maintain. Not a "sign up and start" solution.

Pricing: Free to self-host. Managed hosting available from various providers.


Comparison Overview

ToolCountryEncryptionFree TierStarting Price
NuclinoGermanyAt restYes€5/user/mo
CryptPadFranceEnd-to-endYes€5/mo
OnlyOfficeLatviaAt restYes€4/user/mo
StackfieldGermanyEnd-to-endNo€10/user/mo
ZenkitGermanyAt restYes€9/user/mo
AnytypeSwitzerlandLocal-firstYesFree (beta)
NextcloudGermanyConfigurableYesFree (self-host)

Choosing the Right Fit

For teams wanting a familiar experience: Nuclino offers the smoothest transition from Notion-style tools.

For maximum privacy: CryptPad provides true end-to-end encryption.

For full office suite needs: OnlyOffice covers documents, spreadsheets, and more.

For regulated industries: Stackfield emphasizes security compliance.

For complete control: Nextcloud lets you host everything yourself.

Migration Tips

Moving from Notion typically involves:

  1. Exporting content — Notion supports Markdown and HTML export
  2. Importing to new platform — Most alternatives accept Markdown
  3. Rebuilding structure — Some manual work is usually needed for complex setups

Consider starting with a pilot project rather than migrating everything at once. This lets your team adapt gradually.

Check out our migration guides for step-by-step instructions on switching between specific tools.

Learn More


Questions about these alternatives? Reach out on Mastodon, X, or LinkedIn.

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