Our Mission
In an era where digital privacy is increasingly important, we believe everyone deserves access to tools and services that respect their data. European Purpose was founded with a clear goal: to make it easy for anyone to find European alternatives to the dominant US tech platforms.
We curate, review, and compare European digital services across multiple categories, from email providers to cloud storage, from analytics tools to VPN services. Each service we feature is thoroughly evaluated for its privacy practices, security features, and compliance with European data protection standards.
Why European Alternatives?
The European Union has established some of the world's strongest data protection regulations through GDPR. When you use services based in Europe, your data benefits from these protections, including:
- The right to access, correct, and delete your personal data
- Strict requirements for data processing consent
- Mandatory data breach notifications
- Significant penalties for privacy violations
- Protection from mass surveillance programs
By choosing European services, you are not only protecting your own privacy but also supporting a thriving ecosystem of innovative European tech companies.
How We Evaluate Services
Every service featured on European Purpose undergoes a comprehensive evaluation process. We assess:
- Privacy Practices: How the company handles, stores, and protects user data
- Security Features: Encryption standards, authentication options, and security certifications
- GDPR Compliance: Full adherence to European data protection regulations
- Data Location: Where servers are located and where data is processed
- Transparency: Open-source code, independent audits, and clear privacy policies
- Features and Usability: How the service compares functionally to US alternatives
- Pricing: Value for money and availability of free tiers
Our Independence
Vendors can pay for placement on our category pages, and we earn nothing when you click through to a vendor. Paid placement can affect the order in which tools appear; it never affects whether a tool is listed or what our review says. We only feature services that meet our criteria for privacy, security, and quality, and a vendor can ask us to correct a factual error — not to remove a criticism. Our editorial process sets out the full policy.
Who writes this
European Purpose is published by its founder, Sebastiaan Smits. Pages are researched and drafted with AI assistance and published under his editorial responsibility. Read more about how we review, or see the author page.
Sebastiaan Smits founded and runs European Purpose. He is also the founder and owner of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency (also called a GEO or AEO agency) that helps mid-market and enterprise B2B software and tech companies get named in AI answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Google AI Mode.
2 Steps Ahead is an AI Search Visibility Agency. Its team of senior specialists runs audits, sets baselines, does the technical work and writes the reports for its clients.
Get Involved
Have a suggestion for a European service we should review? Found an error in one of our listings? We welcome your feedback. Please reach out through our contact page, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Together, we can build a more privacy-respecting digital future, one tool at a time.