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European alternatives to the big social apps, checked app by app.
More people want their social apps made in Europe, under European law. Here are the European options for each big app, with the company and the country behind each one, checked in November 2026. Rawly is one of them, for photo and video challenges with friends.
Instead of Instagram
| App | Who makes it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Rawly | Rawly OÜ, Estonia (EU) | Photo and video challenges with friends, shot live in the app. No ad slots in the feed |
| Flashes | Birdsong Apps GmbH, Germany (EU) | A photo app on the Bluesky network (AT Protocol), on iOS and the web |
| Monnett | Monnet Social SA, Luxembourg (EU) | A new social network with paid memberships. It says it shows no targeted ads |
| Pixelfed | Led from Canada | Open source and federated, so you can join a server run in Europe |
Instead of TikTok
| App | Who makes it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| PeerTube | Framasoft, France (EU) | Open-source, federated video software run on many independent servers, funded mostly by donations |
| Rawly | Rawly OÜ, Estonia (EU) | Video challenges, shot live in the app |
Instead of Snapchat or BeReal
| App | Who makes it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| BeReal | BeReal SAS, France (EU), owned by Voodoo since 2024 | One moment a day with both cameras |
| Lapse | Lapse Ltd, United Kingdom | A disposable-camera app for friends, iOS only. It says it runs no ads |
| Rawly | Rawly OÜ, Estonia (EU) | A VS, clubs and streaks with friends. Direct messages and group chats are end-to-end encrypted |
Instead of X
| App | Who makes it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Mastodon | Mastodon GmbH, Germany (EU) | Federated and open source. The mastodon.social server runs under German law. It says it will never show ads |
| Vivaldi Social | Vivaldi Technologies AS, Norway | A Mastodon server, hosted in Iceland |
| Eurosky | Stichting Modal, Netherlands (EU) | Accounts on the AT Protocol, the network Bluesky uses, with data on European servers. Still partly relies on Bluesky, mainly for moderation |
Instead of WhatsApp
| App | Who makes it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Threema | Threema AG, Switzerland, owned by Comitis Capital (Germany) since January 2026 | No phone number needed. A one-time purchase. Servers in Switzerland |
| Olvid | OLVID SAS, France (EU) | No phone number or email needed. Free for personal use |
| Wire | Wire Group Holdings GmbH, Germany (EU); run by Wire Swiss GmbH, Switzerland | End-to-end encryption always on. A free version for friends and family |
| Element | Element Creations Ltd, United Kingdom | Built on Matrix, federated. A free app for personal use |
| SimpleX Chat | SimpleX Chat Ltd, United Kingdom | Works without any user identifiers |
Instead of YouTube
| App | Who makes it | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| PeerTube | Framasoft, France (EU) | Software anyone can run. Each server sets its own rules |
| Dailymotion | Dailymotion SA, France (EU), part of the Canal+ group | An ad-funded video platform |
What European means here
- Where the company sits. In the EU, or in the United Kingdom, Switzerland or Norway, marked as such.
- Not always where the data sits. Some of these apps use servers or providers outside Europe for parts of the service. Each app's privacy policy says which.
- Federated apps have many servers. Mastodon, PeerTube and Pixelfed servers are run by many people, inside and outside Europe.
Rawly, plainly
- Made in Estonia. Rawly OÜ, Tallinn, Estonia.
- Servers in Germany. The servers and the database run in Germany, and content is delivered through a network based in Slovenia.
- Some US providers. Some services come from US providers, such as Google Firebase for push notifications, crash reports and app analytics. The privacy policy lists every provider.
- No ad slots, private chats. There are no ad slots in the feed. Brand challenges are marked as sponsored and can be hidden. Direct messages and group chats are end-to-end encrypted. Rawly is for people 18 and over.
Checked on each company's own pages in November 2026. Details change, so check before you switch. All names and trademarks belong to their owners; Rawly is not affiliated with any of the other apps.
Questions
Is there a European alternative to Instagram?
Yes. Rawly (Estonia) for photo and video challenges with friends, Flashes (Germany) on the Bluesky network, and Monnett (Luxembourg). Pixelfed is led from Canada, but it is federated, so you can join a server run in Europe.
Is there a European alternative to TikTok?
PeerTube, made by Framasoft in France, is open-source video software run on many servers. Rawly (Estonia) has video challenges shot live in the app.
Is there a European alternative to WhatsApp?
Threema (Switzerland), Olvid (France), Wire (Germany and Switzerland), Element (United Kingdom) and SimpleX Chat (United Kingdom). None of the five needs a phone number to sign up.
Is there a European alternative to X?
Mastodon, made by Mastodon GmbH in Germany, and Mastodon servers such as Vivaldi Social (Norway). Eurosky (Netherlands) offers accounts on the Bluesky network with data on European servers. It still relies partly on Bluesky, mainly for moderation.
Is BeReal European?
Yes. BeReal SAS is based in Paris and has belonged to the French company Voodoo since 2024.
Is Rawly European?
Yes. Rawly OÜ is an Estonian company and Rawly's servers are in Germany. Some services come from US providers, which the privacy policy lists.
Made in Europe. Shot live.
Free on iOS and Android. For people 18 and over.