Microsoft 365 Down: 10 European Alternatives to Consider

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-13

When Microsoft 365 goes down, it's not just your inbox that suffers—it's a global wake-up call. The recent outage, which started on November 12, 2026, and lasted over 12 hours, knocked out Outlook, Teams, Copilot, SharePoint, and more. Businesses, government agencies, banks, and airlines across multiple continents felt the pinch. Even ChatGPT and Claude had trouble with their Microsoft 365 connectors. Microsoft says there's no sign of foul play, but getting services back online was tougher than expected. From bankers locked out of their email to Japanese ministries reverting to paper, this incident reminded us just how much we rely on a handful of tech giants—most of them American. We saw something similar during last year's Cloudflare outage. Switching providers won't magically eliminate downtime, but having more independent European options can help spread the risk. Europe has been quietly building alternatives for years, and here are 10 worth a look if you're rethinking your relationship with Microsoft. ### Proton (Switzerland) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Outlook, OneDrive, and Word (partially). Founded in 2014 in Geneva by scientists who met at CERN, Proton started as an encrypted email service and has grown into a full productivity suite. You get Proton Mail, Calendar, Drive, and Docs—covering many of the functions businesses use Outlook and OneDrive for. Led by CEO Andy Yen, Proton emphasizes privacy and end-to-end encryption. It won't replicate every Microsoft 365 feature, but it's a solid option for moving email, calendars, storage, and document collaboration away from a single provider. ### Tuta (Germany) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Online (email and calendars). If the Outlook outage has you rethinking where your company email lives, Hanover-based Tuta is another choice. Founded in 2011 by Arne Möhle and Matthias Pfau, Tuta offers encrypted email, calendars, and contacts for individuals and businesses. It supports custom domains, making it viable for organizations looking to ditch Exchange Online. Tuta focuses on secure communications and operates from Germany. It's not a full Microsoft 365 replacement, but for companies prioritizing an independent email and scheduling environment, it's a good starting point. ### Element (United Kingdom) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Teams (messaging, voice, and video). When Teams goes silent, the office feels eerily empty—even if everyone's still at their desks. London-based Element provides an alternative built on decentralized communication. Founded as New Vector in 2017 by Matthew Hodgson and Amandine Le Pape, Element uses the open Matrix standard, which its founders helped create. Unlike centralized platforms, Matrix lets organizations run their own infrastructure or connect with other servers. Element supports messaging, voice, and video, making it a strong candidate for businesses wanting more control over where their communications are hosted. > "The outage was a stark reminder: resilience isn't just about backups—it's about diversifying your digital dependencies." ### Nextcloud (Germany) **What it replaces:** Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office Online. Nextcloud, founded in 2016 by Frank Karlitschek, offers self-hosted file sync and share, online office, and collaboration tools. It's open-source and gives you full control over your data. You can run it on your own servers or choose a hosted provider. It integrates with Collabora Online for document editing, making it a compelling alternative for teams that want to keep everything in-house. ### Zoho (India, but with strong European presence) **What it replaces:** Microsoft 365 (partially). While Zoho is headquartered in India, it has a significant European footprint and data centers in the EU. Its suite includes email, calendars, docs, and more. It's a cost-effective alternative, but if data sovereignty is your main concern, you'll want to check where your data is stored. ### OnlyOffice (Latvia) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Office Online. OnlyOffice provides a collaborative document editing suite that integrates with Nextcloud and other platforms. It's developed by Ascensio System SIA, based in Riga. It offers document, spreadsheet, and presentation editors with real-time collaboration. For teams looking to break free from Microsoft's Office Online, OnlyOffice is a strong contender. ### CryptPad (France) **What it replaces:** Google Docs and Microsoft Word Online (for collaborative editing). CryptPad is an open-source, end-to-end encrypted collaborative editor. It's developed by XWiki SAS, a French company. It offers rich text, spreadsheets, slides, and more, all with encryption. It's a niche but powerful tool for teams that prioritize privacy. ### Jitsi (Global, but with European roots) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Teams (video conferencing). Jitsi is a set of open-source video conferencing tools. It's free to use and can be self-hosted. While not a company per se, it's supported by 8x8 and has a strong community. For businesses wanting a simple, no-frills video conferencing solution that they can control, Jitsi fits the bill. ### Wire (Switzerland) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Teams (messaging and calls). Wire, based in Zug, Switzerland, offers secure messaging, voice, and video calls. It's end-to-end encrypted and designed for businesses. It's a solid alternative for teams that need secure communication without the Microsoft baggage. ### Mattermost (United States, but open-source) **What it replaces:** Microsoft Teams (messaging). Mattermost is an open-source messaging platform that can be self-hosted. While the company is US-based, the software is open-source, so you can host it anywhere, including in Europe. It's a popular choice for teams that want Slack-like features with full control. ### The Bottom Line None of these tools will perfectly replicate every Microsoft 365 feature, but they don't have to. The goal is to reduce dependency on a single provider and spread your risk. Whether you go all-in on one suite or mix and match, having European alternatives in your toolkit is a smart move. After all, when the next outage hits, you'll be glad you did. *Note: All prices are in USD. Measurements are in imperial units.*