I wanted to share my current status quo of gradually moving away from US-based services and products and replacing them with European alternatives where possible.

This is not about perfection or ideological purity — more about direction, values, and supporting EU-based ecosystems when reasonable alternatives exist.

What I’ve Already Switched

Email / Cloud / VPN

I’m fully aware that Proton is a European company based in Switzerland. My decision to move away from Proton was not about trust or geography, but about risk concentration.

I was using Proton Mail, Proton Drive, and Proton VPN at the same time and decided to follow the principle of:

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

So I deliberately split these services across different providers:

Proton Mail → TutaMail (Germany)
Proton Drive → Filen (Germany)
Proton VPN → Mullvad VPN (Sweden) (when I actually need a VPN)

This is more about resilience and diversification than distrust.

Music Streaming

Deezer → Qobuz (France)
- While Deezer is often seen as European, I decided to move away after learning more about its ownership and investor structure.
- A significant share is held by non-EU stakeholders partly linked to the US, which didn’t align with what I want to support long-term.
- Qobuz feels more in line with my values, and the switch was a nice improvement in sound quality.

Messaging

WhatsApp → Threema + Signal
- WhatsApp is completely gone.
- Signal is still US-based, but currently required for activism/political work.

Language Models

ChatGPT → Le Chat

Charging Devices

Anker → recable (Germany)

Voice Chat

Discord → TeamSpeak

OS

Windows → Linux Mint (Oh boy, do I love Linux Mint <3 Fck Windows)

Office / Creative Software

Microsoft Office → LibreOffice (rarely needed anyway)
For most creative work, I use Affinity Publisher, Designer & Photo

Entertainment

Cancelled several US streaming services (e.g., Disney+)

Navigation

Apple Maps → TomTom

Payments

PayPal → Wero

Clothing

While Adidas is a German brand, a lot of their production happens outside the EU, which I want to move away from over time.
Ideal goal: Support European production under reasonable conditions.
- Shoes: Switching from Adidas → TREAZY (EU production, plant-based materials)
- Socks: Planning to switch to TREAZY socks (made in Portugal)
- Underwear — Open Question
  - Looking for high-quality men’s underwear (trunks) that:
    - Is genuinely produced in Europe,
    - Feels really comfortable,
    - Actually lasts a long time (doesn’t stretch out or fall apart after a few months).
  - Do you have recommendations? Something you’ve had for years and still feel comfortable in, made in Europe?

Audio / Hardware

Initially planned: Shure SM7B
Decided on: Sennheiser MD 421 Mark II (Supporting a European audio manufacturer felt like the better fit for me.)

What I Still Use (Reluctantly / Pragmatically)

Netflix (No real EU alternative with a comparable catalog — I only subscribe occasionally, 1 month every few months.)
Gaming: Steam (ecosystem reasons)
Password Manager: 1Password (Canada — not EU, but best fit for my needs so far)

Big Open Topic: Smartphone

Currently using an iPhone 15 Pro
Considering a Fairphone with LineageOS
Waiting to see developments around Fairphone 6
Would love to see some experiences here.

Where I’d Really Love Community Input

Messaging: Thoughts on Element / Matrix / XMPP?
Streaming: Any serious European Netflix alternatives you like?
Underwear: European underwear brands/experiences that are truly high-quality & long-lasting?
General: EU services/products you’d strongly recommend or avoid?

This is very much a work in progress, not a finished state. Happy to learn, adjust, and iterate — feedback welcome! 😊

Thanks!

Edit: Improved structure and readability.

top 50 comments

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[–] Sirius006@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

I buy almost all my clothing from loom www.loom.fr. Everything is made either in France or Portugal. They are extremely transparent about what works (or not) in their business model. Apparently they don't do advertising at all. They deliver in most of Europe, but I couldn't switch the website language from French.

[–] boonhet@sopuli.xyz 1 points 18 hours ago

Damn, they don't ship to the Baltics :/

I wouldn't even mind paying 25€ for a T-Shirt if it actually lasts. I've had 5€ Slazenger t-shirts from Sportsdirect develop holes after one wear and one wash (at the label that's sewn into the back of the neck area, 5 shirts ordered and all 5 got the holes real quick)

I'm also the kinda guy who just wears the same shit every day so if I find something that works for me, I'll order 10 more like it lmao

[–] lox@feddit.it 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Beautiful post and full of inspirations, thank you!

As for underwear, I can suggest an excellent Italian brand, which I have been using for years: Tezenis https://www.tezenis.com

It does not produce everything in Italy, but also in other European countries and something in Africa, but always in factories controlled by the brand. The quality is good!

As for payments, I would like to use Wero, but in Italy it is not yet there. For now I prefer national platforms such as Satispay and Bancomat.

[–] FeedRunner@europe.pub 0 points 19 hours ago

Glad my post is an inspiration for you :)

I will check out that Italian brand, thanks!

[–] disobey2623@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago

I've been using Matrix/Element for about a year now. I think it's been great and have no plans on using anything else, I've even started donating to the matrix foundation. I self-host a server and using bridge bots I've aggregated all my chat services into Matrix, so I talk to my friends on signal using the Element app.

A few notes:

Nobody I've ever met has heard of matrix. I've had to very manually convince close friends and family to get the app and help them sign up.
The restore process is complex as recovery keys are stored on device and most people don't understand the concept of downloading and saving them in a secure place. So if they lose their phone, chances are they can't recover their messages, only their account. (as long as they sign in with two devices and don't forget their password, it's not an issue)
Also regarding the restore process. There are two apps, Element and Element X, with X being the newer and more modern one. It's still WIP though and doesn't have most recovery functionality.
Calls and video calls work differently in the apps, so unless you all have the newer app or all have the older app, you can't make calls to each other.

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do you use Affinity on Linux Mint?

[–] FeedRunner@europe.pub 1 points 19 hours ago

No, haven't tried that yet. Still running on my Windows boot.

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

recable only supports USB 2.0. Of course it doesn't matter for charging, but for data transfer it does.

[–] FeedRunner@europe.pub 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Well that wasn't a criteria for me yet... but thanks for pointing that out. Gotta keep that in mind for recommendations in the future.

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 1 points 18 hours ago

No, definitely it is not a requirement for a charging cable. But I usually carry with me:

1 USB-A - microUSB
1 USB-A - USB-C
1 USB-C - USB-C

And it is important that the double USB-C supports USB 4.0 / Thunderbolt 4

[–] Hiro8811@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

For streaming try mubi, Wikipedia says its UK based, it doesn't have shows but it has the best movies out there. Also you could pirate stuff you don't want to pay money. You could rip music from various services with lucida.to or use soulseek

[–] perke@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm also in similar journey to switch although still early. I started using Element in small circle and it works great.
For phones, you might want to check Jolla, its EU/Finish Linux phone.

And for the rest, being a open-source dev myself, I can only suggest open-source digital products:
For design work, see https://penpot.app/ its awesome and mature product.
If you need to publish videos, check https://joinpeertube.org/

You can find much more EU-based and produced digital services here: https://european-alternatives.eu/

Good luck!

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[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 40 points 2 days ago (1 children)

For streaming go back to 🏴‍☠️

It’s your civic duty not to give money to the media conglomerates that put right wing extremists in power everywhere.

Fuck them and take what you wanna watch for free.

[–] FeedRunner@europe.pub 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Haha, yeah, I can’t really argue with that 😅. The lack of solid EU streaming alternatives makes it tempting to… you know, set the sails.
I’m still trying to stick with legal European options where I can, but sometimes it’s just… frustratingly limited.

[–] simsala@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Can't blame you for using Netflix since they have a lot of exclusive content that's really good. And they do support local filmmaking and recently joined the Blender development fund too which is at least some good news.

To find other alternatives I recommend looking up whatever you want to watch on https://www.justwatch.com/ (or TMDb where JustWatch is integrated) because it shows you where the movie/series is currently streaming within the country you live in. I found new (sometimes local) platforms like this and one of them was even free with a library card.

Also going to the cinema is always an option although it's not really the same type of activity of course.

[–] DreasNil@feddit.nu 1 points 1 day ago

Playpilot is a great app that does the same.

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[–] baguette@piefed.social 3 points 2 days ago

Try your library, maybe they offer some streaming alternatives.

[–] IanTwenty@piefed.social 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Recable that OP mentioned look great fun

https://en.recable.eu/

...braided charging cables coloured and named after birds.

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[–] Anagram3@jlai.lu 13 points 2 days ago

For gaming : GOG (PL)

My Pixel phone OS : iodé os (FR)

Amazon : Cdiscount (FR)

Google drive : Ksuite by infomaniak

Quickshare : LocalShare / KDEconnect

Google Map : CoMaps / RooleMap (FR)

[–] Nickelalloy@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Never knew about Recable, I was just looking to buy quality cables.

Thanks for sharing!

[–] FeedRunner@europe.pub 5 points 1 day ago

Glad my post was helpful to ohters :)

[–] chrizzly@feddit.org 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Great post which gives a lot of inspiration!

Since you mentioned the fairphone 6, I thought I'd give you my two cents on that topic:

Switched over to a Fairphone 6 about half a year ago (pretty soon after the release). Wanted to get the Murena - e/OS version but since the stock Android was cheaper and quicker for delivery I went with that.

At home, I flashed e/OS myself on the phone after checking everything worked initially (especially phone services).

And what can I say - about a half year later I'm still super happy with it. About 60% of the apps I use are from F-Droid, the other few over AppLounge (Playstore-Mirror) with an anonymous Google-account (very easy to use, works automatically and is preinstalled on e/OS). I should say, my goal switching from a 'normal' Android phone was to degoogle at the same time, which worked well with the fp6. No issues with calls, screen, battery, camera, Apps etc, only thing I needed was a Type-C to Aux adapter (since my last phone still had a 3.5 mm jack).

You need to get used to the volume rocker placement - was taking screenshots in the beginning all the time :D But other than that, I have no regrets. Even dropped it a few times without a case and its sturdy! I can definetely recommend it :) (My parents' next smartphone will be a FP, already influenced them haha)

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I recommend some formatting for your comments. Few will read them, otherwise.

[–] chrizzly@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago

Valid point. I initially just typed it out on my (fair) phone in a quick minute, but added some spaces now.

[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 16 points 2 days ago (9 children)

Another idea... Language Learning: Try Babbel from Berlin

[–] baguette@piefed.social 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Not everyone's piece of cake, but I like Anki (FOSS) and download community made language decks.

[–] porcoesphino@mander.xyz 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's great for Japanese. I've found it a bit hit and miss for other languages

[–] saimen@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago

I like wlingua. It seems to be from Spain. It teaches all the grammar and always repeats the things you had wrong from time to time.

[–] Midnattssol@feddit.nu 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Also check out local resources for your particular target language. Many countries have online language learning resources primarily targeted at immigrants but usually open for all. And there are often daily news in easy language available from public service TV with online access.

I also read and watch news from other parts of the world in their native language which helps with keeping up understanding and passive language knowledge in addition to the factual contents - not so much with grammar learning, though. My library offers PressReader (Ireland-based) access for free and they have thousands of newspapers and magazines digitally. There is not a lot of material in all languages, unfortunately. Personally, I particularly miss a daily paper in Finnish, but still. And often the papers available are not the biggest ones and sometimes all those available for a particular country have strong political leanings.

Edited spelling

[–] InabaResident@feddit.org 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I know a lot of people love language learning apps, but I'd argue for a different approach: Don't use them at all. I like learning languages a lot, and focus on fluency in one language at a time over learning just the basics in many (nothing wrong with that, just not my approach). And what really works for me has always been a mixture of textbooks, dedicated vocab studying and tons of immersion. Language learning apps are fun, but they don't make you do the boring, hard work that actually sees results.

From my own experience: I know many people who have years-long streaks on DuoLingo and others, but actually speak very little of their target language. Meanwhile I've never used a language for learning Korean (Self-taught. I've been at it for nearly 5 years now) and I can speak to my Korean friends for hours while only having to look up words very occasionally or having them explained to me in Korean.

By all means, use Babbel or another European alternative if you are going to use them. But maybe also consider changing your approach, you might see much better results.

[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (6 children)

I speak 8 languages, apps work. Just use the right tools.

Babbel doesn't only teach the basics. I learned Swedish tongue twisters and other special stuff.

And once you're done, amend with books and podcasts, for example.

EDIT: Don't use Duolingo. I once made it my point to prove this and deliberately used it for a year and still couldn't speak more than a few sentences in one language. Switched to something else and learned more in three days than in a year on Duolingo. It sucks, it is only intended to keep you there to show you ads or sell subscriptions.

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[–] pinhead77@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sadly I just found out that Qobuz is using Amazon Web Services (AWS). So using Qobuz means giving money to Amazon... What a shame!

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago

Unfortunately that's (currently) most of the internet. Hopefully that changes over time.

[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

Another great choice for avoiding risk concentration is using a decentralised way to communicate.

This is where XMPP is great.

Here's a flyer from the Digital Independence Day (that was recently proclaimed by the Chaos Computer Club and a lot of other organisations in Germany) that shows two simple ways you can start using it:

English: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-engl-druck.pdf
German: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-Druck.pdf
French: https://shop.digitalcourage.de/files/xmpp-folder-F-druck.pdf

If any server goes down, I will not have much of an issue, as long as it is not mine. If it is a server my contacts use, I will only lose contact to a couple people, until those have access again.

It's a very resilient network and that's why I enjoy using it.

Also, the clients run even on old phones, as they do not need a lot of resources, which helps when people have little money and also saves the environment.

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[–] wieson@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago

Clothing: I recommend looking on avocadostore. Erlich Textil is very high quality.

[–] matze@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 days ago

Calida makes good underwear and really nice sleepwear. They are from Switzerland and claim to produce in Eastern Europe.

[–] jdr8@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

For streaming, if you like documentaries, I recommend arte.

I really like their app and diversity of subjects.

edit: For smartphones, I'm typing this from my Sony Xperia flashed with SailfishOS, same OS that Jolla phones have.

[–] WonderRin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Just took a quick look, haven't watched anything in full yet, but this seems to have a lot of interesting stuff. Thanks for the recommendation!

EDIT: I just saw that some videos are apparently not available unless you confirm with your ID that you are over 16 or over 18 years old depending on the video. I haven't ran into anything requiring verification yet but I would really rather not do that. What kind of videos require ID and is that often or is it just like one video here and there?

[–] jdr8@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I normally use a vpn so it doesn't ask me to do any verification.

If you are in the UK, I guess it needs to comply with the Online Safety Act, which requires age verification, or you live in a country with similar restrictions.

[–] WonderRin@sh.itjust.works 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

It hasn't asked me to do it either yet, but I do see the option.

[–] jdr8@lemmy.world 2 points 22 hours ago

In that case you should be fine though.

It never asked me so it should be ok.

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[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 7 points 2 days ago

Smartphone, USB-C chargers, USB-C cables:

Fairphone

They're great, they are part of the free software community, they contribute to the kernel. I love them.

[–] Poem_for_your_sprog@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

Qobuz is the best and has high res audio

[–] erebion@news.erebion.eu 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Password Manager:

KeePassXC (Linux)
KeePassDX (Android)
GNOME Secrets (KeePass compatible, Linux and mobile Linux)

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[–] sp3ctre@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago

Looks good to me! Seems that the biggest steps have been made!

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