--- title: 'Self-Hosted EU Alternatives: Host LibreOffice & More' description: 'Run Nextcloud, Collabora, and other open-source tools on EU infrastructure without the ops overhead. A practical guide to sovereign self-hosting.' image: src: /images/blog/self-hosted-eu-alternatives.jpg authors: - name: Thomas Ens to: /about/thomasens avatar: src: /images/blog/authors/thomas.jpeg date: 2026-03-17 lastUpdated: 2026-06-04 tags: published: true --- # Self-Hosted EU Alternatives: How to Easily Host LibreOffice & Co. with lowcloud If you want to break free from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you're in a good position today. The open-source productivity stack has matured. The real challenge is no longer the software itself — it's the operations. This article covers which EU-compliant self-hosted alternatives exist and how to run them productively without infrastructure overhead. ## Why Self-Hosted EU Alternatives Make Sense Again After the [Schrems II ruling](https://www.bfdi.bund.de/DE/Fachthemen/Inhalte/Europa-Internationales/Auswirkungen-Schrems-II-Urteil.html) by the CJEU in 2020, there was a brief moment of panic — then most companies just carried on as before. That was understandable, because alternatives were still clunkier back then. That has changed. US cloud services fall under the **[Cloud Act](/en/blog/cloud-act-vs-gdpr)**, which fundamentally grants US authorities access to stored data — even when servers are located in Europe. This is no longer a theoretical risk but a concrete compliance problem for companies handling personal data or sensitive business information. On top of that, the political uncertainty around transatlantic data agreements persists. Investing in [sovereign IT infrastructure](/en/blog/cloud-illusion-digital-sovereignty) now is a strategic decision, not a reactive one, and our [sovereign cloud checklist](/en/blog/sovereign-cloud-checklist) helps you assess providers. Self-hosting doesn't necessarily mean running your own server room. It means retaining control over your data and software. What infrastructure it runs on is a separate question. ## Key Self-Hosted EU Alternatives at a Glance The market for open-source productivity software has matured significantly in recent years. For most use cases, there are robust alternatives ready for production use. ### LibreOffice — The Classic, Reimagined Most people know [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/) as a desktop application. What many don't realize: there are server-based variants that enable collaborative work directly in the browser. [Collabora Online](https://www.collaboraonline.com/) is the commercially supported, enterprise-grade version of LibreOffice as a web editor. It integrates directly with Nextcloud and offers real-time collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations — functionally comparable to Google Docs, but on your own infrastructure. [ONLYOFFICE](https://www.onlyoffice.com/) is another server-based office solution with a similar feature set. ONLYOFFICE sometimes offers better compatibility with Microsoft Office formats, which can matter for mixed teams. Both solutions run as container applications and integrate well with existing platforms. ### Nextcloud — More Than Just File Storage [Nextcloud](https://nextcloud.com/) is the backbone of many self-hosted setups. The platform started as a Dropbox alternative but has evolved into a full collaboration platform. Key features for enterprise use: - File sync and sharing with access controls - Integration with Collabora Online or ONLYOFFICE for browser-based document editing - Calendar, contacts, and tasks (CalDAV/CardDAV compatible) - Video calls via Nextcloud Talk - User management with LDAP/AD integration Nextcloud runs as a PHP application, requires a database (MySQL/PostgreSQL), and needs object storage for production environments — self-hosted options like SeaweedFS or Garage work well here (see the [comparison of MinIO alternatives](/en/blog/minio-alternatives)). Running it on Kubernetes is possible but requires configuration effort, especially around persistent storage and session handling. ### More Tools: Jitsi, Mailcow, Gitea A complete self-hosted stack goes beyond office tools: - [**Jitsi Meet**](https://jitsi.org/) for video conferencing — open source, no account required, GDPR-compliant when self-hosted - [**Mailcow**](https://mailcow.email/) or [**Stalwart**](https://stalw.art/) as a full email server solution with web interface - [**Gitea**](https://about.gitea.com/) or [**Forgejo**](https://forgejo.org/) as self-hosted alternatives to GitHub. Ideal for teams that don't want their code on US services Each of these solutions runs containerized and can be deployed in modern Kubernetes environments. ## The Real Problem with Self-Hosting The software isn't the problem. Operations is. Running Nextcloud or Collabora yourself requires: - A [Kubernetes](/en/blog/what-is-kubernetes) or Docker environment with sufficient resources - Persistent storage that survives restarts - TLS certificates with automatic renewal - Regular backups that actually work - Update processes that don't cause downtime - Monitoring and alerting This is manageable if someone on the team knows these topics and has time. In many small and medium-sized businesses, neither is consistently guaranteed. And that's exactly where the dilemma arises: self-hosting sounds like control but quickly becomes a maintenance burden. ## Running Self-Hosted EU Alternatives with lowcloud lowcloud is a Kubernetes DaaS platform that runs on EU infrastructure and simplifies the operation of open-source applications. Instead of setting up and maintaining your own Kubernetes environment, you use a managed platform that handles the infrastructure layer. For the self-hosted scenario, this means: - **Deployment** of Nextcloud, Collabora Online, or ONLYOFFICE via standardized Helm charts or container images - **Persistent storage** through the platform, without needing to configure your own storage classes - **TLS and ingress** provided by the platform - **Backups** included as part of the platform - **EU data center** — data never leaves Europe The difference from a VPS where you configure everything yourself: you get a platform layer that abstracts Kubernetes complexity while preserving full container flexibility. For teams that want to run open-source applications in production without building in-house Kubernetes expertise, this is a pragmatic path. ## Self-Hosting on Your Own Infrastructure vs. lowcloud vs. US SaaS | **Criterion** | **Own Infrastructure** | **lowcloud** | **US SaaS** | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Data sovereignty | Full | Full (EU) | Limited (Cloud Act) | | Operational overhead | High | Low | Minimal | | GDPR compliance | Achievable | Achievable | Difficult | | Flexibility | Maximum | High | Low | | Cost | Variable / high | Predictable | Per user, scales steeply | | Onboarding effort | High | Low | Very low | ## Compliance Benefits: What Changes Legally Running open-source tools on EU infrastructure gives you clear advantages over US SaaS providers: **No third-country transfer.** Data stored on servers in Germany or the EU, operated by an EU company, is not subject to third-country data transfers under GDPR. Standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions — which can be invalidated at any time — are not a concern. **Clear data processing agreements.** With an EU platform provider, a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR can be concluded straightforwardly, without legal uncertainties. **No Cloud Act risk.** US authorities cannot compel the handover of data on EU infrastructure from EU providers — at least not through the US Cloud Act. The EU's [Cloud Sovereignty Framework](/en/blog/cloud-sovereignty-framework) now provides a formal standard for verifying these protections. This doesn't mean that self-hosting is automatically GDPR-compliant. Technical and organizational measures (TOMs) still need to be implemented and documented. But the structural compliance risks that come with US services are eliminated. ## lowcloud as the Foundation for Your EU Stack Self-hosting with open-source software is no longer a workaround. LibreOffice-based web editors, Nextcloud, and the surrounding tools are production-ready. The question is no longer whether, but how to run them. If you don't want to maintain infrastructure yourself but also don't want to move to a US hyperscaler, lowcloud offers a third path: a Kubernetes DaaS platform on EU infrastructure that simplifies running open-source applications without giving up control over your data and software. If you're planning to get started or want to put an existing self-hosted environment on a more stable foundation, take a look at [lowcloud](/hosting).