Category 16 of 22

Video conferencing

In short

Video conferencing platforms process live audio, video, and chat communications, often storing recordings and transcripts. For EU buyers, what matters most is operator jurisdiction: US-owned platforms process meeting content and metadata that falls within CLOUD Act reach. Strong EU options on EU Vetted include Tixeo (France, EU-owned, ANSSI-qualified), Threema (Switzerland, CLOUD Act exposure: None), Element/Matrix (UK, open federated protocol, self-hostable), and Wire (Switzerland, end-to-end encrypted; CLOUD Act exposure: Material via its sub-processor chain).

See video conferencing with zero US sub-processors →

About this category

About Video conferencing

Video conferencing platforms power some of the most sensitive business communications: board strategy sessions, legal discussions, medical consultations, HR conversations, and client negotiations. Beyond live audio and video, most platforms retain meeting recordings, transcripts, participant lists, and metadata such as who joined when and from where. This combination of real-time sensitive content and retained records makes operator jurisdiction particularly important in an EU context.

If the platform is a US-incorporated company or belongs to a US corporate group, the CLOUD Act can in principle apply to recordings and metadata regardless of where they are stored. EU-owned operators such as Tixeo (France, EU-owned, ANSSI-qualified, CLOUD Act exposure: None) and sipgate (Germany, EU-owned, EU-hosted, CLOUD Act exposure: None) have no US parent company that can be compelled this way. Swiss-based platforms Wire and Threema operate under Swiss law with no US corporate parent, though Wire's hosted offering carries CLOUD Act exposure through its sub-processor chain (CLOUD Act exposure: Wire Material, Threema None); Element, incorporated in the UK, builds on the open Matrix protocol where a self-hosted deployment removes third-party exposure entirely, while its hosted offering is rated CLOUD Act exposure: Material. Norwegian operators Pexip and Whereby are EEA-based and subject to GDPR with no US corporate parent, though their hosted services carry CLOUD Act exposure through sub-processors (CLOUD Act exposure: Pexip Material, Whereby Minor) and they are not EU-owned.

Each listing below carries country of incorporation, ownership signal, hosting region, and compliance signals verified by EU Vetted. What is worth filtering on in this category is the split between general-purpose meeting tools and specialist secure-communication platforms, and, for anyone who needs on-premises installation, deployment model.

Showing all 10 alternatives in this category updating

		Sovereignty	Cert.	Pricing	Signals	Open
Element (Matrix) UK-headquartered open-source Matrix protocol commercialisation; powers Bundeswehr BwMessenger + French Tchap + NATO + UN.	— United Kingdom	self-host EU-Based	ISO/IEC 27001	Paid	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
kMeet (Infomaniak) Free Swiss browser-based video meetings (Infomaniak, Geneva, since 1994); no guest account, own Swiss DCs, ISO 27001, no CLOUD Act.	GENEVA · CH Switzerland		ISO/IEC 27001 ISO9001 +2 more	Free	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
sipgate Düsseldorf-based German VoIP + cloud-telephony operator (founded 2004, self-financed), 130 employees, all-German infrastructure.	DÜSSELDORF · DE Germany		—	Paid	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
Threema Swiss E2EE messenger (Pfäffikon SZ, founded 2012), ISO 27001, all-Swiss hosting, no phone number required; consumer + enterprise (Threema Work) + on-prem.	CH Switzerland		ISO/IEC 27001	Freemium €3 /mo	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
Tixeo Montpellier-based French secure video conferencing (founded 2003), ANSSI CSPN-certified, SecNumCloud-qualified, defense + government grade.	MONTPELLIER · FR France		SecNumCloud	Paid	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
Wire Swiss-headquartered enterprise messaging + video (Wire Swiss GmbH, Zug + Berlin), MLS E2EE, VS-NfD-ready, 90%+ European institutional ownership.	— Switzerland	self-host EU-Sovereign	—	Paid	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
Olvid French E2EE messenger (Olvid SAS, Paris, founded 2019), ANSSI CSPN certified, mandated for French government ministers; no phone number/identifier, content + metadata encrypted.	FR France		—	Freemium €10 /mo	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
Pexip Norwegian Euronext-listed (Oslo Børs) video collaboration platform, defense + government grade; self-host or hyperscaler-cloud-of-choice.	— Norway	self-host EU-Sovereign	—	Paid	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
SimpleX Chat UK-incorporated open-source E2EE messenger (SimpleX Chat Ltd, 2021) with no user identifiers of any kind; Double Ratchet + post-quantum key exchange; self-hostable relays, twice audited by Trail of Bits.	— United Kingdom		—	Free €0 /mo	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→
Whereby Norwegian browser-based WebRTC video (ex-appear.in, Videonor-owned), no-install meetings + Embedded SDK; ISO 27001 + GDPR + HIPAA.	IE Ireland		ISO/IEC 27001	Freemium	Public DPA Sub-processors Open source	→

Feature comparison

Beyond compliance: how these alternatives compare on the capabilities you actually use day to day.

Feature	Element (Matrix)	kMeet (Infomaniak)	sipgate	Threema	Tixeo	Wire	Olvid	Pexip	SimpleX Chat	Whereby
Self-hostable	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Max participants		100 participants		16 participants		150 participants	3 participants		2 participants	200 participants
Screen sharing	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Recording		Yes			Yes			Yes		Yes
End-to-end encryption	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Breakout rooms		No								Yes
Webinar mode					Yes			Yes
Browser join (no app)	Yes	Yes			Yes	Yes		Yes		Yes

SWITCHING GUIDES

Switching from US video conferencing?

Side-by-side European alternatives (same hosting, ownership and CLOUD Act checks) for the US tools most often replaced in this category.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the best EU-hosted video conferencing platform?

Tixeo (France), Threema (Switzerland), and sipgate (Germany, VoIP and telephony) present the strongest signals: EU or Swiss ownership, no US corporate parent, and published DPA or security documentation, each sitting outside CLOUD Act reach. Element (UK/Matrix protocol) and Wire (Switzerland) have no US parent either, but their hosted offerings carry CLOUD Act exposure through their sub-processor chains (Material and Material respectively); Element additionally supports full self-hosting that removes any third-party operator. For corporate video meetings specifically, Tixeo is the most focused option: EU-owned, ANSSI-qualified, and designed for sensitive environments. Pexip (Norway) and Whereby (Norway) are EEA-incorporated and GDPR-bound but not EU-owned; EU Vetted rates their exposure Material and Minor respectively, once sub-processors are accounted for.

Is there a GDPR-compliant video conferencing solution?

Any video platform operated by an EU-incorporated company with EU-only infrastructure and a published DPA qualifies as GDPR-compliant in its processing role. Tixeo (France) publishes detailed security and privacy documentation and holds ANSSI qualification. Meeting these criteria describes documented vendor practice, not a warranty against every failure mode; for meetings involving sensitive personal data (patient records, legal proceedings, HR conversations) the platform's recording and transcript handling policy is especially important to verify.

Does video conferencing data fall under the US CLOUD Act?

Video conferencing platforms process some of the most sensitive business communications: board meetings, legal strategy discussions, M&A conversations, and HR interviews. If the platform is operated or ultimately owned by a US-incorporated company, the CLOUD Act can in principle compel it to produce recordings, transcripts, and meeting metadata regardless of storage location. EU-owned operators such as Tixeo (France, CLOUD Act exposure: None) have no US parent company that can be compelled this way. Swiss-based operators Wire and Threema operate under Swiss law with no US corporate parent, though Wire's hosted offering still carries CLOUD Act exposure through its sub-processor chain (CLOUD Act exposure: Wire Material, Threema None).

What is Matrix and why does Element appear in this category?

Matrix is an open, decentralised communication protocol; Element is the most widely used client application built on it. Element Matrix Services is incorporated in the UK and provides hosted Matrix servers, including video conferencing via the Jitsi integration. Because Matrix is an open federated protocol, organisations can also run their own Matrix homeserver and use Element as the client, removing any third-party operator entirely. EU Vetted lists Element for its open architecture, EU-adjacent incorporation, and the option of full self-hosted deployment that eliminates operator-side data exposure.

What is Tixeo and what makes it suitable for sensitive environments?

Tixeo is a French video conferencing platform that holds qualification from ANSSI, the French national cybersecurity agency, and has been approved for use by French and EU government entities handling sensitive information. It uses end-to-end encryption for video calls, meaning that neither the Tixeo operator nor any intermediary can decrypt the video or audio stream. EU Vetted lists it as EU-owned and EU-hosted (CLOUD Act exposure: None), with published security certifications. It offers both SaaS and on-premises deployment.

Can EU video conferencing replace Zoom or Microsoft Teams for a business?

For most standard business meeting use cases (scheduled calls, screen sharing, file sharing, breakout rooms) European alternatives such as Tixeo, Wire, Whereby, and Pexip cover the core functionality. Feature parity gaps tend to appear in deep integrations with Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, AI-assisted transcription, and large-scale webinar modes. Whereby and Pexip are designed for easy browser-based access without client installation, which reduces friction for external participants.

Is Whereby or Pexip a safe choice despite not being EU-incorporated?

Whereby and Pexip are both incorporated in Norway, an EEA country that applies GDPR and is part of the European Economic Area but not an EU member state. EU Vetted lists both with EEA jurisdiction and no US corporate parent, while noting they are not EU-owned, the key gap relative to French or German alternatives. Their overall CLOUD Act exposure, once sub-processors are accounted for, is rated Material (Pexip) and Minor (Whereby). Norway is not subject to the CLOUD Act through its corporate structure, making Norwegian-incorporated companies a lower-risk choice than US-incorporated ones. Adequacy for EU data transfers to Norway applies through the EEA Agreement.