Once your data is backed up, the next step is reducing dependence on US-based services. The alternatives below are either self-hostable or operated by European providers.
Communication
| Service |
Replaces |
Notes
|
| Nextcloud Mail |
Gmail / Outlook |
Self-hosted, runs on your own server
|
| Signal |
WhatsApp / iMessage |
End-to-end encrypted, open source
|
| DeltaChat |
WhatsApp |
Uses email as transport, no central server
|
| Nextcloud Talk |
Zoom / Teams |
Self-hosted video calls and chat
|
| Mattermost |
Slack |
Self-hosted team messaging
|
Storage & productivity
| Service |
Replaces |
Notes
|
| Nextcloud |
Google Drive / iCloud / OneDrive |
Files, calendar, contacts, photos — all in one
|
| LibreOffice |
Microsoft Office / Google Docs |
Local office suite, free and open source
|
| Vaultwarden |
LastPass / 1Password |
Self-hosted Bitwarden-compatible password manager
|
Development & code
| Service |
Replaces |
Notes
|
| GitLab CE |
GitHub |
Full Git hosting, CI/CD, issues — self-hosted
|
| PostgreSQL |
Cloud databases |
Self-hosted relational database
|
AI & machine learning
| Service |
Replaces |
Notes
|
| Ollama |
ChatGPT API |
Run large language models locally
|
| Local LLMs (Llama, Mistral) |
OpenAI models |
Runs fully offline, no data leaves your machine
|
| Draw Things |
Midjourney / DALL-E |
Local image generation on Mac/iOS
|
Media
| Service |
Replaces |
Notes
|
| Jellyfin |
Netflix / Plex |
Self-hosted media server, no subscription
|
| PeerTube |
YouTube |
Federated video hosting
|
| TubeArchivist |
YouTube |
Archive and self-host YouTube content locally
|
| OpenStreetMap |
Google Maps |
Open map data, usable offline
|
Infrastructure notes
The author runs all of the above on a Netherlands-based VPS. See ddq.nl for the software development context.
Key self-hosted services running at ddq.nl:
- cloud.ddq.nl — Nextcloud (files, calendar, contacts, photos)
- git.ddq.nl — GitLab CE (code hosting)
- chat.ddq.nl — Mattermost (team messaging)
Next steps
