European Alternatives to Skype
Skype is Microsoft's legacy video calling and messaging platform. Microsoft is phasing Skype users into Microsoft Teams. All data is processed on Azure (US) under US jurisdiction, with Skype being one of the PRISM surveillance program partners.
1 EU alternative · avg. privacy score 88 · 1 free
Why switch from Skype?
- –One of the original PRISM program partners — NSA access to calls since 2011
- –All data processed on Microsoft Azure (US) — CLOUD Act applies
- –Microsoft is migrating users to Teams — ongoing uncertainty
- –No end-to-end encryption for group calls
1 European Alternative
Sorted by privacy score
Linphone
French open-source VoIP and video calling app based on SIP standard. No vendor lock-in.
| Tool | Score | Privacy | Pricing | OSS | EU Data | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1Linphone French open-source VoIP and video calling app based on SIP standard. No vendor lock-in. High Trust | 75 | 88 | Free | ✓ | ✓ | 🇫🇷 |
French open-source VoIP and video calling app based on SIP standard. No vendor lock-in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Microsoft announced Skype will be discontinued in May 2025, with users migrated to Microsoft Teams. Both products face the same GDPR/CLOUD Act issues. European alternatives like Jitsi Meet (open-source) and OpenTalk (Germany) offer similar functionality without US data concerns.