Head-to-head · 2026

Jitsi vs Microsoft Teams

Jitsi is a European alternative to Microsoft Teams: same messaging & chat use case, headquartered in France and governed by EU GDPR, while Microsoft Teams is based in the United States.

By the EU Alternatives team Last updated 18 August 2026

European alternative

Jitsi

France

Conduct secure, free, open-source video conferences on web and mobile. No account required. Integrate into your apps or host on your own servers.

Jurisdiction: EU / EEA
Primary privacy law: EU GDPR
US CLOUD Act exposure: No
Open source: Yes
Free tier: No

Visit Jitsi Full profile

Non-EU

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams · United States

Microsoft Teams is the chat and video meeting hub bundled into Microsoft 365, which made it the default in much of the corporate world. A limited free version exists, but most organisations get Teams through per-user Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, and Teams data falls under the US CLOUD Act even when stored in EU data centres.

Jurisdiction: United States
GDPR by default: Requires DPA + TIA
US CLOUD Act exposure: Yes

All European alternatives to Microsoft Teams

Jitsi vs Microsoft Teams at a glance

	Jitsi	Microsoft Teams
Headquarters	France	United States
Data jurisdiction	EU / EEA	United States
Primary privacy law	EU GDPR	Requires DPA + transfer assessment
US CLOUD Act exposure	No	Yes
Best for	Teams that need messaging & chat built for European data-protection requirements	Teams already invested in the Microsoft Teams ecosystem

Choose Jitsi if…

You want a provider governed by a European privacy regime
GDPR or public-sector data-protection requirements apply to you
Open-source code and self-hosting matter to you
You'd rather back the European tech ecosystem

Stick with Microsoft Teams if…

You depend on integrations only available in the Microsoft Teams ecosystem
Your organisation has no EU data-residency constraints
Migration costs outweigh the jurisdiction benefits for now

About Jitsi

Jitsi is an open-source video conferencing platform providing free, unlimited video meetings, webinars and team collaboration over WebRTC. Originally developed in Strasbourg, France and now stewarded by 8x8, Jitsi powers millions of self-hosted and Jitsi Meet-hosted conferences with no account required and no participant cap beyond hardware limits.

The platform ships as two complementary projects: Jitsi Videobridge, a scalable Selective Forwarding Unit (SFU) that handles large group calls, and Jitsi Meet, the full web client with chat, screen sharing, raised hands, reactions, breakout rooms, live streaming to YouTube and recording to Dropbox. Everything runs in a modern browser without plugins, with mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Key benefits:

Fully open-source under Apache 2.0 with public GitHub repositories and releases
Self-hostable on any Linux server with Debian/Ubuntu packages and Docker images
Unlimited participants per conference subject to SFU and bandwidth capacity
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) on supported browsers via insertable streams
Screen sharing, recording and live streaming to YouTube out of the box
Breakout rooms, polls, raised hands and reactions for modern meeting workflows
Embed via iframe API or integrate deeply through the Jitsi Meet SDK

Jitsi is developed by 8x8 with core engineering teams in France, and the hosted Jitsi Meet service runs on European and US infrastructure. Self-hosted deployments let operators keep all signalling, media and recording data entirely inside the EU under GDPR, with full control over logs, retention and sub-processors.

Trusted by universities, NGOs, governments and millions of individual users, Jitsi is the reference choice for teams that want a privacy-respecting, open-source video conferencing stack with full EU self-hosting options.

Why choose Jitsi over Microsoft Teams?

The decisive argument is data jurisdiction. Microsoft Teams is headquartered in the United States, which means personal data processed through it can be subject to non-EU legal regimes: the US CLOUD Act, FISA 702, or similar laws depending on the provider. After the 2020 Schrems II ruling, EU organisations must carry out a transfer impact assessment for every such data flow.

Jitsi removes that overhead. As a France-based provider, it operates under EU GDPR, and data stays inside the EU/EEA by default. For regulated sectors such as health, public administration, and finance, that's not a nice-to-have but a requirement. For everyone else, it's concentration-risk insurance: you avoid depending on a single jurisdiction that can change the rules without warning.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jitsi a good alternative to Microsoft Teams?

Yes. Jitsi is one of the top-ranked European alternatives to Microsoft Teams in our directory, covering the same messaging & chat use case. It is headquartered in France, where EU GDPR applies.

What's the main difference between Jitsi and Microsoft Teams?

The biggest difference is jurisdiction: Jitsi is based in France, where EU GDPR applies, while Microsoft Teams is headquartered in the United States and may transfer data outside Europe. For regulated industries or organisations following Schrems II guidance, this difference is decisive.

Is Jitsi GDPR-compliant?

Jitsi is based in France, where EU GDPR applies. EU customers should still verify the provider's hosting and subprocessors, but the service is designed for European data-protection requirements.

How do I migrate from Microsoft Teams to Jitsi?

Start by exporting your data from Microsoft Teams (most providers offer an export in their settings). Then import into Jitsi using its native import tool or migration guide. Running both in parallel for a week catches any feature or workflow gaps before you fully switch.

Other European alternatives to Microsoft Teams