Whereby vs Microsoft Teams
Whereby is a European alternative to Microsoft Teams: same project management & productivity use case, headquartered in Norway and operating under GDPR by default, while Microsoft Teams is based in the United States.
By the EU Alternatives team Last updated
Integrate customizable WebRTC video calls into your website or app using a flexible API and SDK. Ideal for Telehealth and Digital Mental Health.
- Jurisdiction
- EU / EEA
- GDPR by default
- Yes
- US CLOUD Act exposure
- No
- Open source
- No
- Free tier
- Yes
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
- US
- GDPR by default
- Requires DPA + TIA
- US CLOUD Act exposure
- Yes
Whereby vs Microsoft Teams at a glance
| Whereby | Microsoft Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Norway | US |
| Data jurisdiction | EU / EEA | US law applies |
| GDPR by default | Yes | Requires DPA + transfer assessment |
| US CLOUD Act exposure | No | Yes |
| Open source | No | — |
| Free tier | Yes | — |
| Best for | Teams that need project management & productivity with EU data residency | Teams already invested in the Microsoft Teams ecosystem |
Choose Whereby if…
- You want your data to stay under EU law without extra legal paperwork
- GDPR compliance or public-sector requirements apply to you
- You want to start free and scale up later
- 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 Whereby
Whereby is a Norwegian browser-based video conferencing platform that requires no download, no install, and no account for meeting guests. Rooms are permanent, so you share your link once and it works every time. That makes it the simplest way to run video calls for customer-facing teams, telehealth providers, and SaaS products that need embedded video.
The Embedded product provides an SDK and API for integrating video directly into your own application, with custom branding, programmatic room creation, and controls over layout, chat, and recording. Breakout rooms, virtual whiteboards, file sharing, and AI-powered transcription handle the full meeting workflow without additional tools.
Key benefits:
- No download required since guests join via a browser link with no account or install
- Permanent room links that work every time without scheduling ahead
- Embeddable SDK for integrating video into any web or mobile product
- Custom branding with your logo, colours, and domain in the room interface
- Breakout rooms for splitting large sessions into focused smaller groups
- Recording and AI transcription with automated meeting summaries
- HIPAA and ISO 27001 certified for healthcare and regulated use cases
Whereby is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, an EEA member state with full GDPR applicability. The platform holds ISO 27001 and HIPAA certifications and stores data on European infrastructure. As a Norwegian-owned company, Whereby is not subject to U.S. cloud jurisdiction, FISA, or the CLOUD Act.
Used by telehealth providers, online tutors, customer support teams, and SaaS builders who need reliable, no-friction video experiences embedded in their own products.
Why choose Whereby over Microsoft Teams?
The decisive argument is data jurisdiction. Microsoft Teams is headquartered in US, 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.
Whereby removes that overhead. As a Norway-based provider, it operates natively under 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 non-EU jurisdiction that can change the rules without warning.