A Google Meet alternative is any video conferencing platform that replicates the core functionality of Google Meet (real-time audio, video, screen sharing and chat) without routing data through Google’s infrastructure. For IT managers, CISOs and Data Protection Officers in Europe, the question is not purely technical: it is a compliance question shaped by GDPR, the US CLOUD Act and an organisation’s duty to know where its communication data actually resides.
Why organisations are reconsidering Google Meet
Google Meet is deeply embedded in productivity workflows, but its architecture creates jurisdictional exposure that is increasingly difficult to defend under EU law.
Google Meet reached 100 million daily meeting participants in 2020 (Google Blog, 2020), illustrating both its dominance and the volume of conversation data processed outside direct EU control. When participants include patients, legal clients or public-sector employees, that scale becomes a compliance liability rather than a feature.
The legal pressure is growing. The European Data Protection Board identified transfers to US cloud providers as a systemic compliance risk in its 2023 coordinated enforcement action, citing GDPR Article 46. Separately, the US CLOUD Act (18 U.S.C. § 2713, enacted 2018) allows American authorities to compel US companies to produce data stored anywhere in the world, including European data centres. This means a contractual commitment to EU data residency does not eliminate US legal reach over Google-operated infrastructure.
Maximilian Schrems, privacy lawyer and founder of noyb, has stated: “The use of US cloud services by European public authorities is fundamentally incompatible with GDPR when personal data is transferred without adequate safeguards.” That position has shaped enforcement actions in Germany, Austria and France, and it directly applies to communication tools such as video conferencing platforms.
Can video conferencing run on your own infrastructure?
Yes, and doing so is more operationally realistic today than it was five years ago. Modern self-hosted video conferencing requires three components: a signalling server, a media relay (TURN/STUN), and sufficient uplink bandwidth.
The most practical path for organisations already running file collaboration and document editing on-premise is to add video to that same environment, rather than managing a separate stack. Platforms built around this model eliminate the need to split trust between multiple SaaS providers.
The European Data Protection Supervisor has noted: “Organisations that process sensitive personal data should treat the location and jurisdiction of their communication tools with the same rigour as their data storage infrastructure.” Running video on your own servers, or in a verifiably sovereign managed environment, is the most direct way to satisfy that requirement.
How Nextcloud Talk compares to Google Meet
Nextcloud Talk is the video conferencing and messaging module within the Nextcloud platform, and it is the most widely deployed self-hosted alternative to Google Meet in European enterprise environments.
Nextcloud reports that its platform is used by over 400,000 organisations worldwide, including multiple European government bodies (Nextcloud, 2023). That installed base reflects a level of operational maturity that earlier open-source video tools lacked.
| Feature | Google Meet | Nextcloud Talk |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting jurisdiction | Google (US) | Your own servers or chosen jurisdiction |
| End-to-end encryption | In transit only (Google holds keys) | End-to-end encrypted (keys stay on your infrastructure) |
| Data processor | Google LLC | Your organisation or managed provider |
| CLOUD Act exposure | Yes | No (if hosted outside US jurisdiction) |
| Integration with file collaboration | Google Drive only | Native Nextcloud Files, Collabora, OnlyOffice |
| Scalability for large calls | Up to 1,000 view-only participants | Scales with High Performance Back-end deployment |
The critical architectural difference is key custody. With Google Meet, encryption operates in transit but Google controls the encryption keys, meaning the service provider can technically access call content. With Nextcloud Talk deployed on self-hosted or private managed infrastructure, end-to-end encryption means the keys never leave the operator’s environment. That distinction is material for sectors governed by professional secrecy obligations, such as healthcare (under the EU’s NIS2 Directive and national medical confidentiality law) and legal services.
Managed Nextcloud as a practical middle ground
Not every organisation has the internal capacity to deploy and maintain a Nextcloud stack with a properly configured High Performance Back-end. Managed Nextcloud Enterprise offerings, such as those provided by Qsentinel with Swiss or on-premise hosting, address this gap: they deliver the sovereignty benefits of self-hosting with operational management handled externally, including security patching and availability monitoring. This model is particularly relevant for mid-sized organisations that need GDPR-defensible video conferencing without building a dedicated infrastructure team.
FAQ
What is the best private alternative to Google Meet?
Nextcloud Talk is widely used as a self-hosted, end-to-end encrypted alternative to Google Meet. It can run entirely on your own infrastructure or in a jurisdiction-specific managed environment, giving your organisation full control over call data.
Can video conferencing actually run on my own servers?
Yes. Nextcloud Talk includes a High Performance Back-end that enables multi-party video calls on self-hosted infrastructure. For larger deployments, a dedicated TURN/STUN server and sufficient bandwidth are required, but the architecture is fully self-contained.
Is Nextcloud Talk end-to-end encrypted?
Nextcloud Talk supports end-to-end encryption for calls and messaging. In a self-hosted setup, encryption keys never leave your infrastructure, which is a meaningful distinction from cloud-based tools where the provider holds the keys.
Does using Google Meet create GDPR compliance risks?
It can. Google Meet processes call metadata and content on US-based infrastructure. Under GDPR Article 46 and rulings related to the Schrems II judgment, transfers of personal data to US processors require adequate safeguards, which many DPOs consider difficult to guarantee with standard SaaS terms.
What does the US CLOUD Act mean for European organisations using Google Meet?
The CLOUD Act (2018) allows US authorities to compel US companies to produce data stored abroad. This means that even if Google routes call data through EU data centres, US law enforcement can potentially access it, which is a material concern for healthcare, legal, and government users.
Hoe Qsentinel dit oplost
Qsentinel is the managed Nextcloud Enterprise workspace, enhanced by Qsentinel with post-quantum encryption and sovereign private AI, hosted in Switzerland or on-premise, out of reach of the CLOUD Act.