Millions are visiting the European Alternatives site. What trends are we seeing?

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Personal Switching & Habit Change

  • Many commenters report interest in European or non-US services but say actual migration is hard due to habits and walled gardens. Tools like “Go European” browser extensions, hosts-file blocks, and removing US apps from home screens help break muscle memory.
  • Common individual moves: switching email (often with own domains for portability), changing default search engines (DDG, Ecosia, Mojeek, Qwant), moving to EU-based AI (Mistral), password managers, and self-hosted stacks (NAS + Immich, Vaultwarden, Nextcloud, bookmark managers).
  • Several people highlight that user stickiness, not just awareness, is the main barrier; network effects (YouTube, social media) are described as the hardest to escape.

Self‑Hosting & EU Cloud Alternatives

  • There is visible enthusiasm for self‑hosting on cheap European VPS providers (e.g. Hetzner) with one‑click app platforms; others caution about complexity, backups, and large data volumes.
  • EU cloud providers like Scaleway, OVHcloud, STACKIT, and telecom clouds are mentioned as partial “real cloud” alternatives, though often seen as weaker on ecosystem, managed services, and compliance integrations compared to AWS/Azure/GCP.
  • Some comment that enterprises are, for the first time, seriously considering moving workloads off US hyperscalers for risk, sovereignty, and GDPR reasons, not just price—though many point out such migrations are long, expensive, and far from mainstream.

Economic & Regulatory Debate (EU vs US)

  • One thread argues EU regulation (GDPR, DMA, DSA, labor law, taxes) has suppressed large-scale tech firms compared to the US; others counter that US “mega-corps” reflect lax antitrust and overvaluation, not healthier markets.
  • Comparisons of the EU to the Soviet Union are strongly rejected by many as historically and economically misconceived.
  • There is disagreement over whether US hegemony and globalization have been broadly “win–win” or have mainly entrenched inequality.

Boycotts, Trade War & Strategic Autonomy

  • A large part of the discussion links the traffic spike to US tariffs, threats toward allies (e.g., Greenland, Canada), and inconsistent US foreign policy; many Europeans now see the US as an unreliable security and technology partner.
  • Some expect consumer boycotts (Tesla, Coca‑Cola, big US brands) to grow; others doubt long-term impact, noting convenience and price usually win once the news cycle moves on.
  • Multiple comments frame corporate and government shifts toward EU providers as driven less by “politics” and more by business continuity, trust, and fear of being caught in future trade or data conflicts.

Limits of European Alternatives

  • Commenters note gaps: no full replacements for YouTube, Cloudflare, or Google Workspace, and relatively immature EU cloud ecosystems.
  • Explanations proposed: smaller, fragmented markets; weaker venture funding and risk appetite; frequent acquisition of promising European companies by US firms; cultural “tall poppy” attitudes toward big successes.
  • Still, many see the current moment as an opportunity for a serious European buildup in tech and defense, even if the transition will be expensive and slow.