The Problem: US-Based Tools Don't Work for European Companies

GDPR violations, excessive costs, and data sovereignty concerns

US Commercial Tools

Data stored on US servers (GDPR risk)
3,000-18,000 EUR per year for 50 employees
Complex Data Processing Agreements
Schrems II compliance uncertainty
No EU data residency guarantees
Vendor lock-in with proprietary systems

Blik for EU Tech

Deploy on Hetzner, OVH, or your EU datacenter
Zero licensing fees, unlimited employees
No third-party data processing required
GDPR-compliant by architectural design
Complete control over data residency
Open source, audit and customize freely

Average Savings for EU Tech Scaleups

50-employee company: 2,400-17,400 EUR/year | 100-employee company: 5,000-35,000 EUR/year | 200-employee company: 10,000-70,000 EUR/year

GDPR Compliance by Design

Self-hosting means you control everything

EU Data Residency

Deploy on Hetzner (Germany), OVH (France), or any EU provider. All employee data stays within EU borders. No international data transfers required. Full GDPR Article 44-50 compliance.

No Third-Party Processing

Your infrastructure, your data. No Data Processing Agreements with US vendors. You are the data controller.

Right to Access & Deletion

Full database access for GDPR requests. Export employee data in machine-readable format. Delete personal data with one command. Complete audit trail for compliance documentation.

Privacy by Default

Reviewer anonymity built into architecture. Configurable data retention policies. Minimal data collection principles. Encrypted connections and secure token-based access.

Audit Ready

Open source means full transparency for auditors. Document data flows with included architecture diagrams. Track all administrator actions. Demonstrate technical and organizational measures.

Schrems II Compliant

No reliance on Standard Contractual Clauses. No US cloud providers in data path. EU-based deployment eliminates cross-border transfer concerns. Legal certainty for your compliance team.

Data Flow Architecture

Your EU Server (Hetzner/OVH) → PostgreSQL Database (EU) → Backup Storage (EU) → Admin Access (HTTPS) → Reviewer Tokens (No authentication required)

All data remains in EU jurisdiction at all times

Cost Analysis: Stop Paying US Vendors

Real numbers for European tech companies

Company Size	Lattice Cost	Culture Amp Cost	Blik Hosted	Blik Self-Host	Max Savings
50 employees	18,000 EUR	21,000 EUR	588 EUR	600 EUR	20,400 EUR
100 employees	36,000 EUR	42,000 EUR	2,388 EUR	720 EUR	41,280 EUR
200 employees	72,000 EUR	84,000 EUR	2,388 EUR	960 EUR	83,040 EUR
500 employees	180,000 EUR	210,000 EUR	Custom	1,440 EUR	208,560 EUR

Blik Hosted = €49/month (50 employees) or €199/month (200 employees). Self-host costs = EU VPS only (Hetzner: €50/month). No per-user fees. No licensing costs.

Built for Engineering Teams

Developer-friendly deployment and technology stack

# Deploy on Hetzner Cloud in 5 minutes

                # 1. Spin up CX31 instance (Ubuntu 24.04)

                # 2. Install Docker and clone repo

                git clone https://github.com/thijsdezoete/blik.git

                cd blik

                # 3. Configure environment (set your domain)

                cp .env.example .env

                # 4. Start everything

                docker compose up -d

                # 5. Visit setup wizard at https://your-domain.com/setup/

# Total time: 5 minutes. Total cost: 10 EUR/month.

Professional EU-Hosted Interface

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Admin dashboard with audit trails and access controls

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Anonymized reports with privacy thresholds

Modern Python Stack

Django 5.x with type hints and modern patterns. PostgreSQL 15+ for reliability. Clean architecture following best practices. Well-documented codebase.

Docker-First Deployment

Production-ready Docker Compose setup. Gunicorn WSGI server. WhiteNoise static file serving. Automatic database migrations. Zero-downtime updates.

Dreyfus Competency Model

Engineering-appropriate skill assessment framework. Five levels from Novice to Expert. Aligns with technical career ladders. Resonates with developer culture.

Learn about Dreyfus Model →

Technical Questions Answered

Which EU hosting providers are recommended?

Germany: Hetzner Cloud (excellent price/performance, 100% renewable energy, Nuremberg datacenter)

France: OVH Cloud (strong privacy reputation, Strasbourg/Roubaix datacenters)

Netherlands: TransIP (Dutch privacy laws)

Finland: UpCloud (Nordic data protection standards)

Any provider with EU datacenters works. Minimum specs: 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 40GB SSD.

What about email sending for invitations?

Use EU-based SMTP providers: Mailgun EU (Dublin datacenter), SendGrid EU, Amazon SES EU (Frankfurt), or your own mail server. Configure SMTP in the setup wizard. All email processing stays in EU. Templates are simple text, no tracking pixels.

Can we integrate with our existing LDAP/SSO?

Currently, admin authentication uses Django's built-in system. LDAP/SSO integration is on the roadmap. For now, admins log in with username/password. Reviewers never authenticate (token-based access only). You can modify the authentication backend since it's open source.

How do we demonstrate GDPR compliance to auditors?

Blik includes documentation showing:

1) Data flow diagrams proving EU residency
2) Technical measures (encryption, access controls, anonymity)
3) Organizational measures (admin audit logs, retention policies)
4) Data subject rights implementation (export, deletion)

Open source code allows auditors to verify technical controls directly. For GDPR compliance guidance, see GDPR.eu and European Data Protection Board.

What's the migration path from Lattice/Culture Amp?

Export your employee list from existing tool as CSV. Import into Blik via Django admin or API. Historical review data can be archived separately (Blik focuses on new cycles, not historical reporting). Plan 2-4 weeks for parallel running during transition period. Most teams switch completely after first successful cycle.

How do backups work with GDPR retention requirements?

PostgreSQL dumps to EU-based storage (Hetzner Storage Box, S3 EU buckets). Set automated retention policies matching your data retention requirements. Implement deletion scripts for GDPR "right to be forgotten" requests. All backup data stays in EU jurisdiction. Encrypted backups recommended for extra security.

Can we run this completely air-gapped behind our firewall?

Yes. Disable external AI API calls and use local models. Configure SMTP to your internal mail server. All web traffic stays internal. No outbound internet access required. Perfect for highly regulated environments or companies with strict security policies.

Why European Tech Teams Choose Blik

Legal Certainty

No Standard Contractual Clauses needed. No Schrems II concerns. No DPA negotiations with US vendors. Your legal team will thank you.

Budget Efficiency

Redirect 17,000-83,000 EUR annually from US vendors to engineering salaries, infrastructure, or other priorities. Finance and leadership approved.

Engineering Buy-In

Developers trust open source more than black boxes. Self-hosting appeals to technical culture. Can customize and extend as needed.

Fast Implementation

No sales calls, no complex contracts, no multi-week implementations. Deploy in 5 minutes, run first cycle in 30 minutes. Ship it Friday, use it Monday.

Data Sovereignty

Performance review data is sensitive. Self-hosting means complete control. No third parties, no vendor breaches, no data leaks.

Future-Proof

Open source means no vendor lock-in. If Blik stops development, you still have the code. Community-driven means continuous improvement.

European Alternatives Ecosystem

Building a privacy-first tech stack with EU-based tools

Survey & Feedback Tools

Blik joins a growing ecosystem of European alternatives to US-based SaaS. For general surveys, consider:

LimeSurvey (Germany) - Open source survey platform
Typeform (Spain) - Engaging form design
LamaPoll (Germany) - ISO 27001 certified

Browse 16+ EU survey tools →

Team Communication

Replace Slack with EU-based alternatives:

Mattermost - Self-hosted Slack alternative
Element - End-to-end encrypted, Matrix protocol
Stackfield (Germany) - Encrypted team collaboration

Browse EU communication tools →

GDPR Resources

Essential reading for EU tech compliance:

GDPR.eu - Complete GDPR guide
CNIL (France) - Data protection authority
BfDI (Germany) - Federal data protection commissioner

EU Cloud Providers

Recommended infrastructure partners:

Hetzner (Germany) - Price/performance leader
OVHcloud (France) - Strong privacy reputation
Scaleway (France) - Developer-friendly cloud
UpCloud (Finland) - Nordic data protection

Open Source Compliance

Understanding AGPL and software freedom:

AGPL License - Full license text
Free Software Foundation - Software freedom advocacy
Open Source Initiative - Open source definition

European Tech Community

Connect with the EU tech ecosystem:

European Alternatives - Directory of EU software
DIGITALEUROPE - EU digital policy
Tech.eu - European tech news

Building a European Tech Stack

Blik is part of the movement to create privacy-first, GDPR-native alternatives to US SaaS. By choosing European tools, you support data sovereignty, reduce compliance risk, and strengthen the EU digital economy.

Blik

GDPR-Compliant 360 Feedback Built for European Tech Teams