Compare Deployment Options for EU Teams

Consider hosting region, processing terms, subscription costs, and operational responsibilities.

Vendor-Managed Platforms

Confirm available hosting regions with each vendor
Lattice: ~$6,000-19,200/yr at 50 seats (as of October 2026)
Culture Amp: no published prices, quote-based (plans-and-pricing)
Review the data processing agreement and subprocessors
Assess any international transfers for your deployment
Check retention, deletion, and export terms
Compare the integrations and broader HR workflows included

Blik Self-Hosted

Deploy on Hetzner, OVH, or your EU datacenter
Zero licensing fees, unlimited employees
Choose your hosting and email providers
Export and deletion tools support GDPR obligations
Complete control over data residency
Open source, audit and customize freely

Comparative Cost at a Glance

A 50-employee team pays ~$6,000-19,200/yr for Lattice or quote-based pricing for Culture Amp, versus a flat €588/yr for Blik hosted.

Tools to Support GDPR Obligations

Hosting location alone does not establish compliance. Your organization remains responsible for lawful processing, configuration, access, retention, and compliance processes.

EU Data Residency

Deploy on Hetzner (Germany), OVH (France), or another EU provider. Your organization must assess the location of data, backups, email delivery, and other processors, including any international transfers.

Choose Your Processors

Self-hosting lets you choose infrastructure and email providers. Assess each provider's data processing terms and your organization's controller and processor responsibilities.

Right to Access & Deletion

Self-service export and deletion tools support data subject requests. Your organization must define request handling, retention, backup deletion, and documentation processes.

Privacy by Default

Token-based reviewer access and category-aggregated reports support confidentiality. Responses retain token references that may link to invitation emails. Invitations, permissions, thresholds, and feedback content affect confidentiality; database administrators may be able to identify reviewers.

Source Code for Assessment

Auditors can inspect the public source code. Your organization must document deployment-specific data flows and technical and organizational measures.

Assess International Transfers

EU deployment can help you control data location, but does not by itself resolve international transfer obligations. Review all processors and data flows with 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

Compare Hosting and Subscription Costs

Real numbers for European tech companies

Company Size	Lattice (published)*	Culture Amp	Blik Hosted	Blik Self-Host
50 employees	~$6,000-19,200/yr	Quote-based, no published pricing	€588/yr	a small EU VPS (≈€10-50/month)
100 employees	Contact vendor	Quote-based, no published pricing	€2388/yr	a small EU VPS (≈€10-50/month)
200 employees	Contact vendor	Quote-based, no published pricing	€2388/yr	a small EU VPS (≈€10-50/month)

*Lattice modules per seat/month: Performance $10, Goals & OKRs $8, Engagement $4, Compensation +$6, Grow +$4; the range shows Performance-only ($6,000/yr) to all five ($19,200/yr) at 50 seats. lattice.com/pricing, as of October 2026. Culture Amp publishes no public prices; plans are quote-based (cultureamp.com/platform/plans-and-pricing).

Blik Hosted = €19 per one-time review round (up to 10 employees), €49/month (up to 50 employees) or €199/month (up to 200 employees). Blik Self-Host = a small EU VPS (≈€10-50/month). No per-user fees. Listed prices may differ from negotiated customer contracts.

Built for Engineering Teams

Developer-friendly deployment and technology stack

# Deploy on Hetzner Cloud in under 30 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: under 30 minutes. Total cost: a small EU VPS (≈€10-50/month).

Professional EU-Hosted Interface

Hover to toggle theme

Admin dashboard with audit trails and access controls

Hover to toggle theme

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?

Configure SMTP for your chosen provider or your own mail server. Assess where invitations and delivery logs are processed, including subprocessors and international transfers; selecting an EU endpoint alone does not settle these obligations.

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?

Use the public source code and GDPR export and deletion tools as inputs to your assessment. Your organization must document lawful processing, deployment-specific data flows, processors, access controls, retention, and request handling. Hosting location alone does not demonstrate compliance. Consult the European Data Protection Board for guidance.

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

A flat €588/yr (up to 50 employees) or €2388/yr (up to 200 employees), versus Lattice's ~$6,000-19,200/yr at 50 seats. Free up budget for engineering salaries, infrastructure, or other priorities.

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. Running in under 30 minutes with Docker Compose. Run the 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 offers self-hosting and managed EU hosting for teams that want more control over their feedback data. Assess deployment, processors, and organizational practices against your own compliance requirements.

Self-Hosted 360 Feedback Built for European Tech Teams