Element icon
Element icon

Element

 720 likes

Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

Video calls for desktop and mobile

License model

  • Free PersonalOpen Source

Country of Origin

  • GB flagUnited Kingdom

Platforms

  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Online
  • Android
  • iPhone
  • Android Tablet
  • iPad
  • Self-Hosted
  • Matrix.org
  • Flathub
  • F-Droid
  • Cloudron
4.4 / 5 Avg rating (57)
720likes
40comments

Features

Suggest and vote on features

Properties

  1.  Privacy focused
  2.  Clean design
  3.  Lightweight

Features

  1.  End-to-End Encryption
  2.  Decentralized
  3.  Federated
  4.  Team Collaboration
  5.  Encrypted Chat
  6.  Video Calling
  7.  Matrix Protocol
  8.  Voice Chat
  9.  Direct Messaging
  10.  Federation
  11.  Cross-Platform
  12.  Cloud Hosting
  13.  Dark Mode
  14.  Community-based
  15.  Simple installation
  16.  No Tracking
  17.  VoiP Calls
  18.  Text chat
  19.  Encrypted calls
  20.  Custom widgets
  21.  LDAP support
  22.  Real time collaboration
  23.  Self-hosted search
  24.  Multi Device Support
  25.  Add-ons
  26.  Moderation tools
  27.  Two-factor Authentication
  28.  Ad-free
  29.  Support for @mentions
  30.  Support for MarkDown
  31.  File Versioning
  32.  Cloud Sync
  33.  DRM Free
  34.  Multiple languages
  35.  Mobile friendly
  36.  Voice messages
  37.  Per-room avatars
  38.  Typing notifications
  39.  User Management
  40.  Video Conferencing
  41.  Encrypted VoIP calls
  42.  Read receipts
  43.  User mentions
  44.  Simple import
  45.  Message redaction
  46. Microsoft Active Directory icon  Active Directory integration
  47.  Web-Based
  48.  Server Moderation
  49.  Server side history
  50.  File Sending
  51.  Chat Bot
  52. Slack icon  Slack integration
  53. GitHub icon  GitHub Integration
  54.  Integrated File Sharing
  55.  Audio Conferencing

 Tags

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Comments and Reviews

   
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Comment summary: Element is appreciated for its strong privacy features, decentralization, and constant updates. Users commend its end-to-end encryption, and multi-platform support. However, criticisms include a non-intuitive and complicated interface, resource-heavy desktop app, and some feature limitations compared to competitors like Discord and Slack. Users also note that UI improvements in recent versions enhance usability, but the app remains better suited for privacy-conscious and technically inclined users.
Top Positive Comment
John Fastman
Jan 10, 2017
17

This excellent project is in beta but it has already the following features:

  • end-to-end encryption
  • markdown support
  • private/public chatrooms
  • room members by link and/or invitation
  • themes
  • various notification levels
  • file sharing
  • voice & video conferening (I haven't tested this personally)

It's exciting to see what this will be in a year from now. There are still a few niggles to sort out:

  • not all files upload correctly (size limit for the beta?)
  • pasted text appears twice when you enter it in a chat room (but correctly once you hit enter)
  • not all webpages are previewed correctly
  • searching chat room text is slow (unencrypted rooms)
  • searching chat room text doesn't work (encrypted rooms)*

*Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to be like that. Turtl and other show text in encrypted clients can be searchable. Have an index file, decrypt it locally and search it locally. Don't understand why it's not done more often.


Also, I'm quietly hoping that ghastly green colour won't be the default and put people off. (Don't worry - you can pick different colours for different rooms.)

coth
Nov 18, 2017

Does it have Team Viewer-like remote control, Teams-like file history and ability to lock contact lists, i.e. contacts controlled by admin only? Looking for something for a little business.

igenn
Dec 19, 2018

#coth -no, it has no remote control (yet), but Wire has (or only viewer, i am not sure) try it

Top Negative Comment
igenn
Dec 19, 2018
3

Actually i think it is very complicated for skype-like users.

  • E2E encryption requires action from both sides it is not enabled by default (not private at all)
  • File transfer and Video Calls should be P2P and not limited by the server

I hope they change something on it to be more efficient.

KillPriusDrivers
Jul 12, 2019

Are you ignoring the null key of RC4 cipher used by Skype for years?

Microsoft monitoring doesn't bother you?

igenn
Apr 6, 2020

I don' use Skype or M$. I was talking about their users.

ralaud
Jul 30, 2020

Since (15.07.2020) Riot updated to Element, verification participant and UI are much better now. Its worth a second look!

igenn
Jul 30, 2020

@relaud

Yeah i've seen that, nicely done. I hope they do something about the database 'cleanup' too.

Rasheed AZ
May 30, 2024
0

It uses the Matrix protocol, which along with XMPP and email, sppear to be the only interoperable and decentralised communication protocols. The Element Matrix clients have encryption, video calling and cross platform support so it's simpler for people to adopt.

Félix Gomaye
Feb 28, 2024
0

with a unique interface and growing features. It integrates with services like Discord and Telegram, but currently has fewer features than the desktop client.

RemovedUser
Nov 26, 2023
1

It has many features, doesn't require a phone number and decentralized.

I use Element X on my phone and the UI is great.

Duncan Briggs
Nov 12, 2023
1

Element is a messaging app. Is it compatible with regular SMS messaging? I searched for SMS in the knowledge base, but I didn't get any results.

https://ems-docs.element.io/

tepo
Nov 1, 2023
0

Instant messenger with the best privacy/security vs. usability ratio

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7 of 40 comments

What is Element?

Element is a Matrix-based end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) secure collaboration and messaging app.

It provides instant messaging, voice and video calls, screen sharing and file sharing; for 1:1s to huge chat rooms. It’s available to use across Web, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows & Linux.

Its decentralised design delivers digital sovereignty, enabling deployment on-premise or through any cloud provider.

Element Matrix Services (EMS) is the most popular SaaS for corporate use of Element. EMS provides fast performance and enterprise-grade add-ons.

Being Matrix-based, Element provides interoperability between traditional siloed apps. It can bridge into proprietary ‘walled garden’ systems such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and Discord to enable easy connections between different organisations.

End-to-end encryption is provided by default to keep users’ conversations and files safe. Cross-signed device verification uses QR codes or emoji comparisons to guard against imposters and eavesdropping.

Element is built on the Matrix icon Matrix open standard which provides bridges to other systems such as Slack, IRC and a lot more soon.

Official Links

Element information

  • Developed by

    GB flagElement
  • Licensing

    Open Source (AGPL-3.0) and Free Personal product.
  • Pricing

    Subscription ranging between $3 and $4 per month.
  • Written in

  • Rating

    Average rating of 4.4 (57 ratings)
  • Alternatives

    301 alternatives listed
  • News

    6 news article related to Element
  • Supported Languages

    • English
    • Albanian
    • Basque
    • Bulgarian
    • Catalan; Valencian
    • Czech
    • Danish
    • Dutch
    • Esperanto
    • Estonian
    • Finnish
    • French
    • German
    • Hungarian
    • Icelandic
    • Indonesian
    • Italian
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Latvian
    • Lithuanian
    • Norwegian Bokmål
    • Norwegian Nynorsk
    • Persian
    • Polish
    • Portuguese
    • Romanian
    • Russian
    • Chinese
    • Sinhala, Sinhalese
    • Slovak
    • Slovene
    • Spanish
    • Swedish
    • Thai
    • Ukrainian
    • Vietnamese
    • Welsh

AlternativeTo Categories

Social & CommunicationsSecurity & PrivacyOffice & ProductivityRemote Work & EducationFile SharingOnline Services

Apple AppStore

  •   Updated Apr 11, 2025
  •   3.3 avg rating
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GitHub repository

  •  11,838 Stars
  •  2,198 Forks
  •  3213 Open Issues
  •   Updated Jun 16, 2025 
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Our users have written 40 comments and reviews about Element, and it has gotten 720 likes

Element was added to AlternativeTo by AmandineLP on Jun 12, 2016 and this page was last updated Jun 9, 2025. Element is sometimes referred to as Vector, Vector.im, Riot, Riot.im, Element.io.