Element
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.
Cost / License
- Free Personal
- Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- Matrix.org
- Flathub
- F-Droid
- Cloudron
- Snapcraft
Features
Properties
- Privacy focused
- Clean design
- Lightweight
Features
- End-to-End Encryption
- Decentralized
- Federated
- Encrypted Chat
- Team Collaboration
- Video Calling
- Matrix Protocol
- Voice Chat
- Direct Messaging
- Federation
- Cross-Platform
- Simple installation
- Dark Mode
- Cloud Hosting
- No Tracking
- Community-based
- Text chat
- Ad-free
- Voice messages
- Encrypted calls
- Self-hosted search
- Add-ons
- VoiP Calls
- Per-room avatars
- Multiple languages
- Custom widgets
- Cloud Sync
- Real time collaboration
- File Versioning
- Support for MarkDown
- Support for @mentions
- Two-factor Authentication
- DRM Free
- Multi Device Support
- Mobile friendly
- Moderation tools
- Web-Based
- LDAP support
- Read receipts
- User mentions
Slack integration- Message redaction
- Simple import
- File Sending
- Video Conferencing
- Encrypted VoIP calls
- Typing notifications
- User Management
- Chat Bot
- Server Moderation
- Server side history
GitHub Integration- Integrated File Sharing
- Audio Conferencing
Element News & Activities
Recent News
- Maoholguin published news article about Element Pro
Element launches Element Pro, a Matrix-based enterprise messaging client for organizationsElement has launched Element Pro, a new Matrix-based frontend messaging client designed for workpla...
- Maoholguin published news article about Element
Element Web and Desktop add redesigned room list with new filters & clearer notificationsElement Web and Desktop have received a major interface update with a redesigned room list inspired...
- Maoholguin published news article about Element X
Element X is now available on the long-term support version 24.10 of ESSThe Element Server Suite (ESS) has released its latest Long-Term Support version, 24.10, including ...
Recent activities
- alligator liked Element
- Festo liked Element
- lynh liked Element
crse added Element as alternative to Fluux Messenger
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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 open standard which provides bridges to other systems such as Slack, IRC and a lot more soon.
Element information
Developed by
Element 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 4.4Alternatives
312 alternatives listedNews
8 news article related to ElementSupported 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 & Communications, Security & Privacy, Office & Productivity, Remote Work & Education, File Sharing, Online ServicesApple AppStore
- Updated
- 3.31 avg rating
GitHub repository
- 12,610 Stars
- 2,447 Forks
- 3657 Open Issues
- Updated
Comments and Reviews
This excellent project is in beta but it has already the following features:
It's exciting to see what this will be in a year from now. There are still a few niggles to sort out:
*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.)
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.
#coth -no, it has no remote control (yet), but Wire has (or only viewer, i am not sure) try it
I would like to like Element. It has some feature that I would like to get from Discord. Like the ability to get every channels you are interested in in one place.
My problem is that it's very complicated to understand and VERY VERY bloated. It doesn't even work on my computer. I don't even talk about the Electron app. I am only speaking of the website. Each time I switch from a chat to another Firefox freeze.
It's killer features are its privacy, and perhaps its reimagining of spaces, but it lacks core features of more popular programs it gets advertised to replace, such as custom emojis, or even customized name-color (both after almost a decade), and having a very weird permission structure. The overall philosophy around space & room creation makes the active use feel obtuse, and it gives the idea that the people developing don't actually use it.
It's neat that you can give each room its own profile picture, and put spaces within spaces, but if it actually seeks to be the program for even the hardcore PC user, it's in its infancy yet.
Element is realy very good. Is open-source, super secure, modern... but element don't have many users
Decentralised, has features that most chatting apps have, with a good UI (was worse back then, but significantly better from the rebrand).
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.
with a unique interface and growing features. It integrates with services like Discord and Telegram, but currently has fewer features than the desktop client.