Get a recommendation
Tell us your requirements and our advisors will help you compare and shortlist the best-fit options — free and unbiased.
A real human, fast
Someone on our team replies within one business day — no bots, no ticket queue.
Routed to the right team
Buying, selling, partnering, or investing — you reach the people who can actually help.
Independent & unbiased
No pushy sales. Just honest guidance grounded in the ecosystem.
Tailored to your context
Tell us what you need and we shape the next steps around it.
Who are you? Pick the option that fits best.
Secure, decentralized messaging on Matrix
Element is a secure, decentralized messaging and collaboration app built on the open Matrix protocol, offering end-to-end encrypted chat, voice, and video with the option to self-host and fully own your communication. It is popular with governments, defense organizations, and privacy-conscious enterprises that need secure, sovereign communications.
The platform provides encrypted messaging, rooms and spaces, voice and video calls, and cross-organization federation via Matrix, so different organizations running their own servers can communicate securely. Being open-source and self-hostable, Element gives complete control over data and infrastructure, distinguishing it from proprietary chat tools that centralize your messages.
Element offers a free tier for personal use, with business pricing on Element Cloud from around 5 dollars per user per month (from five seats) or Element Server Suite on-premise (from around 3 dollars per monthly active user, from 250 seats), plus Enterprise plans with advanced security and support. Aimed at security-conscious organizations and privacy-minded users, it competes with Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip, and Wire.
Pricing Model
freemium
Starting Price
$0/mo
Free Options
Free version, Free trial
| Feature | Free | Cloud | Server Suite | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal use | — | — | — | |
| End-to-end encryption | — | — | — | |
| Matrix.org homeserver | — | — | — | |
| Voice and video | — | — | — | |
| Rooms and spaces | — | — | — | |
| Per user, from 5 seats | — | — | — | |
| Managed hosting | — | — | — | |
| Business features | — | — | — | |
| Support | — | — | — | |
| Custom domain | — | — | — | |
| Per monthly active user, from 250 seats | — | — | — | |
| On-premise | — | — | — | |
| Full data control | — | — | — | |
| Advanced admin | — | — | — | |
| Custom pricing | — | — | — | |
| Advanced security | — | — | — | |
| Compliance | — | — | — | |
| Dedicated support | — | — | — | |
| Air-gapped options | — | — | — |
Other
DevOps
Communication
Missing an integration?
API Types
SDK Availability
Verify SDK availability in vendor's documentation.
Developer Features
No reviews yet. Be the first to review Element.
Have a question about Element? Ask the community.
Compliance Standards
SOC 2 Type II
EnterpriseISO 27001
EnterpriseGDPR Compliant
GlobalHIPAA
HealthcarePCI DSS
FinanceCCPA
PrivacyFedRAMP
GovernmentCSA STAR
CloudDeployment & Data
Data Residency Options
Verify with vendor for your specific region requirements.
Channel-based messaging platform for team communication and work
The secure collaboration platform for technical teams.
The open-source communications platform you can fully control.
Open-source team chat with topic-based threading.
