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Looking for a Communication / Chat Alternative?
Meet Element

Fully-featured Matrix client for Web, iOS & Android.

Calculate Your Savings

See how much you could save by switching from Communication / Chat to Element

25 users
1 user500 users
$

Average Communication / Chat pricing is ~$15/user/month

Communication / Chat Annual
$0
Self-Hosted Annual
$0
Your Annual Savings
$0
Save 99% annually

5-Year Projected Savings

$0

Ready to Switch?

Deploy Element on DigitalOcean in 1-click

Deploy in under 5 minutes
$200 free credits for 60 days
No credit card required to start
Automatic backups included

Get $200 in Free Credits

New users receive $200 credit valid for 60 days

Trusted by 600,000+ developers worldwide. Cancel anytime.

Communication / Chat vs Element: Feature Comparison

Feature
Communication / Chat
Paid SaaS
Element
Open Source
Monthly CostPer-user pricingFree (hosting only)
Data Ownership
Privacy Control
Self-Hosted Option
No Vendor Lock-in
Source Code Access
CustomizableLimitedFully
Automatic UpdatesManual
Managed Infrastructure
Official SupportCommunity
Repository Insights

Community activity and technical details from the Element repository

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0

Open source license for commercial use

Forks

2.4k

Community-maintained copies

Primary Languages

TypeScript
93%
CSS
5%
JavaScript
1%

Top Contributors

#1

t3chguy

7,855 commits

#2

dbkr

7,124 commits

#3

turt2live

4,732 commits

View full repository details on GitHub

Why Switch from Communication / Chat to Element?

Complete Data Ownership

Your data stays on your servers. No third-party access, no data mining, and full compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.

No Per-User Pricing

Pay only for hosting (~$5-20/month), regardless of team size. Add unlimited users without increasing your costs.

Full Customization

Access the source code and customize Element to fit your exact workflow. No feature limitations or paywalls.

No Vendor Lock-in

Export your data anytime. Move between hosting providers freely. Your business isn't dependent on a single vendor.

Technical Specs
GitHub Stars12.5k
2w ago
Docker ReadyManual Setup
CategorySlack / Discord
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