Alternatives · Team Chat
Element alternatives
Element compared with 8 alternatives: Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip, Wire, Slack and 3 more.
Element has a free plan. All 8 alternatives are free or have a free plan.
8 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 6, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElementThis tool | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Mattermost | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Rocket.Chat | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Zulip | Free plan · from $3.50/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Wire | Free plan · from €7.45/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Slack | Free plan · from $7.25/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Discord | Free plan · from $2.99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Jitsi Meet | Free | Free | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| ONCE Campfire | Free | Free | Web |
How each one differs from Element
- Free plan
Mattermost
Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards
- Element is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Mattermost also covers kanban boards, workflow automation and AI agents.
- Element also covers video calls and file sharing.
Suits: Organizations that must keep chat on their own servers or air-gapped networks
- Free plan
Rocket.Chat
Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams
- Element also covers video calls.
Suits: Organizations that must host chat themselves for data sovereignty
- Free plan · from $3.50/mo
Zulip
Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic
- Element is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Element also covers video calls.
Suits: Distributed teams that prefer asynchronous, topic-organized conversations
- Free plan · from €7.45/mo
Wire
End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations
Suits: Organizations that need end-to-end encryption for messages, calls and files
- Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Slack
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI
- Element is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Slack also covers workflow automation and documents.
Suits: Teams that want conversations organized by channel rather than email threads
- Free plan · from $2.99/mo
Discord
Free text, voice and video chat built around servers
- Element is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
Suits: Gaming groups and friends who want always-open voice chats
- Free
Jitsi Meet
Free, open-source video meetings you can self-host
- Element also covers team chat and file sharing.
Suits: Quick video calls where guests should not need an account
- Free
ONCE Campfire
Self-hosted group chat from 37signals, free and open source
- Only Element lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Element is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Element also covers video calls.
Suits: Teams that want group chat without a recurring subscription
Limits worth knowing in Element
- No prices are published: Enterprise is priced per seat per month and Sovereign per deployment, both through sales, and Enterprise starts from 100 users.
- The free Community server edition covers 1 to 100 users and, the vendor says, is not intended for production in commercial environments.
- For organizations, the pricing page lists only self-hosted and air-gapped deployments; it does not list a plan hosted by Element.
- Whitelabelled apps and the cross domain gateway are sold as add-ons.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Element?
The alternatives to Element in this directory are Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip, Wire, Slack, Discord, Jitsi Meet and ONCE Campfire. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Element.
Is there a free alternative to Element?
Yes. Jitsi Meet and ONCE Campfire are free to use. Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Zulip, Wire, Slack and Discord have a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Oct 6, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.