Element vs Matrix (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Element if

• Fits if you want a free encrypted messenger for yourself or a community
• Works for governments and regulated organizations that must keep chat on their own servers

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want someone else to host your company's chat, as no Element-hosted plan is listed
• Not for you if you need to see a price before talking to sales, because none is published
• Tight if you hoped to run a business on the free server, which covers 100 users and isn't meant for commercial use
• Watch out: Enterprise starts at 100 users, and whitelabelled apps and the cross domain gateway are add-ons
• Watch out: devices must be verified by QR code or emoji string before messages decrypt

Pick Matrix if

• Fits if you want chat that no single company controls
• Works for communities that want to run their own server

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want one app that behaves the same everywhere, since features depend on the client
• Tight if you share big files on the free homeserver, as attachments stop at 10MB
• Watch out: the matrix.org server is crowded and has usage limits
• Watch out: running your own homeserver, or paying a host, is a separate cost and effort the Foundation does not endorse
• Watch out: Element X is mobile only and Nheko is desktop only

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.

Matrix

• Matrix is a protocol, not one app: features such as calls, threads and encryption depend on the client you choose.
• The public matrix.org homeserver is crowded and has usage limits; the Foundation says premium plan pricing is not yet published.
• Running your own homeserver, or paying a hosting provider, is a separate cost and effort that the Foundation does not endorse or guarantee.
• The platforms listed are those of the featured clients, which differ: Element X is mobile only, while Nheko is desktop only.

Element

End-to-end encryption by default

The platform is end-to-end encrypted by default, including voice and video, and devices are verified by QR code or an emoji string.

Rooms and messaging

Rooms organize team discussions, with threads, read receipts, attachments, voice messages, polls, reactions, invite-only private rooms and unlimited history.

Element Call

End-to-end encrypted voice and video for 1:1 and group conversations. Element Call is also included in the free Community server edition.

Matrix federation

Built on the Matrix open standard, so separate organizations can communicate across servers and frontends. Administrators can enable or block federation.

Element Server Suite

The self-hosted backend. Pro adds the Synapse Pro homeserver, auto-scaling, high availability, an admin interface, LDAP and SCIM integration, and auditing.

Widgets and integrations

Interactive apps can be embedded in rooms, including a whiteboard (NeoBoard) and project management tools such as OpenProject and Jira, alongside bots.

Matrix

Federation between servers

Accounts look like @username:example.com, and people on different providers can message each other, much as email works across providers.

Choice of client

Matrix is only the standard; you chat through a client. The clients page lists Element, Element X, FluffyChat, Cinny and Nheko across web, desktop and mobile.

Encryption in clients that support it

End-to-end encryption is listed as a capability of the featured clients, including for media and calls where a client supports them.

Spaces and threads

Clients can browse and manage Matrix spaces to group rooms for a community, and most featured clients support threaded replies.

Bridges to other networks

Bridges connect Matrix rooms to platforms including Discord, Slack, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, Mattermost and Google Chat.

Self-hosting or hosted providers

Anyone can run their own homeserver, or pick from the hosting providers the Foundation lists, so an organization keeps control of its data.

Element

• Community$0

  Self-hosted Element Server Suite Community: open source under AGPL, for 1 to 100 users, with Element Call. Not meant for commercial production use.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Self-hosted Element Server Suite Pro from 100 users, priced per seat per month through sales: Synapse Pro, SSO, LDAP, auditing and SLA-backed support.

• SovereignCustom

  Air-gapped Element Server Suite Pro, priced per deployment, with a dedicated mobile push gateway and no dependence on internet connectivity.

Matrix

• Free$0

  Matrix.org homeserver account: 10MB per attachment and 100MB of uploads per 24 hours, up to 500MB per 28 days.