Element vs Signal (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Signal grades higher than Element: 3.2 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Element grades higher on features and platforms. Signal grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
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 Signal if
- Fits if you want private messaging with friends, family or a small group
- Works for people who want no ads and no tracking
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a workplace tool, as it has no channels, roles or admin console
- Not for you if you want a desktop app on its own, since it needs linking from a phone
- Too light for support, because no paid or business tier is listed
- Watch out: no integrations or bots are listed, so it will not plug into your other tools
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAElementGood | 3.2GPASignalVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published at all. Enterprise is per seat per month and Sovereign per deployment, both through sales, and Enterprise starts at 100 users. So there is nothing to weigh against the $7 a month team chat typically starts at until you've had the call. | AFree outright with no ads or trackers, paid for by grants and donations. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe app is free for personal use on a public server, with no cap you'd run into: rooms, threads, unlimited history and end-to-end encrypted calls. Element Server Suite Community is free too, under AGPL, for 1 to 100 users. | AThe whole app is free, with no cap and no paid tier to be pushed toward. |
| Features | BThe whole chat job, and encrypted by default: rooms with threads, read receipts, polls, reactions and voice messages, Element Call for group voice and video, widgets like a whiteboard, Jira and OpenProject. Matrix federation lets separate organizations talk. No Element-hosted option is listed, though. | CText, voice, files, group chats and calls. For a team-chat tool it has no channels, roles or admin controls. |
| Ease of use | DAn individual can sign in on a public server and start talking. A company can't: the pricing page lists only self-hosted and air-gapped deployments, so somebody is running a Matrix homeserver. Devices also have to be verified by QR code or emoji string before messages decrypt. | BNo rating on record, but you install it and start texting with nothing to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android. Matrix is an open standard with its own API, so bots, other clients and other organizations' servers all plug in, and widgets embed NeoBoard, OpenProject and Jira in a room. | BiOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux. No web app, and desktop depends on a linked phone. |
| Best for | encrypted chat on servers you control | private one-to-one and group messaging |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Element and Signal. How we grade
Where they differ
- Element is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Element also covers file sharing.
In commonFree planmacOSWindowsLinuxiOSAndroidEnd-to-end encryptedTeam chatVideo calls
At a glance
| Element | Signal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | Not published | Free |
| Free plan | The Element app is free for personal use on a public server, and Element Server Suite Community is a free AGPL self-hosted edition for 1 to 100 users. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Element Creations Ltd | Signal Technology Foundation |
| Price read from | element.io | signal.org |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Signal
- Built as a personal messenger: the pages describe no admin console, roles, channels or workspace controls.
- The desktop apps work only after Signal is installed and linked from a phone.
- No paid plan or business support tier is listed; the app is funded by donations.
Key features
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.
Signal
- End-to-end encryption by default
- Signal says every message and call is end-to-end encrypted using the open source Signal Protocol, with no optional secure mode.
- Text, voice and files
- Send text, voice messages, photos, videos, GIFs and files over the phone's data connection instead of SMS or MMS.
- Voice and video calls
- Make voice and video calls to other Signal users with no long-distance charges.
- Group chats
- Group chats keep family, friends or coworkers in one conversation.
- Desktop apps
- Apps for Mac, Windows and Linux; Signal must first be installed on a phone before a desktop app can be used.
- No ads or tracking
- Signal says it carries no ads, no affiliate marketers and no tracking, and cannot be acquired by a major tech company.
Plans
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.
Signal
Free$0
The whole app is free, with no ads or trackers; development is funded by grants and donations.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Element or Signal?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Element publishes no starting price, and Signal is free.
Which has a free plan, Element or Signal?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Element and Signal have a free plan.
Which platforms do Element and Signal run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Element lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.