Element vs Telegram (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Telegram 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. Telegram grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Telegram
Cloud-based messenger with large groups, channels and bots
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 Telegram if
- Fits if you run a big public group or broadcast channel
- Works for developers who want to build bots for free
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need end-to-end encryption on every chat, as only Secret Chats have it
- Not for you if you want a team workspace, because it has no admin console or team plan
- Tight if you want Premium, as the $4.99 listing price omits the billing period and varies by country
- Watch out: a 4.0 store rating is below most messengers we have graded
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAElementGood | 3.2GPATelegramVery 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. | AMessaging, calls, groups and channels are free outright. Premium is $4.99 on the US App Store, with the billing period not shown. |
| 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. | AFree groups of 200,000, channels and files up to 2 GB. Premium adds limits, not the basics. |
| 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. | CLarge groups, channels, cloud sync, calls and bots. Regular chats are not end-to-end encrypted and there are no workspace tools. |
| 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. | C4.0 on the US App Store from about 286,000 ratings. |
| 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. | AWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and Linux, with a free Bot API. |
| Best for | encrypted chat on servers you control | large group chats and public channels |
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 Telegram. How we grade
Where they differ
- Element is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Element also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Element | Telegram | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $4.99 (Premium; billing period not shown in the listing) |
| 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. | Messaging, calls, groups and channels are free; Telegram says features that existed before Premium stay free. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Element Creations Ltd | Telegram FZ-LLC |
| Price read from | element.io | apps.apple.com |
| 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.
Telegram
- Regular chats and groups are not end-to-end encrypted; only Secret Chats, which work per device, are.
- It has no workspace admin console or team plan; Premium is a per-account subscription.
- Premium prices vary by country and by where it is bought; the $4.99 figure is the US App Store listing, which omits the billing period.
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.
Telegram
- Large groups and channels
- Groups can have up to 200,000 members with replies, mentions, hashtags and forum-style topics; channels broadcast to unlimited audiences.
- Cloud sync
- Chats are stored in the cloud and open on several devices at once, with files of up to 2 GB each (4 GB with Premium).
- Secret Chats
- Device-specific Secret Chats add end-to-end encryption and self-destructing messages; ordinary chats are not end-to-end encrypted.
- Voice and video calls
- End-to-end encrypted voice and video calls, plus group calls for up to 200 participants and voice chats in groups.
- Bot API
- A free Bot API lets developers build bots, including AI bots; bots can charge for services in Telegram Stars.
- Telegram Business
- Business features include opening hours, quick replies, automatic greeting messages and chatbots, without coding.
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.
Telegram
Free$0
Messaging, groups of up to 200,000 members, channels, calls, and files up to 2 GB each.
Telegram Premium$4.99
US App Store listing; billing period not shown
Doubled limits, 4 GB file uploads, voice-to-text and no ads. Bought in the app or via @PremiumBot.
Telegram Premium Annual$35.99
per year
The same Premium features billed yearly; the listing labels it Premium Annual.
Ways to pay less
Element
No public discounts listed.
Telegram
- Other savings
Cheaper Premium through @PremiumBot
Telegram says subscriptions bought through @PremiumBot cost less because Apple and Google fees do not apply; yearly plans are also discounted.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Element or Telegram?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Element publishes no starting price, and Telegram starts at $4.99 (Premium; billing period not shown in the listing).
Which has a free plan, Element or Telegram?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Element and Telegram have a free plan.
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.