# Matrix review (2026): is it any good? > Open, decentralized network for chat and calls Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Matrix is an open standard for decentralized communication, run by the Matrix.org Foundation. Accounts live on a server, called a homeserver, that can be the public matrix.org one or one you host yourself, and people on different servers can talk to each other. You chat through a client app such as Element, and bridges connect rooms to Slack, Discord and other networks. - **Category:** Team Communication - **Made by:** The Matrix.org Foundation (since 2014) - **Website:** https://matrix.org - **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want one app that behaves the same everywhere, since features depend on the client. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Matrix is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** The protocol is free to use, and the Foundation runs a free public matrix.org homeserver with usage limits on attachments and data. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Matrix.org homeserver account: 10MB per attachment and 100MB of uploads per 24 hours, up to 500MB per 28 days. | Read from https://matrix.org/homeserver/pricing/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Matrix before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Organizations that want to own their chat data on their own domain - Communities coming from Discord or Slack who want an open alternative - Developers building chat features on an open protocol ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Matrix is an open standard for chat and calls where accounts live on a server, public or your own, and people on different servers can talk. It is a protocol rather than one app, so features depend on the client you choose, and the public server is crowded and capped. - **Value for money: A.** The protocol and its clients are free to use, and the Foundation runs a free public matrix.org homeserver. Free software anyone can use counts as free and substantial. - **Free plan and trial: B.** The free homeserver allows 10MB per attachment and 100MB of uploads per 24 hours, 500MB per 28 days. Most people get by, but heavy sharers hit it. - **Features: C.** Federation, a choice of clients, spaces, threads and bridges to Slack and Discord. Calls, threads and encryption depend on the client you pick, which is a gap. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You pick a homeserver and a client before you start, so there is some learning. - **Platforms and integrations: A.** Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android clients exist, with bridges to Discord, Slack, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp and Mattermost. Which platform a given client covers differs. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Matrix's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among team communication apps - Matrix's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 41 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade, and level with 3. - It stands best on value for money (A, above 41 of 50) and worst on features (C, above 0). - Matrix has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/team-chat ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Matrix is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 41 of the 50 other team communication apps we grade. - You could not: Chat that a whole team counts on staying up. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Discord, Slack and Signal among them. - You could not: End-to-end encryption done properly. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Discord, Slack, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, Mattermost, Google Chat **Tags:** Team chat, Open source, Self-hostable, End-to-end encrypted ## Alternatives - [Element](https://toolgpa.com/tools/element): End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/element-vs-matrix) - [Zulip](https://toolgpa.com/tools/zulip): Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matrix-vs-zulip) - [Mattermost](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mattermost): Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matrix-vs-mattermost) - [Rocket.Chat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat): Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matrix-vs-rocket-chat) - [Wire](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wire): End-to-end encrypted messaging and calls for organizations. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/matrix-vs-wire) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://matrix.org/homeserver/pricing/ - https://matrix.org - https://matrix.org/ecosystem/clients/ - https://matrix.org/ecosystem/hosting/ - https://matrix.org/ecosystem/bridges/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/matrix Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).