Alternatives to Ement.el
A Matrix chat client that runs inside GNU Emacs. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Ement.el
A Matrix chat client that runs inside GNU Emacs.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Ement.el.
Element
The reference Matrix client: end-to-end encrypted chat on a network you can host yourself.
Element is the reference Matrix client with desktop, web, Android and iOS apps and cross-signed device verification, but it is a standalone app that is heavy on memory.
iamb
A terminal Matrix client with Vim keybindings, windows and tabs.
iamb keeps Matrix chat in a keyboard-driven text interface like Ement.el, but runs in a terminal with Vim keybindings instead of inside Emacs, and is still pre-1.0.
gomuks
A Matrix chat client written in Go, with a web frontend and an optional server backend.
gomuks is a Go-based Matrix client with a mature web frontend, desktop and Android wrappers and an optional bouncer-style backend; its terminal frontend is experimental.
Nheko
Use Matrix messaging in a native desktop interface.
Nheko is an open-source native desktop Matrix client with encrypted conversations and calling features, though the project says its encryption has not been audited.
FluffyChat
An open-source Matrix chat client with end-to-end encryption, spaces and optional UnifiedPush notifications.
FluffyChat is a friendly graphical Matrix client for Linux, Android, iOS and the web, with end-to-end encryption, spaces and UnifiedPush notifications.
Cinny
Chat on Matrix through a focused desktop client.
Cinny is a focused graphical Matrix desktop client with native packages built using Tauri, replacing Emacs buffers with a standalone window.
Fractal
A Matrix chat client for the GNOME desktop on Linux, written in Rust with GTK.
Fractal is a native GTK Matrix client for the GNOME desktop, written in Rust and installable from Flathub, but it runs only on Linux.
NeoChat
A KDE chat client for the Matrix network, available for Linux and Windows.
NeoChat is a KDE Matrix client for Linux and Windows with spaces and polls, but it has no voice or video calls and incomplete end-to-end encryption support.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Synapse
A self-hosted Matrix homeserver, written in Python and Rust and maintained by Element.
Conduit
A lightweight Matrix homeserver written in Rust, shipped as a single binary with an embedded database.
Tuwunel
A Matrix homeserver written in Rust, used instead of Synapse, and the successor to conduwuit.
SchildiChat
A family of Matrix messaging apps based on Element, with a more traditional messenger layout.
Matrix Hookshot
A self-hosted Matrix bot that bridges GitHub, GitLab, Jira, feeds and generic webhooks into rooms.
