Element
The reference Matrix client: end-to-end encrypted chat on a network you can host yourself.
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3 more ways to get Element
About Element
Element is the main client for Matrix, an open network for messaging where anyone can run a server and servers talk to each other. Conversations are end-to-end encrypted, rooms can hold thousands of people, and bridges connect Matrix rooms to IRC, Slack, Discord and other networks.
Because the network is federated, you can sign up on the public matrix.org server, use a hosting service, or run your own server and still talk to everyone else. Voice and video calls, threads, spaces for grouping rooms and cross-signed device verification are all built in.
Strengths
- End-to-end encryption with cross-signed device verification
- Federated, so you can run your own server and still reach everyone
- Bridges to IRC, Slack, Discord and other networks
- Desktop, web, Android and iOS clients from one project
Limitations
- Encryption key management confuses people the first time they log in on a new device
- Heavy on memory for a chat app, and slow with many large rooms
- Choosing a homeserver is an extra decision most messengers do not ask for
- Desktop releases lag the web client
Details
- Pricing
- Freemium · The client is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. Element Matrix Services sells hosted servers; matrix.org and other public servers are free.
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Developer
- Element / New Vector
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Account
- Required
- Works offline
- Yes
- Best suited for
- Encrypted group chat on infrastructure that is not owned by one company
- Categories
- Secure messaging
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Selected from the TechWalrus downloads catalog (Messaging); facts checked against the developer's own pages, 2 sources on file.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
Signal
An end-to-end encrypted messenger for calls and chats on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, run by a nonprofit.
SimpleX Chat
A messenger with no user identifiers at all, not even a random one, so there is no account to correlate.
Session
An encrypted messenger with no phone number and no account, routed through an onion network.
Delta Chat
A messenger that sends over email, so anyone with an address can be reached without installing it.
