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Chatty vs Element: catalog facts
Chatty	Element
Free Free and open source under the GPLv3.	Freemium The client is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. Element Matrix Services sells…
Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted
SMS and MMS through the phone modem Matrix and XMPP in the same app	End-to-end encryption with cross-signed device verification Federated, so you can run your own server and still reach everyone
Linux only XMPP support is optional and depends on libpurple	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
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: AGPL-3.0
Not stated if an account is needed	Account needed
Needs internet	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.