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Element vs iamb: catalog facts
Element	iamb
Freemium The client is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. Element Matrix Services sells…	Free Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted	Command line
End-to-end encryption with cross-signed device verification Federated, so you can run your own server and still reach everyone	Vim keybindings throughout End-to-end encryption, threads and spaces
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	Terminal only, no graphical interface Still pre-1.0 releases
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License: Apache-2.0
Account needed	Account needed
Works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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