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Element vs Lightning: catalog facts
Element	Lightning
Freemium The client is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. Element Matrix Services sells…	Free Free and open source under GPL-3.0-or-later.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted	Windows, macOS, Linux
End-to-end encryption with cross-signed device verification Federated, so you can run your own server and still reach everyone	Supports Matrix rooms, Spaces and threaded conversations Searches encrypted rooms using a local index
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	The project is in beta The macOS download requires Apple Silicon and macOS 26 or newer
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License: GPL-3.0-or-later
Account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

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