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Element vs Quaternion: catalog facts
Element	Quaternion
Freemium The client is free and open source under the AGPL 3.0. Element Matrix Services sells…	Free Free and open source.
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	Native Qt interface instead of a web wrapper Works with any Matrix homeserver
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	Smaller project than the major Matrix clients such as Element Development pace is slower than larger clients
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License not stated
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 October 2, 2026

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