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Synapse vs Tinode: catalog facts
Synapse	Tinode
Free Free under the AGPL; Element sells commercial licenses, support subscriptions and ESS Pro.	Free Free and open source to self-host; Tinode also offers hosting.
Self-hosted	Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted
Reference Matrix homeserver maintained by Element Works with any Matrix client	Self-hostable server written in Go that can run in a cluster Extensible with auth schemes, database backends, bots and plugins
Running a homeserver takes server administration work No support from Element without a paid subscription	Running your own server takes setup and maintenance Smaller user base than mainstream messengers
Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License: Apache-2.0 (clients)
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026

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