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Tinode vs Synapse: catalog facts
Tinode	Synapse
Free Free and open source to self-host; Tinode also offers hosting.	Free Free under the AGPL; Element sells commercial licenses, support subscriptions and ESS Pro.
Android, iOS, Web, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Self-hostable server written in Go that can run in a cluster Extensible with auth schemes, database backends, bots and plugins	Reference Matrix homeserver maintained by Element Works with any Matrix client
Running your own server takes setup and maintenance Smaller user base than mainstream messengers	Running a homeserver takes server administration work No support from Element without a paid subscription
Downloadable app, Self-hosted, Hosted service	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0 (clients)	License: AGPL-3.0
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 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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