Element is the main app for Matrix, an open and federated chat network. Matrix is a web of independent servers that talk to each other. You can run your own. Accounts use a Matrix address rather than a phone number. The apps cover every platform plus the web. The encryption is the same Double Ratchet design Signal uses, by way of Matrix’s Olm and Megolm. NCC Group has audited it. The trade-off is metadata. Federation means your home server and the servers of the people you message can see who is in a room and when, which is more exposure than Signal or SimpleX. Private chats are encrypted by default. Public rooms are not. That makes it better for communities and teams than for a locked-down one-to-one channel.
Element
Open, federated chat on the Matrix network, no phone number needed.
element.io
FreeOpen SourceE2E EncryptedWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSWebUnited Kingdom
Pricing Free and open source. Optional paid hosting and a managed Server Suite exist for organizations.
Strengths
- Open and federated, with no single company in control
- Audited end-to-end encryption and no phone number required
- Runs on every platform and can be self-hosted
Considerations
- Federation exposes more metadata than the top private messengers
- Public rooms are not end-to-end encrypted
- Choosing or running a home server adds complexity
Listed in Messaging
