# Element — Matrix-based, end-to-end encrypted team chat client with a free AGPL community edition and paid Enterprise/Sovereign hosting for regulated organizations.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **Element** is a messaging and collaboration client built on Matrix, the open, decentralized communication standard that Element's founders created in 2014 and that is now governed independently by the Matrix.org Foundation. Because Matrix is federated rather than centralized, organizations running their own Element/Matrix homeserver can still message users on other organizations' servers, avoiding the vendor lock-in of closed platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams.

The Community edition is free, AGPL-3.0-licensed, and intended for self-hosted evaluation and non-professional deployments; it includes Element Call for video and the official FOSS distribution of the Element Server Suite. Paid tiers move to a proprietary license (dual-licensed with a commercial option for organizations that don't want AGPL's copyleft terms): Enterprise runs a hardened Synapse Pro homeserver with SSO/LDAP, audit logging, retention policies, and autoscaling, priced per seat per month starting at 100 users; Sovereign supports fully air-gapped, offline deployments for government, defense, and other organizations that need complete infrastructure independence, priced per deployment. Element ships native apps for web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.

## Facts

- Website: https://element.io
- Pricing: Free (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
- License: Open core
- Platforms: web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android
- Best for: government, defense, and enterprise organizations that need self-hosted, end-to-end encrypted chat with the option to federate across organizational boundaries
- Standout feature: Matrix federation lets a self-hosted Element server exchange encrypted messages with users on entirely different organizations' servers, something closed platforms like Slack or Teams cannot do.
- Biggest weakness: Enterprise and Sovereign pricing is not published; both require a sales conversation, and Enterprise pricing only applies from a 100-user minimum, making Element's paid tiers impractical to evaluate cost for small teams.
- Categories: [Team Chat & Messaging](https://findalternative.to/categories/team-chat)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Community | $0/mo | Free, AGPL-3.0-licensed self-hosted edition with Element Call included; intended for evaluation and non-professional deployments. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Priced per seat/month, from 100 users; proprietary Element Server Suite Pro with SSO/LDAP, audit logging, retention policies, and autoscaling. Exact per-seat rate requires contacting sales. |
| Sovereign | Custom | Priced per deployment for fully air-gapped, offline-capable installs aimed at government and defense customers. Requires contacting sales. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: Matrix federation allows cross-organization encrypted messaging without shared infrastructure.
- Pro: Community edition is fully free and AGPL-licensed for self-hosting.
- Pro: Sovereign tier supports fully air-gapped deployments with no internet dependency.
- Pro: Native apps cover web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- Con: Enterprise and Sovereign pricing is not published; both require contacting sales.
- Con: Enterprise tier only becomes available from a 100-user minimum, limiting its use for small teams.
- Con: Self-hosting the Community edition requires running and maintaining your own Synapse homeserver.
- Con: The dual AGPL/commercial licensing model can be confusing for organizations unsure which terms apply to their use case.

## AI summary

- Element's Community edition is free and AGPL-3.0-licensed.
- Enterprise pricing is per seat/month, available from a 100-user minimum.
- Element is built on the Matrix open, federated messaging protocol.
- Element runs on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- Best for: government, defense, and enterprise organizations needing self-hosted, federated, end-to-end encrypted chat
- Pricing: Free Community edition (AGPL, self-hosted); Enterprise priced per seat/month from 100 users, custom quote required.
- Top alternatives: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat
- Limitation: Enterprise and Sovereign pricing isn't published.
- Limitation: Enterprise tier requires a 100-user minimum.
- Limitation: Self-hosting the free Community edition requires running your own Synapse homeserver.

## Alternatives

4 vetted alternatives to Element: https://findalternative.to/element — top picks: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Mattermost

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