caniopen-sourceit

the catalog · 📞 Video calls

Element

★ 12k

Matrix-based team chat with end-to-end encryption, federation, and bridges to other networks.

Element does the job of Slack, self-hosted. It is Apache-2.0-licensed, so you can do essentially what you like with it, and setting it up is an afternoon, not a weekend. Slack bills $8/user for it. 12k stars on GitHub.

Open-source replacement for Slack.

Licence
Apache-2.0
Self-hosting
Medium
The paid one costs
$8/user
GitHub stars
12k
view the code →official site →

Is it actually a replacement?

We have written a verdict on what it replaces — what you lose, and why people still pay:

How Element runs

Where it runs

Element runs on your machine or their cloud.

Installing it

Use a free Matrix account in Element Web/mobile/desktop, or deploy Element Server Suite on your own infrastructure.

Where your data lives

Rooms, event history, account data, and media live on the selected Matrix homeserver; encrypted-room keys remain on clients and can be backed up through Matrix's key-backup system.

What setup takes

The clean hosted path is easy, but self-hosting the current Element Server Suite means operating a Matrix homeserver and its Kubernetes/Helm-based stack.

The catch compared with Discord Nitro

Element offers encrypted rooms and proper clients, but it lacks Discord's public friend graph, enormous bot/community ecosystem, and familiar gaming-centric social layer.

Element questions

Is Element open source?

Yes — it is released under Apache-2.0.

Can Element replace Slack?

Our verdict on Slack Pro is YES. Rocket.Chat Community (46k stars), Discourse (44k stars), Mattermost Team Edition (39k stars) are mature open-source replacements for Slack Pro — self-host with real ops work and stop paying $8.75/mo.

Can I self-host Element?

Yes — we rate it medium to self-host, and it runs on your machine or their cloud. Use a free Matrix account in Element Web/mobile/desktop, or deploy Element Server Suite on your own infrastructure.

More communication tools