#76 in Collaboration & CommunicationUpdated 2026-08

Element

by Element · Matrix-based encrypted messaging and collaboration you host yourself

22.6 — BenchRank score out of 100

Homepage
Pricing page

Visit website See full Collaboration & Communication ranking

Overview

Element is a messaging and collaboration app built on the Matrix open standard, covering chat, voice and video calls with end-to-end encryption by default. Organisations self-host it through Element Server Suite, connected or air-gapped, and federate with other Matrix systems. Clients run on Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile app stores, F-Droid and the browser.

Best for: Governments and organisations needing self-hosted, encrypted messaging they run and control.
Pricing: No figures are published: the self-hosted Community edition is free and open source, while Enterprise is priced per seat/month and Sovereign per deployment, both via sales.
Runs on: WebiOSAndroidmacOSWindowsSelf-hosted

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

Open source under AGPL, free self-hosted Community edition
End-to-end encrypted by default, including voice and video
Federates with other Matrix servers; data export to avoid lock-in
Air-gapped installs supported with no internet connectivity

Trade-offs

Community Synapse homeserver is not for production use
No published prices; Enterprise and Sovereign need a sales call
You host and run the servers yourself
Cross domain gateway and whitelabel app are paid add-ons

Pricing

Published plans from Element’s own pricing page, in USD. Usage charges and add-ons may apply on top.

Element pricing tiers, monthly rates in USD
Plan	Monthly	Includes
Community	—	Self-hosted Element Server Suite Community Open source under AGPL, free frontend and backend Community Synapse homeserver, not for production Includes Element Call
Enterprise	Contact sales	Self-hosted Element Server Suite Pro with Synapse Pro From 100 users; dynamic scaling and resource savings Level 3 support with a 4 business hour SLA LDAP/AD, SSO, auditing, retention and moderation controls
Sovereign	Contact sales	Air-gapped Element Server Suite Pro with Synapse Pro Operates without internet connectivity Dedicated mobile push gateway Air-gapped installation support

How this score is made up

Each dimension is scored out of 100 and combined into the headline score using fixed weights.

MCP support: 0 out of 100
API quality: 0 out of 100
Documentation: 0 out of 100
Agent friendliness: 83 out of 100
Pricing transparency: 35 out of 100
Changelog: 0 out of 100
Marketing site structure: 45 out of 100
Operational trust: 70 out of 100

Measured, but not part of the score

Useful to know, but not a mark for or against the product — so these do not affect the ranking.

Openness: 40 out of 100
Maintenance: 100 out of 100

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