Element vs Mattermost
Detailed comparison to help you choose the right tool for your needs
E
Element
Secure messenger and collaboration app built on the Matrix protocol
4.1
Editorial RatingQuick Comparison
Rating
4.1
vs4.3
Starting Price
Free
vsFree
Pricing Model
freemium
vsfreemium
Feature
Element
Mattermost
E2E encryption
Decentralized (Matrix)
Voice & video
Bridges to other platforms
Self-hosting
Spaces (group organization)
Team messaging
File sharing
Integrations
Open source
Mobile apps
Element Pros
- Decentralized — no single point of failure
- Government-grade encryption
- Bridges to Slack, Discord, IRC, etc.
- Full data sovereignty with self-hosting
Element Cons
- Less polished UI than Slack/Teams
- Matrix federation can be complex
- Smaller app ecosystem
Mattermost Pros
- Complete data sovereignty with self-hosted deployment
- Open source with no vendor lock-in
- Slack-like familiar interface
- Air-gapped deployment possible for high-security orgs
- Strong compliance and audit logging
- Active community and development
Mattermost Cons
- Self-hosting requires significant DevOps expertise
- Mobile apps noticeably inferior to Slack/Teams
- Smaller app ecosystem than commercial alternatives
- Complex initial setup
- Performance depends heavily on server resources