Element

Element

Element

A secure messaging and collaboration application

Price starts from
€5
per user /month
Freemium
Subscription
Alternatives

What is Element? ✨

Element is a secure messaging app that lets people talk to each other privately or in groups. It uses a technology called Matrix (an open network for secure, decentralised communication) to make sure messages are safe and private. You can also make voice and video calls through Element. It works on phones, tablets, and computers, and because it's open-source, anyone can check how it's made to ensure it's secure. Element works with a number of large multinational corporations as well as government organizations all over the world, including NATO, Space Force, the French Government and the German Bundeswehr.

Element is best suited for communities that prioritize secure communications and data privacy, such as professional organizations, educational institutions, and tech-savvy groups.

What Element can be used for? ✨

  • Organized Discussions: Element allows the creation of multiple rooms or channels dedicated to specific topics or projects. This helps keep conversations organized and easily accessible. Community managers can set up rooms for general discussions, announcements, feedback, or event planning.
  • Access Control: Community managers can control who joins the community or specific conversations by managing invitations and permissions. This is particularly useful for private communities or specific sub-groups within a larger community that require confidentiality.
  • Real-Time Communication: With support for instant messaging, community managers can quickly disseminate information and respond to community members' inquiries or issues in real time.
  • Voice and Video Calls: For more in-depth discussions, training sessions, or just to foster a stronger sense of community, Element supports voice and video calls. This can also include large group meetings or webinars within the community.
  • File Sharing and Collaboration: Community managers can share documents, images, and other files directly within the chat rooms. This feature supports collaborative projects and makes it easy to distribute resources and materials to the community.
  • End-to-End Encryption: Security is a significant concern in community management, especially when sensitive information is shared. Element provides end-to-end encryption, ensuring that all communications are secure and private, which is crucial for maintaining trust and safety within the community.
  • Integration and Bots: Element can be integrated with other tools and services used by the community, such as calendars, task management apps, or custom bots that can automate certain tasks like welcoming new members, sending reminders for events, or curating content.
  • Cross-Platform Availability: Since Element is available on various platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and directly via web browsers, it ensures that community members can stay connected regardless of the device they use.

Features ✨

  • End-to-end encryption

  • Messages

  • Calls

  • File sharing

  • Location sharing

  • Screen sharing

  • Threads

  • Voice messages

  • Polls

  • Spaces

  • Dark/light mode

  • Editable messages

  • Video conferencing

  • Integrations

  • Build on Matrix (an open protocol for decentralised, secure communications)

What are the limitations? ✨

Costs can be a restriction when using Element, particularly if you opt for hosting your own server or using the premium hosted services offered by Element. Here are how costs could become a factor:

  • Self-hosting Costs: If you decide to host your own Element server (homeserver), you would need to bear the costs associated with server hardware, maintenance, and potentially higher bandwidth requirements. These could be substantial, especially for larger communities.
  • Premium Features: Element offers a hosted service with additional premium features, which comes at a cost. Depending on the size of your community and the features you need, this could become a significant expense.
  • Operational Costs: Managing and maintaining a secure, private server requires technical expertise. You might need to hire or consult with IT professionals to ensure everything runs smoothly, adding to the operational costs.

Element, while robust in security and privacy, lacks several features that are commonly found in more mainstream communication platforms like Discord or Slack. Some of these missing features include:

  • Element does not have extensive customization options for user engagement that other platforms offer, such as custom emojis, animated stickers, and interactive widgets.
  • While Element supports bots, its bot ecosystem is not as developed or versatile as platforms like Discord, where bots can manage games, moderation, and interactive community activities.
  • Features that add a social and fun aspect to community interaction, such as voice modulators, video filters, or in-chat games, are not typically available on Element.
  • Unlike some other platforms that offer detailed analytics and reporting tools for community managers and business users, Element's capabilities in this area are more basic.
  • Element's interface is more utilitarian and can be less intuitive for new users compared to the more polished, user-friendly interfaces of other social and professional communication apps.

Languages ✨

  • English