What is the main difference between Element and Rocket.Chat?

Element and Rocket.Chat are both team chat & messaging tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Element or Rocket.Chat?

The choice between Element and Rocket.Chat depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Element to Rocket.Chat?

Migration between Element and Rocket.Chat is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

CodeRabbit – The leading AI Code Review platform. Ship better quality code in 50% less time, with 90% fewer bugs.

Learn More

Learn more

Element vs Rocket.Chat

Learn how Element and Rocket.Chat differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these team chat & messaging tools is best for you.

Element

Open-source platform for encrypted communication, file sharing, and collaboration based on the Matrix protocol.

Visit Element Read more

Stars
13,156
Forks
2,636
Last commit
13 hours ago
Repository age
11 years
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes

View Repository

Auto-fetched 7 hours ago.

Rocket.Chat

Open source communication platform combining messaging, voice, video, and AI for organizations that need full data control, air-gapped deployments, and zero-trust security.

Visit Rocket.Chat Read more

Stars
45,388
Forks
13,600
Last commit
17 hours ago
Repository age
11 years
Self-hosted
Yes

View Repository

Auto-fetched 7 hours ago.

Detailed Comparison

Both Element and Rocket.Chat have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Rocket.Chat wins

Community & Popularity

Rocket.Chat significantly outpaces Element in community adoption with 45,388 stars compared to 13,156 stars on GitHub. This 3.4x difference suggests Rocket.Chat has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Rocket.Chat has 13,600 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Element last updated 13 hours ago and Rocket.Chat 17 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Bash, Typescript, JSX. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Element uses Python, Perl while Rocket.Chat leverages SCSS, Meteor.

Comparable

Project Maturity

Both projects started around the same time, with Element beginning 11 years ago and Rocket.Chat 11 years ago.

Element wins

Licensing

Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0, while Rocket.Chat's license terms are not publicly specified.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Team Chat & Messaging. However, they also have distinct specializations: Element also focuses on Encrypted Communication while Rocket.Chat extends into Collaborative Workspaces, Video Conferencing & Virtual Office.

Comparable