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.

Windshift – The self-hosted platform that replaces Jira.

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

13,527stars+116(+0.9%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
2 hours ago
Repository age
11 years
Version
v1.12.29
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
element-hq/element-web

Sponsor Element onpatreon.com

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

46,187stars+140(+0.3%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
3 hours ago
Repository age
11 years
Version
8.8.1
License
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
rocketchat/rocket.chat

Detailed Comparison

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

Rocket.Chat wins

Community & Popularity

Rocket.Chat significantly outpaces Element in community adoption with 46,187 stars compared to 13,527 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 13,921 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Element wins

Growth Momentum

Element is growing faster, adding 116 stars in the last 30 days (+0.9%) against adding 140 stars for Rocket.Chat (+0.3%). Element is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Element last updated 2 hours ago and Rocket.Chat 3 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.

Rocket.Chat wins

Licensing

Rocket.Chat uses the MIT license, which is more permissive than Element's AGPL-3.0 license, potentially offering greater flexibility for commercial use and integration.

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