What is the main difference between Element and Stoat?

Element and Stoat 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 Stoat?

The choice between Element and Stoat 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 Stoat?

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

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Element vs Stoat

Learn how Element and Stoat 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

13,612stars+104(+0.8%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
2 days ago
Repository age
11 years
Version
v1.12.32
License
AGPL-3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
element-web

Stoat

Self-hostable group chat with servers, channels, voice, and moderation tools. No ads, no data mining, built under EU privacy law.

Visit Stoat Read more

3,420stars+68(+2%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
1 day ago
Repository age
5 years
Version
v0.16.2
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
stoatchat/stoatchat

Detailed Comparison

Element appears to have several advantages over Stoat, particularly in popularity, maturity and licensing. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.

Element wins

Community & Popularity

Element significantly outpaces Stoat in community adoption with 13,612 stars compared to 3,420 stars on GitHub. This 4.0x difference suggests Element has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Element has 2,802 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Stoat wins

Growth Momentum

Stoat is growing faster, adding 68 stars in the last 30 days (+2%) against adding 104 stars for Element (+0.8%). Stoat 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 days ago and Stoat 1 day ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

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

Element wins

Project Maturity

Element has been in development longer, starting 11 years ago, compared to Stoat which began 5 years ago. This 6.0-year head start suggests Element may have more mature features and established processes.

Element wins