Element alternatives
Team Chat & Messaging · element.io
Element is a Matrix-based, end-to-end encrypted messaging and collaboration platform available as a self-hosted or air-gapped server suite with enterprise editions.
We only list alternatives we can defend with sourced pricing data.
Top Element alternatives
We compared 12 products and found 10 alternatives · Element pricing is still being verified, so savings are not computed yet · scenario: 10 seats, monthly billing, USD.
We list 10 assessed alternatives; Element's own price is not verified yet, so no cheaper-than claim is made.
| Product | Match | Price | Annual savings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Discord Nitro Basic plan · missing: Unlimited message history, Audio/video calls & screen sharing, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment | 43% | $2.99/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
TOP PICK Zoho Cliq Standard plan · missing: Unlimited message history, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment | 57% | $18/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Pumble PRO plan · missing: Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment | 71% | $29.90/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Zulip Self-hosted Basic plan · missing: Unlimited message history | 86% | $35/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Chanty Business plan · missing: Threaded conversations, Self-hosted deployment | 71% | $40/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Microsoft Teams Teams Essentials plan · missing: Threaded conversations, Unlimited message history, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment collaboration suite — adjacent | 43% | $40/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Flock PRO plan · missing: Threaded conversations, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment | 57% | $45/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Twist Unlimited plan · missing: Audio/video calls & screen sharing, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment | 57% | $60/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Google Workspace Business Starter plan · missing: Threaded conversations, Unlimited message history, App integrations, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment collaboration suite — adjacent | 29% | $70/mo how? ⓘ | — | |
Slack Pro plan · missing: Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment | 71% | $87.50/mo how? ⓘ | — |
Which Element alternative for which situation
Picked by the numbers in this scenario — same subtype unless stated, assessed products only.
- Best free plan
- Pumble — $0/mo (FREE plan) · covers 71%
- Best open source or self-hosted
- Zulip — $35/mo (Self-hosted Basic plan) · covers 86%
- Best paid drop-in
- Zulip — $35/mo (Self-hosted Basic plan) · covers 86%
- Need channels & group messaging, threaded conversations, unlimited message history, audio/video calls & screen sharing or app integrations?
- Pumble — from $0/mo (FREE plan)
- Need compliance exports & audit logs or self-hosted deployment?
- Zulip — from $35/mo (Self-hosted Basic plan)
What you give up
Capabilities Element has that the top alternatives lack.
- Unlimited message history — Search and access message history without a retention limit.Missing from Slack, Zoho Cliq, Twist.
- Audio/video calls & screen sharing — Make audio or video calls with screen sharing.Missing from Twist.
- Compliance exports & audit logs — Export message history and audit logs for compliance.Missing from Pumble, Slack, Zoho Cliq, Twist.
- Self-hosted deployment — Run the chat platform on your own infrastructure.Missing from Pumble, Slack, Zoho Cliq, Twist.
Price at your volume
The same comparison recomputed at three sizes. Plan caps change who is cheapest.
Feature comparison
Element vs the top alternatives, on the 7 compared capabilities.
| Capability | Element | Pumble | Slack | Zoho Cliq | Twist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channels & group messaging from Community | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Threaded conversations from Community | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited message history from Community | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Audio/video calls & screen sharing from Community | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| App integrations from Community | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compliance exports & audit logs from Enterprise | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Self-hosted deployment from Community | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Scenario price cheapest qualifying plan | — | $0/mo FREE | $0/mo Free | $0/mo Free | $0/mo Free |
✓ means the product offers the capability — possibly only on a higher tier than the plan priced below it. The price row shows the cheapest plan that qualifies for our comparison scenario, with its plan name; a $0 free plan may not include every checked capability.
What Element covers
The capability set used for comparison. Grey entries are not available on self-serve plans.
- ✓ Channels & group messaging — from Community
- ✓ Threaded conversations — from Community
- ✓ Unlimited message history — from Community
- ✓ Audio/video calls & screen sharing — from Community
- ✓ App integrations — from Community
- ✓ Compliance exports & audit logs — from Enterprise
- ✓ Self-hosted deployment — from Community
- ✗ Workflow automation
- ✗ AI search & summaries
Price ladder
Observed prices from the official pricing page.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources
Every claim traces to an official source and a check date.
- https://element.io/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
Frequently asked
Is there a free Element alternative?
Yes. Pumble has a free plan that covers 71% of the 7 capabilities we compared against Element.
What is the cheapest Element alternative?
In our scenario (10 seats, monthly billing), Pumble is the cheapest assessed alternative at $0/mo (FREE plan).
What is the cheapest Element alternative with Compliance exports & audit logs?
Zulip covers Compliance exports & audit logs and costs $35/mo (Self-hosted Basic plan) in our scenario.
Does Element have a free plan?
Yes. Element's free plan exists; its limits are not stated on the pricing page.
When were these prices checked?
Between 2026-10-26 and 2026-10-29, on the vendors' official pricing pages.
