Element is a secure chat, voice, and collaboration platform built on the open Matrix protocol. It works like Slack or WhatsApp, but with full end-to-end encryption, decentralization, and optional on-prem hosting. Teams can run Element as a cloud service or deploy their own server for full data ownership.
If you need private communication—healthcare, government, open-source communities, or companies with strict compliance—Element gives you control that typical SaaS chat apps don’t. Messages are encrypted, federated, and not locked inside a vendor’s database. You avoid vendor lock-in, reduce security risk, and comply more easily with regulations that require keeping data in specific regions or environments.
Element uses the Matrix protocol, which means messages sync across servers and clients using open standards. Users can chat, share files, start voice/video calls, create rooms, and set granular permissions. You choose how to host: Element Cloud, your own servers, or an air-gapped environment.
