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Element

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Element is a British alternative to Discord and Slack for messaging and chat.

Last updated

Headquarters
United Kingdom
Open source
Yes
Free plan
Yes

Experience secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging and collaboration. A decentralised platform for sovereign communication, offering self-hosting or managed services.

UK-based decentralized messaging on the Matrix protocol, end-to-end encrypted.

Element delivers sovereign, interoperable communications built on the open Matrix standard, combining end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, video, and file sharing across a decentralised network that no single vendor controls. Teams communicate on their own terms, whether self-hosted, cloud, or federated with partners, without locking into a proprietary platform.

Because Element is built on Matrix, every deployment can federate with any other Matrix homeserver, enabling secure cross-organisation rooms between agencies, contractors, or allied governments. The platform supports air-gapped networks, cross-signed device verification, and bridges to Slack, Teams, IRC, and SMS, giving large organisations a single secure hub for regulated collaboration.

Key benefits:

  • Matrix-native federation enables secure collaboration across independent organisations
  • End-to-end encryption protects every message, call, and file with cross-signed devices
  • Self-hosting and air-gap support keeps sensitive networks fully isolated
  • Open standard foundation removes vendor lock-in and enables long-term interoperability
  • Bridges and integrations connect Element with Slack, Teams, and legacy messaging
  • Element Call delivers encrypted group video without third-party conferencing tools

Element is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and Cyber Essentials Plus certified, OpenChain ISO/IEC 5230 compliant, and offers EU-hosted deployments under GDPR, with the Matrix protocol itself governed by a non-profit foundation based in Europe. This makes it a trusted choice for sovereign, regulated communication outside US cloud jurisdiction.

Used by NATO, the German Bundeswehr, the United Nations, HM Government, and the French state's Tchap platform, Element is ideal for government, defence, and enterprise teams that need secure, standards-based collaboration at national scale.

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