head to head · open source
Element vs certspotter
Element has 13,634 GitHub stars, 2,814 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. certspotter has 1,195 stars, 104 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 1,041% (13,634 vs 1,195 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; certspotter is written in Go under MPL-2.0. Element has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, certspotter 9%. Element was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Element | certspotter | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 104 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Element if
- You weight community size — 14K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick certspotter if
- You want the certspotter feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and certspotter fits your workflow better
About Element
Element Element (formerly known as Vector and Riot) is a Matrix web & desktop client built using the Matrix JS SDK. Supported Environments Element has several tiers of support for different environments: Supported Definition: Issues actively triaged , regressions block the release Last 2 major versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on desktop OSes Last 2 versions of Safari Latest release of official Element Desktop app on desktop OSes Desktop OSes means macOS, Windows, and Linux versions for desktop devices that are actively supported by the OS vendor and receive security updates Best effort Definition: Issues…
read the full Element overview →
About certspotter
Cert Spotter Certificate Transparency Monitor Open Source Edition Cert Spotter is a Certificate Transparency log monitor from SSLMate that alerts you when an SSL/TLS certificate is issued for one of your domains. Cert Spotter is easier to use than other open source CT monitors, since it does not require a database. It's also more robust, since it uses a special certificate parser that ensures it won't miss certificates. Cert Spotter is available as a hosted service by SSLMate that also provides monitoring for expiring and incorrectly installed certificates, Slack notifications, and a Web dashboard for tracking…
read the full certspotter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or certspotter more popular?
Element has 13,634 GitHub stars and certspotter has 1,195. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and certspotter free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and certspotter under MPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and certspotter?
Element is written in TypeScript and certspotter in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Element or certspotter?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,634 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose certspotter if its feature set, stack or MPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.