head to head · open source
Element vs certspotter
Element has 13,473 GitHub stars, 2,756 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. certspotter has 1,175 stars, 104 forks, 18 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 1,047% (13,473 vs 1,175 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; certspotter is written in Go under MPL-2.0. Element has attracted 20% 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 | ★ 13K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-13 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 104 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Element if
- You weight community size — 13K 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 is a Matrix collaboration client for the web and desktop, and its tagline describes it as secure, decentralized messaging for teams and individuals. It is built with the Matrix JS SDK and lives in the Matrix ecosystem as an open alternative to Slack and Google Meet.
read the full Element overview →
About certspotter
Cert Spotter is a lightweight, open source Certificate Transparency log monitor from SSLMate that watches Certificate Transparency logs and alerts you when an SSL/TLS certificate is issued for any domain on your watch list, aimed at site operators, security teams, and PKI administrators who need to catch unauthorized certificates without operating a database.
read the full certspotter overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or certspotter more popular?
Element has 13,473 GitHub stars and certspotter has 1,175. 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 (13,473 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.