head to head · open source
Element vs helm-secrets
Element has 13,634 GitHub stars, 2,814 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. helm-secrets has 2,037 stars, 156 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 569% (13,634 vs 2,037 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; helm-secrets is written in Shell under Apache-2.0. Element has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, helm-secrets 8%. 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 | helm-secrets | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 14K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Shell |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 156 |
| 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 helm-secrets if
- You want the helm-secrets feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- You evaluated both and helm-secrets 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 helm-secrets
helm secrets ⭐ Don't forget to star this repository! ⭐ About helm secrets is a Helm plugin to decrypt encrypted Helm value files on the fly. Use sops to encrypt value files and store them in git. Store your secrets in a cloud native secret manager like AWS SecretManager, Azure KeyVault or HashiCorp Vault and inject them inside value files or templates. Use helm secret in your favorite deployment tool or GitOps Operator like ArgoCD Who’s actually using helm secrets? If you are using helm secrets in your company or organization, we would like to invite you to create a PR to add your information to this file…
read the full helm-secrets overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or helm-secrets more popular?
Element has 13,634 GitHub stars and helm-secrets has 2,037. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and helm-secrets free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and helm-secrets under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and helm-secrets?
Element is written in TypeScript and helm-secrets in Shell. 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 helm-secrets?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,634 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose helm-secrets if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.