head to head · open source
Element vs pki
Element has 13,473 GitHub stars, 2,756 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pki has 509 stars, 162 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Element leads on adoption by 2,547% (13,473 vs 509 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; pki is written in Java under GPL-2.0. Element has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, pki 32%. 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 | pki | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 509 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 162 |
| 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 pki if
- You want the pki feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and pki 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 pki
Dogtag PKI is an enterprise class open source Certificate Authority suite, written in Java and licensed under GPL 2.0, for administrators who need to run their own certificate lifecycle infrastructure rather than buy it as a hosted service.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or pki more popular?
Element has 13,473 GitHub stars and pki has 509. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and pki free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and pki under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and pki?
Element is written in TypeScript and pki in Java. 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 pki?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,473 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose pki if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.