head to head · open source
Element vs pki
Element has 13,634 GitHub stars, 2,814 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pki has 514 stars, 160 forks, 46 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Element leads on adoption by 2,553% (13,634 vs 514 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; pki is written in Java under GPL-2.0. Element has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, pki 31%. 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 | ★ 14K | ★ 514 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 160 |
| 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 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 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 pki
Dogtag PKI The Dogtag Certificate System is an enterprise class open source Certificate Authority (CA). It is a full featured system, and has been hardened by real world deployments. It supports all aspects of certificate lifecycle management, including key archival, OCSP and smartcard management, and much more. The Dogtag PKI suite provides the following subsystems: Certificate Authority (CA) Key Recovery Authority (KRA) Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) Responder Token Key Service (TKS) Token Processing System (TPS) Automatic Certificate Management Environment (ACME) Responder Documentation The best…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or pki more popular?
Element has 13,634 GitHub stars and pki has 514. 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 (13,634 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.