head to head · open source
Element vs Quiet
Element has 13,461 GitHub stars, 2,759 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Quiet has 2,648 stars, 145 forks, 773 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Element leads on adoption by 408% (13,461 vs 2,648 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Quiet is written in C under GPL-3.0. Element has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, Quiet 5%. Quiet 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 | Quiet | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 2.6K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 145 |
| 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 Quiet if
- You want the Quiet feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and Quiet 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 Quiet
Quiet is an open source team chat application that aims to provide a private, peer to peer alternative to Slack, Discord, and Element. It is built around Tor and IPFS, and it is designed so that a team can communicate without trusting a central service or operating its own server. The project lives in the privacy and decentralized software ecosystem.
read the full Quiet overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or Quiet more popular?
Element has 13,461 GitHub stars and Quiet has 2,648. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and Quiet free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Quiet under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and Quiet?
Element is written in TypeScript and Quiet in C. 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 Quiet?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,461 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Quiet if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.