head to head · open source
Element vs SAMA
Element has 13,461 GitHub stars, 2,759 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SAMA has 158 stars, 14 forks, 2 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 8,420% (13,461 vs 158 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; SAMA is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. Element has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, SAMA 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 | SAMA | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 158 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-10 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 14 |
| 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 SAMA if
- You want the SAMA feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and SAMA 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 SAMA
SAMA is a self hostable, GPL 3.0 chat server written in JavaScript and powered by uWebSockets.js, aimed at developers and teams who want to run their own real time messaging backend instead of adopting XMPP.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or SAMA more popular?
Element has 13,461 GitHub stars and SAMA has 158. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and SAMA free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and SAMA under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and SAMA?
Element is written in TypeScript and SAMA in JavaScript. 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 SAMA?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,461 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose SAMA if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.