head to head · open source
Element vs Tongsuo
Element has 13,470 GitHub stars, 2,757 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Tongsuo has 1,535 stars, 260 forks, 160 open issues and last shipped 12 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 778% (13,470 vs 1,535 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Tongsuo is written in C under Apache-2.0. Element has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, Tongsuo 17%. 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 | Tongsuo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 1.5K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-07 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 260 |
| 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 Tongsuo if
- You want the Tongsuo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and Tongsuo 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 Tongsuo
Tongsuo (铜锁) is an open source C library of modern cryptographic primitives and secure communication protocols, developed under the OpenAtom Foundation, and it is built for teams that need Chinese commercial cryptography, TLS, PKI, and privacy preserving primitives from a single dependency.
read the full Tongsuo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Element or Tongsuo more popular?
Element has 13,470 GitHub stars and Tongsuo has 1,535. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and Tongsuo free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tongsuo under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and Tongsuo?
Element is written in TypeScript and Tongsuo 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 Tongsuo?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,470 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Tongsuo if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.