head to head · open source
Ente vs Element
Ente has 28,935 GitHub stars, 1,802 forks, 229 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Element has 13,461 stars, 2,759 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Ente leads on adoption by 115% (28,935 vs 13,461 stars). Ente is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0; Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Ente has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, Element 20%. 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
| Ente | Element | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 29K | ★ 13K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Dart | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Ente if
- You weight community size — 29K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Element if
- You want the Element feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Element fits your workflow better
About Ente
Ente is a fully open source, end to end encrypted platform for storing photos, documents and credentials in the cloud, packaged as a monorepo of client apps and a server, and intended for people who want the features of Google Photos, Apple Photos and Authy without having to trust the service provider with their data.
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Ente or Element more popular?
Ente has 28,935 GitHub stars and Element has 13,461. Ente has the larger community by that measure.
Are Ente and Element free?
Both are open source. Ente is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Element under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Ente and Element?
Ente is written in Dart and Element in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Ente or Element?
Choose Ente if you want the larger community (28,935 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Element if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.