head to head · open source
Rocket.Chat vs Element
Rocket.Chat has 46,361 GitHub stars, 14,076 forks, 4,023 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Element has 13,634 stars, 2,814 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Rocket.Chat leads on adoption by 240% (46,361 vs 13,634 stars). Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Rocket.Chat has attracted 30% as many forks as stars, Element 21%. Rocket.Chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (hacktoberfest), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Rocket.Chat | Element | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 46K | ★ 14K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 14K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Rocket.Chat if
- You weight community size — 46K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 Rocket.Chat
The ultimate secure open source solution for team communications Rocket.Chat is an open source, secure, fully customizable communications platform developed in TypeScript for organizations with high standards of data protection. We are the ultimate solution for team communications, enabling real time conversations between colleagues, with other companies, and with your customers or citizens, regardless of how they connect with you. The result is an increase in productivity and user satisfaction rates. Every day, tens of millions of users in over 150 countries and in organizations such as Deutsche Bahn, The US…
read the full Rocket.Chat overview →
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 →
More in Business Software
Related comparisons
More Collaboration & Communication projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Collaboration & Communication field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or Element more popular?
Rocket.Chat has 46,361 GitHub stars and Element has 13,634. Rocket.Chat has the larger community by that measure.
Are Rocket.Chat and Element free?
Both are open source. Rocket.Chat has no licence declared in this registry, and Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Element?
Rocket.Chat is written in TypeScript 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, Rocket.Chat or Element?
Choose Rocket.Chat if you want the larger community (46,361 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Element if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.