head to head · open source
Element vs Zen
Element has 13,481 GitHub stars, 2,758 forks, 3,779 open issues and last shipped today. Zen has 4,225 stars, 143 forks, 14 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Element leads on adoption by 219% (13,481 vs 4,225 stars). Element is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0; Zen is written in Go under MIT. Element has attracted 20% as many forks as stars, Zen 3%. 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.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Element | Zen | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 13K | ★ 4.2K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-20 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.8K | ⑂ 143 |
| 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 Zen if
- You want the Zen feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and Zen 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 Zen
Zen is an open source desktop application written in Go for Windows, macOS, and Linux under the MIT license. It operates as a system wide ad blocker and privacy guard, so it applies to traffic from applications on the machine rather than only to browser tabs. It lives in the desktop security and privacy ecosystem, where users want filtering without browser extensions.
More in Security & Privacy
Related comparisons
More Data Security & Privacy projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Data Security & Privacy field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Element or Zen more popular?
Element has 13,481 GitHub stars and Zen has 4,225. Element has the larger community by that measure.
Are Element and Zen free?
Both are open source. Element is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zen under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Element and Zen?
Element is written in TypeScript and Zen in Go. 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 Zen?
Choose Element if you want the larger community (13,481 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Zen if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.