What is the difference between Element and Flock?

Element is best for Privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication, while Flock is best for Teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools. Element starts at Free and Flock starts at Free.

Is Element or Flock cheaper?

Element starts at Free and is free. Flock starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Flock?

Both Element and Flock offer free tiers.

Element vs Flock

Element is decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging built on the Matrix protocol, while Flock is team messaging with built-in to-dos, polls, notes, and file sharing. Element is open source and can be self-hosted, giving you full control over your data. Element is built for privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication, whereas Flock targets teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools.

At a glance

	Element	Flock
Best for	Privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication	Teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	—
Bridges	✓	—
End-to-End Encryption	✓	—
Matrix Protocol	✓	—
Notes	—	✓
Polls	—	✓
Self-Hosted	✓	—
Spaces	✓	—
To-Dos	—	✓
Video Calls	—	✓

Element

Strengths

End-to-end encrypted by default
Decentralized — no single point of failure
Can bridge to Slack, Discord, IRC, and more
Used by governments and defense organizations

Weaknesses

Steeper learning curve than mainstream alternatives
Fewer integrations and bots
UI/UX not as polished as Slack
Sync can be slow on the Matrix protocol

Try Element → Full review

Flock

Strengths

Lightweight to-do lists keep daily tasks front and center without project-management overhead
Includes Polls as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Free for up to 20 users — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 12+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Notification overload is a real problem as the number of channels grows
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Flock → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Element and Flock are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Element offers Bridges, End-to-End Encryption and Matrix Protocol that Flock lacks. Flock brings Notes, Polls and To-Dos that Element does not have.

Team fit: Element is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Flock is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Open source: Element is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Flock is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Element's biggest strengths are: end-to-end encrypted by default. decentralized — no single point of failure. Flock's biggest strengths are: lightweight to-do lists keep daily tasks front and center without project-management overhead. includes polls as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows.

Watch out for: With Element, users commonly note that steeper learning curve than mainstream alternatives. With Flock, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Element if...

You need a tool built for privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Bridges and End-to-End Encryption
You care about decentralized — no single point of failure
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Element is designed for

Choose Flock if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams wanting messaging with built-in productivity tools
You specifically need Notes and Polls
You care about includes polls as a core feature, purpose-built for team communication workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Flock is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for up to 20 users