What is the difference between Rocket.Chat and Element?

Rocket.Chat is best for Teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features, while Element is best for Privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication. Rocket.Chat starts at Free (self-hosted) and Element starts at Free.

Is Rocket.Chat or Element cheaper?

Rocket.Chat starts at Free (self-hosted) and is free. Element starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Element?

Both Rocket.Chat and Element offer free tiers.

Rocket.Chat vs Element

Rocket.Chat is open-source communication platform with team chat, video, and omnichannel customer engagement, while Element is decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging built on the Matrix protocol. Rocket.Chat is built for teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features, whereas Element targets privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication.

At a glance

	Rocket.Chat	Element
Best for	Teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features	Privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication
Starting price	Free (self-hosted)	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	✓	✓
Bots	✓	—
Bridges	—	✓
End-to-End Encryption	—	✓
Federation	✓	—
Matrix Protocol	—	✓
Omnichannel	✓	—
Self-Hosted	✓	✓
Spaces	—	✓
Video Calls	✓	—

Rocket.Chat

Strengths

Self-hosted with full data ownership
Combines internal chat and customer-facing messaging
Active open-source community
Federation support for cross-organization chat

Weaknesses

UI feels dated compared to Slack
Self-hosting requires significant DevOps effort
Fewer integrations than mainstream alternatives
Can be resource-intensive to run

Try Rocket.Chat → Full review

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

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Rocket.Chat and Element are free, so this decision comes down to features and philosophy rather than budget.

Feature gaps: Rocket.Chat offers Bots, Federation and Omnichannel that Element lacks. Element brings Bridges, End-to-End Encryption and Matrix Protocol that Rocket.Chat does not have. Both share Self-Hosted.

Team fit: Both tools target mid-size teams teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Both Rocket.Chat and Element are open source, so self-hosting and code audits are on the table with either choice.

Where each tool shines: Rocket.Chat's biggest strengths are: self-hosted with full data ownership. combines internal chat and customer-facing messaging. Element's biggest strengths are: end-to-end encrypted by default. decentralized — no single point of failure.

Watch out for: With Rocket.Chat, users commonly note that ui feels dated compared to slack. With Element, the main complaint is that steeper learning curve than mainstream alternatives.

Choose Rocket.Chat if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams that want self-hosted chat with customer-facing features
You specifically need Bots and Federation
You care about combines internal chat and customer-facing messaging

Choose Element if...

You need a tool built for privacy-focused teams and cross-organization communication
You specifically need Bridges and End-to-End Encryption
You care about decentralized — no single point of failure