Element is a secure messaging app for teams, built on the open Matrix protocol. Where most chat tools route every message through one company’s servers, Matrix is a decentralized network: anyone can run a homeserver, and servers talk to each other. Element is the reference client for that network. It suits teams that want end-to-end encrypted messaging by default, organizations that must keep communication data on their own infrastructure, and communities that span many organizations at once.

What is Element?

Element is best understood as two parts. The app is what your team installs: web, desktop, and mobile clients with encrypted chats, voice and video calls, and file sharing. Behind it sits a Matrix homeserver, most often Synapse, which is open source and stores accounts, room history, and federation data. You can use Element with the public Matrix network, or run your own homeserver so every message stays on hardware you control.

Because Matrix is an open protocol, you are not locked into one vendor’s client or server. Other Matrix-compatible apps can connect to the same homeserver, and bridges can link Matrix rooms to IRC, Slack, Telegram, and more.

What is Element used for?

• Encrypted internal messaging. Direct messages and private rooms are end-to-end encrypted by default, so message content is unreadable on the server.
• Self-hosted team chat. Running your own homeserver keeps message metadata, history, and accounts on your infrastructure, which matters for data sovereignty.
• Cross-organization collaboration. Matrix federation lets two companies on separate homeservers join the same room without either giving up control of its own server.
• Secure voice and video calls. One-to-one calls are end-to-end encrypted, and group calls run over open protocols, with Jitsi or LiveKit deployments available for larger meetings.
• Community coordination. Spaces group related rooms under one roof, which helps open-source projects and public-sector networks organize thousands of users.
• Bridging other networks. Matrix bridges connect rooms to IRC, Slack, Telegram, and Discord, so one team can follow everything without juggling apps.

Key features

• End-to-end encryption by default. Powered by the Matrix protocol’s Megolm implementation, with cross-signing so new devices verify quickly.
• Decentralized federation. Homeservers exchange messages, so no single company owns or can shut down the whole network.
• Secure key backup. Encrypted key backup and recovery mean lost phones do not mean lost history.
• Spaces and rooms. Spaces organize rooms by team or project, keeping large communities navigable.
• Voice and video calls. Encrypted one-to-one calls are built in, and self-hosted Jitsi or LiveKit extends this to groups.
• Open protocol and ecosystem. Bridges, bots, and alternative clients all speak Matrix, so you can shape the setup to your needs.

Element on OpenSysLab

Every OpenSysLab server is a private virtual machine in the region you chose at purchase. The app installs automatically in about ten minutes, and the Vibe-code agent inside Open WebUI can read, configure, and manage it for you, you just connect your own AI API key. Servers start at $6/month. See the Element product page for plans and regions.

The bottom line

Element is the strongest choice when encrypted, self-hosted messaging is the requirement, not a nice-to-have. The trade-off is operational: a full setup means running a homeserver too, and encrypted search and compliance tooling have real limits. If that fits your priorities, few tools match it.