Element The European alternative to WhatsApp / Slack

Element is an open-source messenger based on the Matrix protocol, developed by Element (formerly New Vector Ltd.) headquartered in London and Rennes (France). The app offers end-to-end encrypted chats, voice and video calls, rooms (channels), threads, and file sharing. Element is available for web, iOS, Android, and desktop. The decentralized Matrix protocol enables interoperability between different servers.

Element can be fully self-hosted (Element Server Suite), giving the operator full data sovereignty. For managed hosting, Element Matrix Services (EMS) offers multi-tenant and dedicated hosting. The exact location of EMS servers is not explicitly stated on the website. Matrix.org (the public reference server) is operated by the Matrix.org Foundation. Own instances can run on any European infrastructure.

Element is based on the open Matrix protocol and can be operated decentrally on own servers, while Slack is proprietary and cloud-only (AWS). Element offers end-to-end encryption by default, Slack does not. Element is co-developed in Europe (France/UK) and open source, Slack is US-American (Salesforce). Slack has a broader app ecosystem and is more mature in usability.