Element vs Signal
These two are not really the same kind of purchase. Signal is a free app run by a non-profit, where you install it, register a phone number and chat. Element is the client of the Matrix standard, and its professional editions are self-hosted, so someone has to run or contract a server. Signal's operator is American, while Element lists a United Kingdom base. Which one fits depends on whether you are a person wanting a private chat or an organisation wanting control of its own messaging infrastructure.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose Element ifyou are an organisation that wants federated chat on a server you control, and you have staff or a contractor able to run Synapse. You also want an open standard that other organisations can connect to.
Choose Signal ifyou are a person or small group who wants a private messenger today, with nothing to host and nothing to pay. You accept that registration needs a phone number and that no support contract exists.
Element and Signal side by side
| Element | Signal | |
|---|---|---|
| Our messaging apps rank | #5 of 15 | #1 of 15 |
| Established in | United Kingdom | United States |
| List price, 6 November 2026 | Community free (1-100 users, non-professional); Enterprise per seat per month and Sovereign per deployment, amounts not published | Nothing to pay for the app; funded by donations and grants |
| Free tier | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | — |
| Built for | Organisations wanting federated, self-hosted chat that follows an open standard | People who want an ad-free messenger with published code and no commercial owner. |
| Not for | Teams wanting a hosted workspace running in ten minutes | Organisations needing admin controls, support contracts or accounts without phone numbers. |
Both are reviewed in full in our messaging apps ranking: Element and Signal.
Where they differ
Element 3 · Signal 3 · open 0- 01
Who runs the server
Element's pricing page offers self-hosted editions only, built on Element Server Suite and installed through Helm charts. The privacy policy does mention hosted instances via EMS and ESS, but the pricing page shows no Element-hosted service. Signal needs no server decisions from the user at all: you install the app and the operator, Signal Messenger LLC, runs the service. For a team without operations staff, that difference settles the question quickly.
Edge: Signal
- 02
What you pay, and what is published
Signal publishes no pricing; it describes messaging as free and says development is funded by donations and grants. Element lists three plans. Community is free, Enterprise is priced per seat per month from 100 users, and Sovereign is priced per deployment. No amounts or currency are shown for the two paid plans, and the page mentions no free trial. Signal is simpler to budget, because there is nothing to budget.
Edge: Signal
- 03
Buying support and service levels
Element's features page lists support and SLAs for cloud and on-premise deployments, and Enterprise is sold through a conversation with an expert. Signal's homepage and legal pages show only the free app and donations, with no business plan, admin console or contract. An organisation that needs somebody to sign a service level has a route with Element and none that we could see with Signal.
Edge: Element
- 04
Open source and licences
Both publish code under AGPL. Signal-Android and Signal Desktop are AGPL-3.0, copyright Signal Messenger, LLC. Element's web client is multi-licensed by New Vector Ltd as AGPL-3.0, GPL-3.0 or a paid commercial licence. The Community server edition is marked as free and open source but not for production. Element gives more licensing choices, while Signal keeps one licence across the repositories we read.
Edge: Element
- 05
Accounts, phone numbers and data handling
Signal's privacy policy says a phone number is required to register, that it cannot decrypt messages or calls, and that history stays on user devices. Hashed contacts reach its server only if contact discovery is on. The terms add that metadata may be transferred to the United States. The pages we read for Element do not describe account registration, so we cannot compare that point. Signal is clearer here, and its cost is the SIM tie.
Edge: Signal
- 06
Country and governance
Element is headquartered in the UK, its legal entity is Element Creations Ltd, and it names French, US and German subsidiaries. Matrix itself is governed by the independent Matrix.org Foundation, which helps if you ever want to leave. Signal is operated from Mountain View, California, under Californian law, and describes itself as a 501c3 non-profit. For a buyer wanting a non-US operator with an open standard, Element fits better.
Edge: Element
When neither fits
If you want a European-run messenger with no server to host, neither fits cleanly. Threema is worth a look as a paid, ready-to-use app, and Wire is aimed more at teams.
Element or Signal: questions
3 answersCan I get Element running without hosting a server myself?
The pricing page we read lists only self-hosted editions. The privacy policy refers to hosted instances through EMS and ESS, so a hosted route may exist, but the pricing page does not show one. Ask Element directly before planning around it.
Does Signal have anything for a company that needs an invoice?
The pages we checked show only the free app and donations, with no business plan or contract. Signal says it does not sell or monetise personal data and relies on grants and donations. A company wanting a supplier relationship would find nobody to buy from.
What does Element cost for a 60-person team?
Community is listed as free for 1 to 100 users, but it is for non-professional deployments and evaluations, and its Synapse is not for production. Enterprise starts from 100 users with no published price. A professional deployment at 60 users is therefore a quote conversation.
Sources
Checked 6 November 2026- Element pricing: three plans, user ranges, per-seat and per-deployment basis, no amounts, one production plus one test server.
- Element features: encryption, federation, Spaces and support with SLAs for cloud and on-premise.
- Element privacy policy: Element Creations Ltd London address, subsidiaries, mention of EMS and ESS hosted instances.
- Element web repository: AGPL-3.0, GPL-3.0 or commercial licence by New Vector Ltd.
- Signal homepage: free messaging, no ads, grants and donations, no business plan shown.
- Signal terms and privacy: Signal Messenger LLC in Mountain View, California law, phone number registration, hashed contacts, data transfer to the US.
- Signal-Android repository: AGPL-3.0 licence of the Android app.