Best Element Alternatives in 2026
The top Element alternatives are Microsoft Teams, Slack and Zoho Cliq: 15 team chat apps our editors would look at instead of Element, in our ranking order.
Element: A privacy-focused, open-source chat platform for teams needing control and federation. Where it falls short: enterprise budgeting depends on per-seat/month pricing.
Switching from Element? For most team chat apps buyers the best Element alternative is Microsoft Teams, built for organizations using Microsoft 365. On a budget, Pumble starts at $2.49/seat/mo. Zoho Cliq offers the most maximum members (100000 users).
Why People Look for an Element Alternative
- Enterprise budgeting depends on per-seat/month pricing
- Community is intended for non-professional use and evaluations
- Its broad deployment model may require more administration
- No channels — 13 of the alternatives below have it
Quick Picks by What You Need
- Best overallMicrosoft Teams9.4
Organizations using Microsoft 365
Visit Microsoft Teams - Lowest pricePumble8.0
Paid plans from $2.49/seat/mo
Visit Pumble - Best free optionMicrosoft Teams9.4
Has a free plan
Visit Microsoft Teams - Most maximum membersZoho Cliq9.1
100000 users
Visit Zoho Cliq - Best for channelsMicrosoft Teams9.4
Channels (Element: no)
Visit Microsoft Teams
All 15 Element Alternatives, Ranked
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
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Best forOrganizations using Microsoft 365
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 9.4 vs 8.1
A broad team chat workspace with a free plan and deep Microsoft 365 integration.
- Guest access
- Channels
9.4/10★★★★★Try Microsoft Teams -
Best forIntegration-heavy teams
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 9.3 vs 8.1
A capable team-chat hub for integration-heavy teams, with limited free history.
- Guest access
- Channels
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Slack -
Best forTeams in the Zoho ecosystem
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 9.1 vs 8.1
A broad team chat suite with strong Zoho ecosystem fit and a capable free plan.
- Guest access
- Channels
9.1/10★★★★★Visit Zoho Cliq -
Best forSelf-hosted technical teams
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 8.9 vs 8.1
A flexible team chat platform for technical teams that need self-hosting and automation.
- Guest access
- Channels
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit Mattermost -
Best forOrganizations needing controlled deployments
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 8.8 vs 8.1
A flexible, open-source chat platform for controlled and isolated deployments.
- Guest access
- Channels
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit Rocket.Chat -
Best forTeams that prefer topic-based discussions
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 8.7 vs 8.1
A flexible, topic-focused team chat with cloud and self-hosted plans.
- Guest access
- Channels
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit Zulip -
Best forTeams needing an all-in-one workspace
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 8.6 vs 8.1
A broad collaboration workspace with valuable free access and paid tiers for scale.
- Channels
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit Lark -
Best forTeams wanting free chat plus work tools
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 8.5 vs 8.1
A broad team chat workspace with a capable free Starter plan and useful work tools.
- Guest access
- Channels
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Flock -
Best forCommunities centered on voice and live interaction
- Better than Element:
- Editor score 8.4 vs 8.1
A capable community chat platform built around voice, live interaction, and streaming.
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit Discord -
Best forNextcloud and self-hosted organizations
- Better than Element:
- Editor score 8.3 vs 8.1
A flexible open-source team chat option for Nextcloud and self-hosted organizations.
- Guest access
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit Nextcloud Talk -
Best forSecurity-focused organizations needing federation
- Better than Element:
- Channels
- Editor score 8.2 vs 8.1
A security-focused team chat app with federation, encryption, and broad client support.
- Guest access
- Channels
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Wire -
Best forTeams seeking low-cost full chat
- Better than Element:
- Channels
A low-cost team chat app with unlimited history and a broad feature set.
- Guest access
- Channels
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Pumble -
Best forBudget-conscious collaborative teams
- Better than Element:
- Channels
A low-cost team workspace combining chat, collaboration tools, and searchable history.
- Guest access
- Channels
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Chanty -
Best forRegulated teams needing external interoperability
- Better than Element:
- Channels
A compliance-focused team chat platform for regulated financial-services organizations.
- Guest access
- Channels
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Symphony -
Best forAsync, thread-focused teams
- Better than Element:
- Channels
A structured team chat app for asynchronous, thread-focused collaboration.
- Guest access
- Channels
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Twist
Element Alternatives: Common Questions
What is the best alternative to Element?
Microsoft Teams: #1 in our Team Chat Apps ranking, with an editor score of 9.4 out of 10. A broad team chat workspace with a free plan and deep Microsoft 365 integration.
Is there a free alternative to Element?
Yes. Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoho Cliq, Mattermost and Rocket.Chat have a free plan or a free tier (13 of the 15 alternatives on this page).
What is the cheapest paid alternative to Element?
Of the alternatives here that publish a price, Pumble starts lowest, at $2.49/seat/mo.
Why do people look for Element alternatives?
Enterprise budgeting depends on per-seat/month pricing; Community is intended for non-professional use and evaluations; Its broad deployment model may require more administration.
Which Element alternative has the most maximum members?
Zoho Cliq, with 100000 users.
How do I switch from Element?
Export your data from Element (most tools have an export in their settings). Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one. Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on. Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Element.
How to Switch from Element
- Export your data from Element (most tools have an export in their settings).
- Sign up for the alternative; start on its free plan or trial if it has one.
- Import your export and set up the integrations your team relies on.
- Run both side by side for a short while, then cancel Element.
Element vs Each Alternative
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Channels | Guest access | Message history | Integrations | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Element | Yes | No | Yes | Unlimited | Etherpad, Grafana, Google Calendar, Jitsi, Spotify, YouTube, Ethercalc, TradingView, GitHub, RSS Bot, GitLab, Jira, Webhooks | 8.1 | |
| 1 | Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Exchange, Planner, Forms, Power BI, OneNote, Power Apps, Power Automate, LinkedIn | 9.4 | |
| 2 | Slack | Yes | $7.25/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Limited | Salesforce, Jira, Google Drive, ChatGPT, Asana, Miro, Notion, Zoom, GitHub, GitLab, PagerDuty, Box, Dropbox, Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot | 9.3 |
| 3 | Zoho Cliq | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Zoho People, Zoho Projects, Zoho Calendar, Zoho Notebook, Office 365, Twitter, third-party extensions | 9.1 | |
| 4 | Mattermost | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, Outlook, ServiceNow, Zoom, Pexip, Splunk, Zapier | 8.9 | |
| 5 | Rocket.Chat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | GitHub, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Meet, Jira Cloud, Microsoft Teams, Pexip, Telegram, Trello, WhatsApp, Zapier, Zoom | 8.8 | |
| 6 | Zulip | Yes | $3.50/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Limited | GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Zoom, Jitsi Meet, Zapier, IFTTT, Sentry, Zendesk | 8.7 |
| 7 | Lark | Yes | Yes | Limited | Exchange, Outlook, Google Calendar, Gmail, AnyCross, Lark Developer, Lark Base | 8.6 | ||
| 8 | Flock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited | Google Drive, Google Calendar, GitHub, Trello, Dropbox, Twitter, Bitbucket, Asana, Jira, Zapier, Zoom, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Todoist, GitLab, Zendesk, Freshdesk, OneDrive, Mailchimp | 8.5 | |
| 9 | Discord | Yes | $29.99/user/yr | 8.4 | ||||
| 10 | Nextcloud Talk | €71.29/user/yr | No | Yes | Nextcloud Files, Nextcloud Groupware, Nextcloud Calendar, Nextcloud Deck, Nextcloud Whiteboard, Matterbridge, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Matrix, IRC, Slack, Mattermost, XMPP, Pexip, SIP | 8.3 | ||
| 11 | Wire | Yes | €7.45/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Poll, Reminder, GitHub | 8.2 | |
| 12 | Pumble | Yes | $2.49/seat/mo | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Google Calendar, Plaky, Clockify, AI Assistant, Calendly, Email, GitHub, GitLab, Gmail, Google Drive, Jira, Polls, RSS, Zapier | 8.0 |
| 13 | Chanty | Yes | $3/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Unlimited | Zapier, Giphy, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, YouTube, Vimeo, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Trello, Asana, Google Calendar, Mailchimp, Jira, Box, ClickUp, Clockify, Loom, Basecamp, Wrike, Process Street, Make, Monday.com, HubSpot, n8n | 7.9 |
| 14 | Symphony | No | Yes | Yes | DTCC, FinTech Studios, FlexTrade, Hammerstone Markets, HSBC Global Research, ipushpull, Morgan Stanley Research, Saphyre, Taskize, TradingView, Appian, DataParser, Genesis, Jira, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Symantec, Unqork, LINE, Microsoft Teams, SMS, WeChat, WhatsApp, Zoom | 7.8 | ||
| 15 | Twist | Yes | $6/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Limited | Todoist, Asana, CircleCI, GitHub, GitLab, Jira Software, Make, n8n, Pipedream, Zapier, Google Calendar, Calendly, Jitsi Meet, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Sheets, OneDrive, Box, Trello | 7.7 |
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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