--- title: Element Reviews meta_title: 'Element Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 43 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Element works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.2 review_count: 43 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-08-09' parent_category: name: Internal Communications url: https://www.g2.com/categories/internal-communications --- # Element Reviews **Vendor:** Element **Category:** [Business Instant Messaging Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/business-instant-messaging) **Average Rating:** 4.2/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 43 ## About Element Element is a secure communications platform built on Matrix: a decentralised and end-to-end encrypted protocol. Bring your teams together, boost productivity and workplace satisfaction, while retaining complete ownership of your data. Element is a leader in the Forrester Wave: Secure Communications report. Easily collaborate with your partners, suppliers or clients with video calls and instant messaging: like email for the 21st century. You can even connect your Slack, MS Teams, WhatsApp accounts. On the other hand Element can be closed for high security environments using secure border and cross domain gateways, and even air-gapped deployments. Being built on Matrix, there is no single point of failure for the network thanks to the decentralised network architecture, making it perfect for mission-critical environments. Please contact us to explore how your business can benefit from Element. ## Element Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users value Element's **strong security features** , especially its end-to-end encryption and data control for team communication. (4 reviews) - Users find **Element easy to set up and manage** , facilitating seamless collaboration and efficient communication. (3 reviews) - Users appreciate the **seamless connectivity** of Element, enhancing team collaboration and communication across various projects. (2 reviews) - Users value the **extensive customization** options in Element, enhancing team collaboration with secure and flexible communication. (2 reviews) - Users appreciate the **configurability and security** of Element, along with its effective file transfer and search capabilities. (2 reviews) - Users value the **media sharing capabilities** of Element, appreciating its support for file transfer and search functionalities. (2 reviews) - Peer Connection (2 reviews) - Collaboration (1 reviews) - Users value the **effective communication** features of Element, facilitating collaboration with ease and security. (1 reviews) - Convenience (1 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users find the interface **not intuitive** , leading to a frustrating learning curve compared to other platforms. (3 reviews) - Users find the **complexity** overwhelming for non-tech users, affecting smoothness and adding technical overhead in self-hosting. (2 reviews) - Users report a **lack of notifications** that causes delays in receiving messages and affects usability. (2 reviews) - Users find the **learning difficulty** of Element challenging, especially for non-tech users navigating its complex features. (2 reviews) - Users experience significant **status issues** with delays in messages and notifications, alongside poor customer support responsiveness. (2 reviews) - Users report **poor customer support** and unresponsive tech assistance, leading to unresolved issues and frustration. (1 reviews) - Difficult Navigation (1 reviews) - Users report significant **file sharing issues** and lack of customer support, leading to frustration and unresolved problems. (1 reviews) - Group Management (1 reviews) - Users report significant **integration issues** with Element, compounded by a lack of responsive customer support. (1 reviews) ## Element Reviews ### 1. Flexible, Secure Team Communication Made Simple **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Phillip P. | Cyber Security Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 12, 2025 **What do you like best about Element?** What I appreciate most about Element is its flexibility and strong security for team communication. The end-to-end encryption reassures me that our conversations remain private, and setting up and managing channels for various projects or groups is straightforward. Overall, it really streamlines collaboration and helps keep our team connected and organised. **What do you dislike about Element?** What I find most frustrating about Element is that it sometimes feels slow or a bit clunky, particularly when managing large groups or a high volume of messages. Additionally, some features are not as intuitive as those on other chat platforms, which means there is a slight learning curve. However, after becoming familiar with it, I find that it functions effectively. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Element addresses the challenge of secure and organised team communication. Rather than depending on lengthy email threads or juggling several messaging platforms, it brings all conversations together in a single space with robust privacy controls. This leads to quicker collaboration, reduces the chances of miscommunication, and ensures that sensitive discussions remain protected, ultimately making the team both more efficient and secure. ### 2. Effortless and Effective with Minor Performance Tweaks **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Briana B. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Element?** I like everything about Element. It allows us to maneuver around all the hard district issues we have, especially with computers and time management. It's also super easy to setup, which I appreciate. **What do you dislike about Element?** I feel like it runs really well just needs to run a little more faster but it is awesome. It can be internet issues but at time the software runs slow. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Element helps organize everything and tackle district issues, especially with computers and time management. ### 3. A Secure & easy to use Messaging App for Modern Teams **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Amit K. | Software Engineer III, Computer Software, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 22, 2025 **What do you like best about Element?** 1. It gives us consumer app ease but with enterprise-grade security and control - so both users and IT teams are somewhat happy. 2. Very strong privacy & data sovernity: we can self host the server, chosse hosting, avoid vendor-lock, and very easy to integrate. 3. Enables inter-org communication and "federations" which is useful if we work with contractors. 4. Customer support is quite great. **What do you dislike about Element?** 1. What I have heard is mainly the message or notifications delays 2. If we self host, there can be additional techincal overhead compared to pure consumer app. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** 1. Shadow IT & uncontrolled messaging apps. 2. Vendor lock-in & inflexibility of preprietary systems 3. Dependency on centralised infra (single point of failure) ### 4. Top-notch interface, secure audio/video exchanges at a lower cost **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Graphic Design | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** May 06, 2026 **What do you like best about Element?** The possibility for small businesses to communicate in writing or via audio/video to discuss ongoing projects, securely and at a lower cost. The interface is also highly appreciated. **What do you dislike about Element?** The connection issues with audio/video discussions that sometimes lag. I also regret the difficulty in changing the microphone source to use. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Before, we used Slack. Element allowed us to continue our discussions in different rooms beyond the limits imposed on Slack. This migration is also beneficial from a security standpoint for our conversations. ### 5. Very happy with it, though it's definitely for a technical crowd **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 06, 2025 **What do you like best about Element?** Element is very configurable and secure, and allows file transfer and search. **What do you dislike about Element?** Sometimes it's not made obvious enough that someone messaged me or how to do something I don't routinely do. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** It solves the core issue of needing a communication channel that's faster than email but not quite worthy of a phone call. It keeps me connected to my team ### 6. Secure Communication Platform **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Rian M. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 19, 2025 **What do you like best about Element?** I absolutely love the level the security features they have for each conversation. Along with the encryption and server options. I use it to communicate with my private network. **What do you dislike about Element?** I dislike the desktops version laginess. It's very hard to access due to some code glitch, i can't quiet figure out. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's giving us the level of security of knowing that our video conferences are confidential. They're also encrypted unlike many other platforms. ### 7. This app is very good **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Lakshya R. | Elevenlabs, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 13, 2025 **What do you like best about Element?** I like best about Elements it has helped bring all my messaging app together. This app is also a great improvement over the old element app **What do you dislike about Element?** Please provide functionality to that would have people want to move from element.. I have both and can't use element as it is barely functional compared to element **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** To solve ### 8. Element has been an excellent option to use at work. **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Abhishek B. | GRC Intern (Governance, Risk and Compliance in Security), Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 21, 2024 **What do you like best about Element?** I use it on a daily basis at work and it has a great and simple interface both in android and windows. Encryption has been guaranteed and all features required for workspaces are available. **What do you dislike about Element?** One issue I faced recently was that the decryption of files was taking time but I'm sure it will change soon. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** A great alternative to WhatsApp as that is used for personal communication. Element is secure and can be trusted. All types of files can be shared. Rooms can be created for directed communication. All-in-all, an effective and simple application to use at work. ### 9. Fast and easy, everyone in the office can use it. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gage P. | Incentive Development Lead, Consumer Goods, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 13, 2023 **What do you like best about Element?** The message is delivered straightaway and can include information such as dates, times and venues. Element allows me to keep in touch with my global teams and avoid potential bombs that would otherwise sit in an email for 20 hours. **What do you dislike about Element?** Element is a great dashboard and nothing much to dislike about it. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Speeding up sales cycles with company-wide knowledge sharing. ### 10. Very succinct system of delivering consistent messaging **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mark N. | A/R Supervisor, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 19, 2023 **What do you like best about Element?** The tool is easy to use and transition wasn't bumpy at all. Provides regular, transparent and, clear communication in a very centralised place. **What do you dislike about Element?** No issues with the interface and navigation so far, we are just looking for more ways to integrate it. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Clear communications that helps keep everyone informed and quell any concerns they have. ### 11. A modern communication experience **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Hammy H. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 20, 2021 **What do you like best about Element?** Rather than just being yet another silly messaging application, Element utilizes Matrix protocol, which supports both federation and the brilliant bridging, integrating with third-party messaging apps, giving you a unified messenger at last. **What do you dislike about Element?** No voice messages yet. Push-to-talk/automatic playing of voice messages would also be a novelty so a real-time call isn't necessary in order to communicate. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Battery drain and psychological overload with too many messaging apps. ### 12. Free IM with group or individual options **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 15, 2020 **What do you like best about Element?** Riot has given us the ability to have continuous and free instant messaging without having to see everyone's replies and read through the whole conversation to catch up...unless you want to do so in the group chat. The fact that it is also encrypted, if you select that option, is a huge plus especially for the confidential needs of any client details we may be discussing. **What do you dislike about Element?** Hmm...I honestly can't think of one. It does exactly what we want it to and is very user friendly. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** We needed an instant messaging system, like Yahoo IM (that's not discontinued btw), that would sit in the corner and not be another website we had to monitor or keep up with. Riot gives you the option of sound and pop-up notifications and, what has been the life saver for me, when you get a new comment or message then the R emblem on your task bar has a red notification number to moves in front of the R. It's subtle enough to not distract you but unique enough to catch your eye. ### 13. Encrypted Chat solution.... and it's FREE! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Steven C. | IT Administrator, Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 08, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** Configuration was easy due to it's self hosting capabilities. Training on the product was even easier since it functioned like easy to use chat application. We also appreciated the fact that there is a browser and app version of the application which allows for flexibility of access. **What do you dislike about Element?** I would say the feature I dislike the most is the security keys that are created for each account. Some users are more responsible with their information that others, so user management has been a challenge when someone loses or misplaces their key. I haven't discovered a work around as of yet, so we have some duplicate users. Other than that it has been smooth sailing. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Riot.im solved a challenge we were having when one of our internal products lost it's chat function. We work in the realm of emergency management. There was a need for an encrypted chat function and Riot.im fit the bill. The flexibility of the application has created communication opportunities during various incidents. ### 14. It is an universal secure chat app under your control **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sankalp S. | Senior Software Development Engineer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 28, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** It has a very simple interface, adding the ability for more unexperienced PC-Users to use it. Collaboratively editing google docs and chatting at the same time is possible with riot and this is something which I use the most **What do you dislike about Element?** There is clearly a User Experience issue esp. in web version Most often used parts are functional, but some are yet not. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** We are currently using this as medium to communicate in between the team and work on the shared document which needs to be edited by multiple person at the same time. ### 15. Riot IM Review **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Accounting | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 28, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** Riot is a great IM client and we have used it extensively across the organization. It is open source which we like because it allows us to integrate with many other products and software we use. **What do you dislike about Element?** The product is fairly new. This means we often don't see as many advanced features, and the product is not as mature overall as some others. **Recommendations to others considering Element:** It's a good product and on the right track. It is new so not all features match up to other tools, but open source is nice and you can integrate lots of other stuff with it. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Allows employees to communicate with each other effectively across the organization. Provides a good way for employees to share and collaborate. ### 16. excellent project **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** karim a. | manager, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 16, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** end-to-end encryption support stands out private/public chat rooms room members by link and/or invitation themes different levels of notification file sharing audio and video conferencing (I have not personally tested this) **What do you dislike about Element?** There are still a few issues to resolve: not all files are downloaded correctly (size limit for the beta version?) The pasted text appears twice when you enter it in a chat room (but correctly once you press Enter) not all web pages are previewed correctly text search in the chat room is slow (unencrypted rooms) text search in a chat room does not work (encrypted rooms) Also, I really hope that this horrible green color will not be the default color and will not deter people. (Don't worry, you can choose different colors for different rooms.) **Recommendations to others considering Element:** Personally, I am a big fan and I am really looking forward to seeing what its continued development will bring. I would recommend at least trying it. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** - support stands out - private / public chat rooms - room members by link and / or invitation - themes - different levels of notification - file sharing ### 17. Security, flexibility and communication under your control **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Javier R. | Consultant, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 02, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** that is based on open source software, where you can set your own server with encryption and communicate with other users in other servers, even with calls or even in other protocols like IRC **What do you dislike about Element?** Setting up a server may be no that easy, and sometimes there is communication issues with the secure keys changing constantly **Recommendations to others considering Element:** Setting your own server may be time consuming but its worth it **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** descentralized, transparent, flexible, trustable peer to peer communication. ### 18. riot.im **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Joshua M. | Registered Nurse, Government Administration, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 25, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** I like riot.im since it doesn't require a phone number for me message and it's ability to integrate voice and videos with my colleague and groups.it nice since it keeps my conversation with peers and lover private. **What do you dislike about Element?** When the riot.im has gathered all my conversation and app integrations,makes my phone to be slow running and takes long to start **Recommendations to others considering Element:** Their should be well secure end to end encrypted instant messages that supports roit.im **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** To make sure rioti.im can be installed in all Android phones like that of 8.1samsungs j1 ### 19. Liberate your communications **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Brian J. | Hr manager, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 06, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** Riot is an open source chat app with a growing and vibrant community, that is eager to help and grow in a professional sense, since our company has moved to riot a year ago we have never experienced a problem. The app is getting better and safer **What do you dislike about Element?** Encryption can be a little frustrating but new updates are coming **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Open source, regulated, Bridge between multiple services ### 20. One of the best group decentralized crypto-messengers **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dennis I. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 04, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** It's open source and based on matrix, a lot of people have done code review and bug reporting so its one of the safest options now **What do you dislike about Element?** Small userbase, but I'm quite sure it will grow **Recommendations to others considering Element:** Open source, secure cross platform decentralized messenger. What else would you need? **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Privacy, group discussions ### 21. Good Open Source Application in developing stages **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Health, Wellness and Fitness | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 29, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** I like the User Interface, its neat customizable and user friendly **What do you dislike about Element?** It has certain bugs on Android that can be worked upon **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** I was experimenting with the various business chat applications to search the right one for my company. ### 22. Great instant messaging service **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 04, 2019 **What do you like best about Element?** It's user friendly, and it doesn't require a ton of training. **What do you dislike about Element?** It sometimes doesn't save our work address and we have to type it in everytime we get on. **What problems is Element solving and how is that benefiting you?** Instant messaging, private chat, sending links or pictures. ## Element Discussions - [Is element Matrix secure?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-element-matrix-secure) - [How does element IO make money?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-does-element-io-make-money) - [Is element a safe app?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-element-a-safe-app) - [View Element pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/element-io/reviews?filters%5Bnps_score%5D%5B%5D=5§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-08-12+11%3A28%3A03+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=400e369d-0e0b-4089-8a6d-b931a138f67b&secure%5Btoken%5D=5c19ebad15e35e3af25c183cc4f8e90a65c39ff62938ae5e1b09c5f9b5afb097&format=llm_user) ## Element Features **Additional Functionality** - Third-Party Integrations - To-Do List - @mentions - Single Sign On - File Management - Activity Dashboard - Drag & Drop - Alerts/Notifications - Prioritization - Access Controls/Permissions - Screen Sharing - Content Management - Brainstorming - AI Copilot - File Transfer - Calendar Management - Status Tracking - Real-Time Notifications - Version Control - Task Management - Activity Tracking - Real Time Editing - Communication Management - Chat/Messaging - Tagging - Generative AI - Assignment Management - Task Scheduling - Project Management - Collaboration Tools - Workflow Management - Secure Data Storage - File Sharing - Document Storage - Task Progress Tracking - Discussions/Forums - Commenting/Notes - Reporting & Statistics - Contact Management - Video Conferencing - Progress Tracking - Mobile Access - API - Document Management - Customizable Branding **Business Instant Messaging** - File Sharing - Notifications - Search - Screen Sharing - Alerts/Notifications **Administrative Tasks - Frontline Worker Communication Platforms** - Training & Learning Modules - Health & Safety Policies - Onboarding & Offboarding - Surveys & Feedback - Employee Services - Knowledge Management **Business Instant Messaging ** - Audio Conferencing - Video Conferencing - Two-Way Audio & Video - Conferencing **Communication Features - Frontline Worker Communication Platforms** - Group Messaging - Private Messaging - Announcements - Emergency Notifications **Business Instant Messaging** - Mobile Application - Web Application - Third-Party Integrations - Active Directory Integration **Operations - Frontline Worker Communication Platforms** - Shift Scheduling - Insights & Analytics - Task Management - SOPs & Documentation **Generative AI - Business Instant Messaging** - Text Summarization **Agentic AI - Frontline Worker Communication Platforms** - Autonomous Task Execution - Multi-step Planning - Cross-system Integration - Natural Language Interaction - Proactive Assistance **Additional Functionality** - Search/Filter - Event Calendar - Employee Database - Activity Dashboard - Tagging - Customizable Templates - Discussions/Forums - Document Storage - Drag & Drop - API - Role-Based Permissions - Real-Time Updates - Data Import/Export - Reporting & Statistics - Access Controls/Permissions - Commenting/Notes - AI Copilot - Customizable Branding - Employee Photos - Activity Tracking - Transcripts/Chat History - Mobile Alerts - Single Sign On - Engagement Tracking - Blogs - @mentions **AI - Business Instant Messaging** - AI Powered Search - Smart Notifications - AI Powered Language Translation - Content Generation - Generative AI **Agentic AI - Business Instant Messaging** - Cross-system Integration - Natural Language Interaction - Multi-Language **Additional Functionality** - Group Messaging - Bulk Send - Meeting Management - Mobile Access - Rich Text Editor - Role-Based Permissions - Discussions/Forums - Transcripts/Chat History - Contact Management - User Management - Message Recall - Canned Responses - Document Storage - Collaboration Tools - Activity Dashboard - Reporting & Statistics - Multi-Channel Communication - Workflow Configuration - Single Sign On - Access Controls/Permissions - Task Management - Reminders - Read Receipts - @mentions - API - AI Copilot - Real-Time Chat - SSL Security - Data Import/Export - Email Management - Search/Filter - Secure Data Storage - Activity Tracking - Broadcast Messaging - Customizable Branding - Drag & Drop - Commenting/Notes - Employee Database - One-to-One Messaging - Event Calendar - Tagging - Customizable Templates - Real-Time Updates - Employee Photos - Mobile Alerts - Engagement Tracking - Blogs ## Top Element Alternatives - [Slack](https://www.g2.com/products/slack/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (37,508 reviews) - [Microsoft Teams](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-teams/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (17,644 reviews) - [Rocket.Chat](https://www.g2.com/products/rocket-chat/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (348 reviews)