Element

Element is an open source messaging and collaboration platform built on the Matrix decentralized communication protocol. Originally launched as Riot.im in 2016 and rebranded to Element in 2020, the company was founded by Matthew Hodgson and Amandine Le Pape in London, United Kingdom. Element is developed by Element (formerly New Vector), the company that also leads development of the Matrix protocol itself, which has been adopted by the French government, the German military (Bundeswehr), and NATO for secure communications.

The platform offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice and video calls, threaded conversations, Spaces for organizing teams, and bridges that connect to other messaging platforms including Slack, IRC, Telegram, and Discord. Element supports widgets for embedding third-party tools directly into rooms, and its federation capabilities allow organizations to communicate across independent Matrix servers while retaining full control over their own data. The platform is available as a web app, desktop app, and on iOS and Android.

As a UK-based company with data centers in the United Kingdom and Germany, Element provides a sovereign alternative to US-controlled messaging platforms. The entire codebase is open source under the Apache 2.0 license, enabling organizations to self-host their own instances for complete data sovereignty. Element is particularly popular among government agencies, defense organizations, and privacy-conscious enterprises across Europe that require interoperable, encrypted communication without dependence on proprietary US platforms.