Comparison

Element vs Slack

On the evidence we track, Slack leads this comparison with a composite score of 82/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Element full profile →Slack full profile →

Machine formatsJSON Markdown GraphQLor send Accept: application/json

Element49

★Slack82

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	Element	SlackLeader
Vioscale score	49 / 100medium · 73%updating	82 / 100medium · 54%updating
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	freemium	commercial
Price levelpricing.price_level	low	low
Transparentpricing.transparent	✗	✓
Integrations
Countintegrations.count	13	2,500
Security
Disclosure policysecurity.disclosure_policy	✓	✓
Gdprsecurity.gdpr	✓	✓
Iso27001security.iso27001	✓	-
Reliability
Status pagereliability.status_page	✓	✓
Market
Availabilitymarket.availability	Available worldwide · Popular in GB, DE, FR, US · HQ GB	Available worldwide

Score

Vioscale score

Element49 / 100medium · 73%updating

Slack82 / 100medium · 54%updating

Pricing

Free tier

Element✓

Slack✓

Model

Elementfreemium

Slackcommercial

Price level

Elementlow

Slacklow

Transparent

Element✗

Slack✓

Integrations

Count

Element13

Slack2,500

Security

Disclosure policy

Element✓

Slack✓

Gdpr

Element✓

Slack✓

Iso27001

Element✓

Slack–

Reliability

Status page

Element✓

Slack✓

Market

Availability

ElementAvailable worldwide · Popular in GB, DE, FR, US · HQ GB

SlackAvailable worldwide

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for collaboration software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for Collaboration Software
Capability	Element	Slack
Modality
Messaging	✓	✓
Video meetings	✓	-
Whiteboard	✗	-
Meetings
Screen sharing	✗	-
Recording / transcription	-	-
Security
End-to-end encryption	✓	-
SSO / SCIM	✓	-
Access
Guest / external access	✓	✓
Compliance
Compliance controls	✓	✓
Deployment
Hosting	Cloud + self-hosted	Cloud only
Scale
Max participants	-	-
Ecosystem
App marketplace	✓	✓
Public API / bot framework	✓	✓
Commercial
Free tier	✓	-

Modality

Messaging

Element✓

Slack✓

Video meetings

Element✓

Slack-

Whiteboard

Element✗

Slack-

Meetings

Screen sharing

Element✗

Slack-

Recording / transcription

Element-

Slack-

Security

End-to-end encryption

Element✓

Slack-

SSO / SCIM

Element✓

Slack-

Access

Guest / external access

Element✓

Slack✓

Compliance

Compliance controls

Element✓

Slack✓

Deployment

Hosting

ElementCloud + self-hosted

SlackCloud only

Scale

Max participants

Element-

Slack-

Ecosystem

App marketplace

Element✓

Slack✓

Public API / bot framework

Element✓

Slack✓

Commercial

Free tier

Element✓

Slack-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Element

A secure, encrypted messaging and collaboration system built on the Matrix open standard. Element enables organizations to host their own communications servers, featuring end-to-end encryption, video conferencing, and federation between different organizations or systems.

Independently observed

Slack

Leader

A workspace tool that consolidates team messaging, third-party software integrations, and automated workflows to help distributed teams coordinate work and manage customer interactions more effectively.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Element

HybridFree tier

Free open-source tier; Enterprise and Sovereign pricing available via contact

CommunityFree
- Self-hosted Synapse server
- Element Call included
- AGPL open source
- Frontend and backend
- Server configuration
- +1 more
EnterpriseContact sales
- Synapse Pro server
- Enhanced security advisories
- Compliance and enterprise controls
- Moderation and supervision
- Retention policies
- +11 more
SovereignContact sales
- Synapse Pro server
- Air-gapped deployment
- Operates without internet connectivity
- Custom mobile push gateway
- Air-gapped setup and support

as of 2026-08-13verify ↗

Slack

Leader

from £5.75/moSubscriptionFree tier

From £0 (free tier) to £7/user/month (Pro). Free tier available.

FreeFree
- 90 days of message history
- Up to 10 apps from Slack App Directory
- 1:1 audio and video meetings with screen sharing
- 1:1 external messages via Slack Connect
- SAML-based single sign-on
- +9 more
Pro£7/user/month (£5.75/user/month billed annually)
- Unlimited message history
- Unlimited app integrations
- 2,600+ apps in Slack App Directory

as of 2026-08-05verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	Element	Slack
WebPlatforms	✓	✓
iOSPlatforms	✓	✓
AndroidPlatforms	✓	✗
macOSPlatforms	✓	✗
WindowsPlatforms	✓	✗
LinuxPlatforms	✓	✗
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	✓
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✗
On-premiseDeployment	✓	✗
HybridDeployment	✓	✗
Air-gappedDeployment	✓	✗

Platforms

Web

Element✓

Slack✓

iOS

Element✓

Slack✓

Android

Element✓

Slack✗

macOS

Element✓

Slack✗

Windows

Element✓

Slack✗

Linux

Element✓

Slack✗

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

Element✓

Slack✓

Self-hosted

Element✓

Slack✗

On-premise

Element✓

Slack✗

Hybrid

Element✓

Slack✗

Air-gapped

Element✓

Slack✗

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Element

13 total

Jitsi
Etherpad
Grafana
Google Calendar
Spotify
YouTube
EtherCalc
TradingView
Github
Gitlab
JIRA
RSS
Webhooks

Independently observed

Slack

Leader

8 total

Salesforce
Atlassian
Lucid
Loom
Miro
Smartsheet
Mural
Zapier

Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.