Element vs Whereby
On the evidence we track, Whereby leads this comparison with a composite score of 86/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for collaboration software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Element
A secure messaging and video conferencing system that prioritizes data control and independence by enabling organizations to self-host their communications infrastructure on open standards.
Whereby
LeaderA privacy-first video conferencing API built in Europe, offering reliable video calls for teams and platforms with flexible pay-per-use billing.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Element
Free community version. Pro version billed per seat per month.
- CommunityFree
- Free frontend and backend
- Self-hosted community server
- ProProfessional server with per-seat/month pricing
- Professional home server with dynamic scaling
- 90% resource savings vs Community
- Advanced security advisory
- Level 3 support with SLA
- Long-term support (LTS)
- +9 more
Whereby
LeaderFree tier with 2,000 participant minutes per month, or $9.99/month plus usage fees
- TestFree
- Up to 2,000 participant minutes per month
- Developer community
- Email support
- Limited white labelling
- Build$9.99/month plus $0.004 per participant minute
- 2,000 included participant minutes per month
- Additional participant minutes at $0.004 each
- Session transcriptions from $0.0065 per unmuted participant minute
- Custom branding
- Cloud recording at $0.01 per minute
- +14 more
- EnterpriseContact sales
- Volume discounts
- Early access to new features
- Implementation support
- Technical Success Manager
- HIPAA compliance included
- +1 more
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
- Google Calendar
- YouTube
Element
- Jitsi
- Etherpad
- Grafana
- Spotify
- EtherCalc
- TradingView
- Github
- Gitlab
- JIRA
- RSS
- Webhooks
- LDAP
- SCIM
- OIDC
- OAuth
Whereby
Leader- Microsoft Outlook
- Google Docs
- Trello
- Slack
- Chrome
Element or Whereby: which one depends on you
A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.
Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works
Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.