Bytedesk vs Element

Comparing two open source alternatives to Slack. Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Bytedesk

AGPL-3.0

Open source AI-powered omnichannel customer service platform that combines live chat, ticketing, and team collaboration as an alternative to Slack, Zendesk, Intercom, and HubSpot.

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Element

AGPL-3.0

Open-source Matrix client for secure, decentralized messaging, voice, and video — runs on your own server.

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Side-by-side comparison

	Bytedesk	Element
License	AGPL-3.0	AGPL-3.0
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	505	13,552
Forks	141	2,785
Open Issues	—	3,716
Last Commit	Oct 7, 2026	Oct 10, 2026
First Released	Oct 12, 2023	Jul 22, 2015
Categories	Team Chat & Messaging Tools Customer Communication Platforms	Team Chat & Messaging Tools
Tags	—	#chat #messaging #privacy #self hosted #voice chat

GitHub stars over time

Bytedesk505

Element

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