Greenlight vs Element Call
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Greenlight
Front-end for managing BigBlueButton meeting rooms
VS
Element Call
Encrypted group video calls on Matrix
| Feature | Greenlight | Element Call |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Video Conferencing | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 848 | ★ 984 |
| First released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | Zoom, Google Meet |
Why pick each one
Choose Greenlight if…
- Released under the LGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
Choose Element Call if…
- Strong encryption
- Federated via Matrix
- No app install needed
Frequently asked questions
Is Greenlight or Element Call better?
Neither is universally better. Element Call has the larger community, while Greenlight is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Greenlight and Element Call free and open-source?
Yes. Greenlight is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Element Call under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Greenlight and Element Call with Docker?
Greenlight: yes. Element Call: yes.