Element Call vs plugNmeet
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?
Element Call
Encrypted group video calls on Matrix
VS
plugNmeet
Scalable, open-source web conferencing system
| Feature | Element Call | plugNmeet |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Video Conferencing |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 984 | ★ 518 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Zoom, Google Meet | Zoom, BigBlueButton |
Why pick each one
Choose Element Call if…
- Strong encryption
- Federated via Matrix
- No app install needed
Choose plugNmeet if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Element Call or plugNmeet better?
Neither is universally better. Element Call has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Element Call and plugNmeet free and open-source?
Yes. Element Call is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and plugNmeet under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Element Call and plugNmeet with Docker?
Element Call: yes. plugNmeet: yes.