Element Web vs Construct
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted matrix & xmpp options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Element Web
Glossy Matrix client for the web and desktop
VS
Construct
High-performance Matrix homeserver written in C++
| Feature | Element Web | Construct |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,353 | ★ 395 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams | Slack, Discord |
Why pick each one
Choose Construct if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Element Web or Construct better?
Element Web is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Construct if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Element Web and Construct free and open-source?
Yes. Element Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Construct under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Element Web and Construct with Docker?
Element Web: yes. Construct: check the project docs for container support.