Element Web vs Synapse Admin
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
Synapse Admin
Web admin interface for Synapse Matrix homeservers
| Feature | Element Web | Synapse Admin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Matrix & XMPP | Matrix & XMPP |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,353 | ★ 457 |
| First released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Synapse Admin if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Element Web or Synapse Admin better?
Neither is universally better. Element Web has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Element Web and Synapse Admin free and open-source?
Yes. Element Web is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Synapse Admin under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Element Web and Synapse Admin with Docker?
Element Web: yes. Synapse Admin: yes.