Statim vs Element

Element is the Matrix client from Element, the London company that also makes the Synapse homeserver. Statim is a Matrix client too, built on the same matrix-rust-sdk as Element X, with XMTP, Nostr, Status and Telegram in the same chat list. For Matrix on its own, Element does more.

At a glance

Feature	Statim	Element
Sign up with	Nothing	A Matrix account
Encrypted by default	On XMTP, Nostr and Status	Yes, except public chats
Open source	Yes, MIT	Yes, AGPL 3.0
Your own server	Nostr, Status, Matrix	Yes
Wallet	Yes, off by default	No
Calls	No	Yes, group

Same protocol, same library

Statim's Matrix support runs on matrix-rust-sdk, the library under Element X, on the phone and the computer. It has the same requirement: a homeserver with sliding sync, which Synapse has had since version 1.114.

The difference shows at sign-in. Since April 2025 matrix.org signs people in through a web page, its Matrix Authentication Service. Element X supports that and Statim does not yet. Statim signs in with a password, so it needs a homeserver that still offers one.

What Element does that Statim does not

Element X has calls built in. Element Call handles voice and encrypted group video; Statim has no calls on any protocol.

Element X has had Spaces, which group chats together, since March 2026. Element also makes a web app, Element Pro for companies, and paid server plans for organisations.

What Statim adds

XMTP, Nostr and Status work from your twelve words with no account to create, and Telegram signs in with your own account. They all sit in one chat list with your Matrix chats, each marked with its protocol and what that protocol protects.

On a Mac with Apple silicon or on Linux, the desktop app can run a Matrix server for you with bridges to WhatsApp, Signal, Messenger, Instagram, Slack and Discord, and iMessage on a Mac. There is nothing to rent or configure. That server is closed to other Matrix servers and exists for your bridges.

Statim also has a wallet plugin and a statim command line for scripts and AI assistants.

Encryption

Both use Olm and Megolm, so encrypted Matrix chats behave the same way in each. A message sent before your device joined a chat shows as waiting for its keys in both, because that device was never given them.

Pick Statim if

You want Matrix next to Telegram, XMTP, Nostr or Status in one list.
You want WhatsApp or Signal bridged on your own computer, without renting a server.
You want a wallet or a command line in the same app.

Pick Element if

You need voice or video calls.
Your homeserver only signs in through a web page, as matrix.org does.
You use Spaces, or want a web app.
Your organisation runs Element.

The details

Detail	Statim	Element
To sign up	Nothing. The app makes twelve words on your device, and they are your account. No phone number, no email.	A Matrix account on any homeserver. matrix.org asks for a username, a password and an email address.
End-to-end encryption	Always on XMTP, Nostr and Status. On Matrix, in chats with encryption on. Telegram chats are not end-to-end encrypted, same as in Telegram's own app.	Olm and Megolm, on by default in new chats that are not public. Public chats are not encrypted.
Who runs the servers	Each protocol's own nodes, relays and homeservers. The developer runs none of them. You can point the app at your own Nostr relays, Status node or Matrix homeserver.	Whichever homeserver you choose: matrix.org, one your company runs, or Synapse on your own machine.
Open source	The whole app, MIT licence.	The apps, Synapse and Element Call, under AGPL 3.0 or a paid commercial licence.
Other networks	XMTP, Nostr, Status, Telegram and Matrix in one chat list. WhatsApp, Signal, Slack, Discord and others through a Matrix bridge you run.	Matrix, and whatever your homeserver bridges in.
Wallet	Ethereum and its chains, Bitcoin and Solana, from the same twelve words. A plugin, off until you turn it on. Ledger, Trezor and Keystone work too.	None.
Voice and video calls	None.	Encrypted voice and video calls, groups included, built into Element X.
Platforms	macOS, Windows and Linux. iPhone in beta on TestFlight, Android in open testing on Google Play.	Element X on iPhone and Android. The classic Element app on the web, macOS, Windows and Linux.

Sources

Element’s side was checked against these pages on October 28, 2026. Write to [email protected] if something has changed.