Synapse (Matrix) with Element element-hq/synapse

Reference Matrix homeserver from Element; pair it with Element apps for federated, end-to-end encrypted rooms, DMs, threads and calls.

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Synapse (Matrix) with Element at a glance

Checked 15 Oct 2026

Synapse is the main Matrix homeserver, maintained by Element under AGPL-3.0 (or a paid commercial licence). Users chat through Element Web, desktop and mobile apps or any Matrix client; rooms federate with other servers and can be end-to-end encrypted. The free ESS Community bundle (Synapse, auth service, Element Web) is aimed at non-commercial setups up to 100 users and needs 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM on K3s. Larger, supported deployments are sold as ESS Pro. Runs on Linux, macOS or Docker; native Windows is not supported.

Cite this pageRepoQuarry. “Synapse (Matrix) with Element.” Checked 15 Oct 2026. https://repoquarry.dev/projects/synapse

How much of Slack does it replace?

5 of 5 jobs. Needs a Matrix client such as Element; workspace admin and integrations differ from Slack. Calls rely on Element Call or Jitsi; feature parity not checked.

Channels and direct messages Partial replacement

Threaded conversations Partial replacement

Voice and video huddles Partial replacement

Integrations Partial replacement

Search and message history Partial replacement

Facts, with sources

Every answer links to where we found it. We read the documentation; we did not install it.

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QuestionAnswerSourceChecked

Runs on my machine? Self-hosted homeserver (packages, Docker or ESS on Kubernetes); hosted Matrix servers also exist Prebuilt packages are available for a number of platforms. element-hq.github.io · installation.html ↗ 1d ago

Code licence AGPL-3.0 (or a paid Element commercial licence) available under an AGPL license (or alternatively under a commercial license from Element). github.com · synapse#readme ↗ 1d ago

Model weights licence No separate model weights github.com · synapse#readme ↗ 1d ago

Commercial use Allowed under AGPL-3.0 (share changes if you offer a modified server); ESS Community is pitched at non-commercial use, ESS Pro is the paid business edition the free Matrix distribution from Element tailored to small-/mid-scale, non-commercial community use cases github.com · synapse#readme ↗ 1d ago

Paid services needed? None required; Element sells support and ESS Pro There is no support provided by Element unless you have a subscription from Element. github.com · synapse#readme ↗ 1d ago

Hardware ESS Community quick setup needs 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM; standalone Synapse needs at least 1 GB free RAM to join large public rooms The quick setup relies on K3s. It requires at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB of memory available. github.com · ess-helm#resource-requirements ↗ 1d ago

Operating systems Linux (Debian/Ubuntu packages, Docker) and macOS; Windows only through WSL Running Synapse natively on Windows is not officially supported. element-hq.github.io · installation.html ↗ 1d ago

Setup effort Medium; Debian packages, Docker image or ESS Helm chart, plus a domain, TLS and usually PostgreSQL Matrix.org provides Debian/Ubuntu packages of Synapse, for the amd64 architecture element-hq.github.io · installation.html ↗ 1d ago