Comparison

Keybase vs Element X

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Keybase

Securely message anyone on social media or other platforms without needing their personal contact information. All communications are end-to-end encrypted and accessible across multiple devices. This open-source platform is free and ad-free for all users.

Highlights
  • Secure messaging to social media users
  • End-to-end encryption
  • Multi-device support
  • Open source
  • Ad-free
Features
Read full description

Keybase is a messaging platform where: • you can write securely to any twitter, reddit, facebook, github, and hacker news user • you don't need to know someone's phone number or email address • all messages are secure, end-to-end encrypted • multi-device: your messages survive and transfer with encryption to new phones & computers Keybase is so much more. It is: • free for everyone, and free of ads • open source (https://github.com/keybase/client) • multi-platform, w/apps for macOS, Linux, and Windows (https://keybase.io/download) By using the Keybase app you agree to the following terms: • you'll be a nice Internet person Keybase for mobile is brand new and we yearn for feedback. Inside the app, click the gear icon and then choose "feedback" to send us a summary of your experience.

About

Element X

Communicate securely and privately with instant messaging and video calls. This app offers robust features for individuals and communities, allowing you to own your data and choose where it's hosted. Enjoy real-time communication with synchronized history across all your devices.

Highlights
  • Real-time messaging
  • Video calls
  • Public and private rooms
  • Rich messaging features
  • Cross-device synchronization
  • Data ownership and server choice
Features
Read full description

Freedom to communicate on your own terms For individuals and communities - private communication between family, friends, hobby groups, clubs, etc. Element X gives you fast, secure and private instant messaging and video calls built on Matrix, the open standard for real-time communication. This is a free and open-source app maintained at https://github.com/element-hq/element-x-ios Stay in touch with friends, family and communities with: • Real time messaging & video calls • Public rooms for open group communication • Private rooms for closed group communication • Rich messaging features: emoji reactions, replies, polls, pinned messages and more. • Video calling while browsing messages. • Interoperability with other Matrix-based apps such as FluffyChat, Cinny and many more. Privacy-first Unlike some other messengers from Big Tech companies, we don’t mine your data or monitor your communications. Own your conversations Choose where to host your data - from any public server (the largest free server is matrix.org, but there are plenty of others to choose from) to creating your own personal server and hosting it on your own domain. This ability to choose a server is a large part of what differentiates us from other real time communication apps. However you host, you have ownership; it’s your data. You’re not the product. You’re in control. Communicate in real time, all the time Use Element everywhere. Stay in touch wherever you are with fully synchronised message history across all your devices, including on the web at https://app.element.io Element X is our next-generation app If you’re using the previous-generation Element Classic app, it’s time to try Element X! It’s faster, easier to use, and more powerful than the classic app. It’s better in every way and we’re adding new features all the time.

Screenshots

Keybase4 screens
Element X4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Element X at fortnightly against Keybase's every 3 months. Keybase's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.5). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.5 for Keybase against 3.4 for Element X. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 323 and 169 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of Keybase's written reviews are positive against 39% of Element X's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Keybase ships an update every 3 months, Element X fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Keybase versus Element X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKeybaseElement X
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (323 ratings) — better3.4 (169 ratings)
Positive reviews42.5% of reviews — better38.8% of reviews
Number of ratings323 — better169
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB341 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperKeybase, Inc.Vector Creations Limited

Customer experience

Keybase

All ratings320 ratings
Positive59.1%
Neutral8.4%
Negative32.5%
Written reviews106 reviews
Positive42.5%
Neutral12.3%
Negative45.3%

Element X

All ratings162 ratings
Positive56.8%
Neutral13.6%
Negative29.6%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive38.8%
Neutral19.7%
Negative41.5%

Bugs and requests

Keybase

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices
  • Messaging issues and lost chats
  • Unreliable file sharing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add iPad app support
  • Improve message threading and navigation
  • Integrate with more social platforms
  • Add password manager functionality

Element X

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Keybase

No in-app purchases

None

Element X

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Keybase free?
Keybase is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Element X free?
Element X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Keybase or Element X?
Keybase is rated higher. Keybase averages 3.5 out of 5 from 323 ratings, while Element X averages 3.4 from 169 ratings.
Do Keybase or Element X have ads?
Neither Keybase nor Element X shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Keybase or Element X?
Keybase ships an update every 3 months, and Element X fortnightly. Most recently, Keybase was updated on November 2, 2026 and Element X on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons