Berty Messenger vs Element X
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Berty Messenger
This app offers secure, end-to-end encrypted messaging without central servers. It allows communication even without an internet connection, ensuring anonymity and protecting user metadata from surveillance.
- End-to-end encrypted messaging
- 100% decentralized P2P network
- Completely anonymous user profiles
- Metadata protection
- Offline communication via Bluetooth
- Group chats and media sharing
- Voice message sharing
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Berty makes privacy the easy option. Berty is an encrypted and offline peer-to-peer messenger with NO central server. Connect with or without an internet connection, message for free, and avoid surveillance and censorship. DISCLAIMER: Berty is fresh off the development line and hasn’t been audited yet. Please keep this in mind when exchanging data. END-TO-END ENCRYPTED MESSAGING In some countries, even a lol or a like can get you sent to jail. Berty is end-to-end encrypted - not even our developers could access your data, let alone corporations or governments. 100% DECENTRALIZED Just like blockchain technologies, Berty doesn’t pass your data through central servers - the place where internet service providers, hackers, and governments can intercept your data. Instead, Berty’s network is distributed, based on P2P direct messaging. COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS Berty couldn’t care less about who you are. You don’t need to provide your real name, an email, or a date of birth. You don’t even need a SIM card! PROTECT YOUR METADATA You might not know what metadata is, but WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat all collect it. This data can reveal a lot about you - so you’ll be glad to hear Berty is a messaging app alternative that collects as little metadata as humanly possible. COMMUNICATE WITHOUT TRADITIONAL NETWORKS Berty is made to work in the most challenging network conditions in the solar system. If governments, hackers, or natural disasters shut down cellular or internet networks, users can still make vital instant communications over Berty’s proximity Bluetooth feature. JOIN GROUP CHATS Berty is a full-featured instant messaging app. Create groups, chat securely, and share media with friends, family, and colleagues. SHARE VOICE MESSAGES Instantly send encrypted voice memos and audio files on Berty’s decentralized network. FREE FOREVER Privacy is a right for everyone, so Berty doesn’t profit from keeping you safe online. Created by an NGO, Berty will always be free and relies on the generous community to fuel development. TOGGLE BETWEEN ACCOUNTS Create different accounts to split your messaging identities by work, school, family - however, you want to categorize your messages! The Berty messaging app, built on the Berty Protocol, is designed, developed, and deployed by the French non-profit NGO, Berty Technologies. But Berty isn’t just decentralized in terms of its architecture - it’s also owned by the community, not a corporation interested in profits. The progress of Berty relies on developers testing and feeding back on our open source code, generous funding from funds and individual donors, and online and offline advocacy in the community. Documentation on Berty: https://berty.tech/docs Source Code: https://github.com/berty Join Berty’s Discord: Follow Berty on Twitter: @berty
Element X
Communicate securely and privately with instant messaging and video calls. This open-source app built on the Matrix protocol allows you to own your data and choose where to host it, offering features like public and private rooms, rich messaging, and cross-device synchronization.
- Real-time messaging and video calls
- Public and private group communication
- Rich messaging features (reactions, polls)
- Cross-device message synchronization
- Data ownership and server choice
- Interoperability with other Matrix apps
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Element X at 3.4 against Berty Messenger's 3.1. Element X also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (169 vs 23). Berty Messenger's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 18.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Element X holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element X has 169 ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 32% of Berty Messenger's written reviews are positive against 40% of Element X's.
Berty Messenger ships an update every 2 months, Element X fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Berty Messenger | Element X |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (23 ratings) | 3.4 (169 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.3% of reviews | 39.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 23 | 169 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 167 MB | 225 MB |
| Age rating | +4 | 17+ |
| Developer | Berty Technologies | Vector Creations Limited |
Customer experience
Berty Messenger
Element X
In-app purchases
Berty Messenger
No in-app purchases
Element X
No in-app purchases









