Comparison

Element X vs HumHub

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

Head to head
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.

About

HumHub

This open-source platform facilitates communication and collaboration within organizations. It allows users to create dedicated spaces, share content, manage projects, and interact with colleagues through features like direct messaging and group chats.

Highlights
  • Create and manage organizational spaces
  • User profiles with customizable fields
  • Direct messaging and group chats
  • Content sharing and commenting
  • Project management and calendars
  • Wiki pages and file storage
  • Extensible with over 70 modules
Features
Read full description

Use HumHub to communicate and collaborate, share content and interact with all people in your organization. The open source software is used by various organizations and companies as Corporate Social Network/Intranet. Create and operate your very own Network or Information- and Communication-Platform. Main function and deployment: HumHub allows network operators to create Spaces (rooms) and invite any number of users. These have their own profiles, can send direct messages to one another, follow and connect with each other, post and comment on content, create group chats, share, collaborate and store files, create wiki pages, landing pages and galleries, plan and manage projects, use calendars, create events and much more. Users of the software: HumHub can be extended with over 70 modules. Thus, countless functions can be added, making the software suitable for daily use in many different organizational forms. As a social networking software, HumHub is used by numerous Municipalities and Communes, Educational Institutions (Universities and Schools), Associations, Clubs, Parties, Unions as well as SMEs and Major Corporations. Our Vision: "With HumHub, we help people all over the world to communicate better, connect and simplify daily work." More software features: - User profiles with customizable profile fields - Clear design and intuitive usability - GDPR-compliant hosting by us or hosting on-premise - Various single sign-on features and interfaces - Sending of push notifications - Automatic notification system and e-mail summaries - Assignment of various roles and permissions to users - Search and filter function for any content - Software is available in over 30 languages - The most used modules include: Wiki, Messenger, News Module, Theme Builder, Translation Manager, Custom Pages, OnlyOffice Connector, Files, LDAP, SAML SSO, Polls

Screenshots

Element X4 screens
HumHub4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HumHub at 4.0 against Element X's 3.5. HumHub also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.5). Element X's advantage is ratings volume (164 vs 2). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

HumHub holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element X has 164 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Element X's written reviews are positive against 33% of HumHub's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Element X ships an update fortnightly, HumHub every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Element X versus HumHub: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElement XHumHub
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (164 ratings)4.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews38.8% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings164 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.516.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size341 MB34 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperVector Creations LimitedHumHub GmbH & Co. KG

Customer experience

Element X

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

HumHub

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral33.3%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Element X

No in-app purchases

None

HumHub

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Element X free?
Element X is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HumHub free?
HumHub is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Element X or HumHub?
HumHub is rated higher. Element X averages 3.5 out of 5 from 164 ratings, while HumHub averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Element X or HumHub have ads?
Neither Element X nor HumHub shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Element X or HumHub?
Element X ships an update fortnightly, and HumHub every 4 weeks. Most recently, Element X was updated on October 30, 2026 and HumHub on October 22, 2026.

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