Element X vs ZIØN

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.

ZIØN is a peer-to-peer, end-to-end encrypted messenger built on one principle: your conversations belong to you and your contact — no accounts, no cloud, no message database. HOW YOUR MESSAGES TRAVEL • On the same network, ZIØN connects your devices directly, device to device. Nothing leaves your local network. • Across different networks, messages are carried by a minimal relay we operate that only forwards already-encrypted bytes. It is zero-knowledge by design: it cannot read your messages, your contacts, or any content — and neither can we. • Optional WAN mode (OFF by default): when you enable it, ZIØN can also open a direct device-to-device connection across the internet via UDP hole punching. Only then does the app contact public IP-discovery services (ipify, ifconfig.me, icanhazip, checkip.amazonaws) to learn its own address for NAT traversal. There are no ZIØN accounts and no cloud storage of your messages. The relay never holds anything it can decrypt. STANDARD CRYPTO, ZERO CUSTOM • Curve25519 + ECDH key exchange • Forward Secrecy with per-session ephemeral keys • Authenticated AES-256-GCM message encryption • HMAC-SHA256 handshake authentication (anti-MITM) • 30-digit Signal-style safety numbers OPERATIONAL PRIVACY • Encrypted local storage • Excluded from iCloud backup • Self-destructing messages with configurable timer • Bidirectional message deletion • One-tap Emergency Wipe • Screenshot blocking, screen-recording detection • Session keys wiped from RAM on idle • Anonymous notifications: "New message" only, no sender or content LOCALIZED IN 6 LANGUAGES English, Italiano, Español, Français, Deutsch, 日本語 HONEST DISCLOSURE ZIØN is experimental software and has not undergone formal independent cryptographic audit. For communications where compromise would cause severe harm, use audited solutions like Signal. ZIØN is designed for users who want a second private channel between trusted devices. REQUIREMENTS iPhone 13 or later. iOS 17 or later. Face ID or Touch ID recommended.