Comparison

Flows 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

Flows

Connect with people nearby without an internet connection using Bluetooth and peer-to-peer WiFi. Express yourself, find new friends, and communicate even in areas with no signal.

Highlights
  • Offline chat
  • Bluetooth connectivity
  • Peer-to-peer WiFi
  • Connect with nearby users
  • Express yourself
  • Find new friends
Features
Read full description

Chat with the people nearby without Internet connection! Whether you are at a concert, stuck in the subway or travelling in another country, no problem we got your back. Flows enables you to connect to the people around you without using your Internet connection! Express yourself, find new friends! Geek note: Flows is using Bluetooth and peer-to-peer WiFi (Multipeer Connectivity Framework) to connect your device to the ones near you so don't forget to turn them on!

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

Flows4 screens
Element X4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Element X at 3.4 against Flows's 2.4. Element X also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (152 vs 5). Flows's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 40%) and iOS requirement (7.1 vs 18.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Element X holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Element X has 152 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Flows's written reviews are positive against 40% of Element X's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flows ships an update every 3 months, Element X fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Flows versus Element X: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlowsElement X
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.4 (5 ratings)3.4 (152 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better40.2% of reviews
Number of ratings5152 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS7.1 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB313 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperepctexVector Creations Limited

Customer experience

Flows

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative60.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

Element X

All ratings152 ratings
Positive57.2%
Neutral11.8%
Negative30.9%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive40.2%
Neutral19.5%
Negative40.2%

In-app purchases

None

Flows

No in-app purchases

None

Element X

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flows free?
Flows 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, Flows or Element X?
Element X is rated higher. Flows averages 2.4 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Element X averages 3.4 from 152 ratings.
Do Flows or Element X have ads?
Neither Flows nor Element X shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flows or Element X?
Flows ships an update every 3 months, and Element X fortnightly. Most recently, Flows was updated on June 1, 2026 and Element X on September 24, 2026.

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