ElementvsNGINX
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Element | NGINX | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 84/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Instant Messaging | #2 of 12 in Web Servers |
| GitHub stars | 13 621 | 32 000 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +117 | +276 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 21 |
| Latest release | v1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026 | release-1.31.8 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Main language | Typescript | C |
Which one should you pick?
NGINX scores 84/100 against 76/100 for Element, so it is the safer default.
NGINX ships more often: 21 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for Element.
NGINX is growing faster right now (+276 stars in 30 days).
Element details →NGINX details →
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