# Element vs temporal

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Element | temporal |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 83/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 13 in Instant Messaging | #1 of 1 in Workflow |
| GitHub stars | 13 621 | 24 047 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +119 | +787 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 11 |
| Latest release | v1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.30.8 · 12 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

temporal scores 83/100 against 76/100 for Element, so it is the safer default.

Element ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 11 for temporal.

If you want the quickest setup, Element is easier to run; temporal needs more configuration.

temporal is growing faster right now (+787 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Element](https://selfhost.directory/project/element) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/element.md)
- [temporal](https://selfhost.directory/project/temporal) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/temporal.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/element-vs-temporal