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ElementvsZeroNet

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

ElementZeroNet
Score76/10063/100
Rank in category#2 of 13 in Instant Messaging#1 of 3 in Peer-to-Peer
GitHub stars13 62118 786
Stars, last 30 days+119+18
Stable releases, 12 months180
Latest releasev1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026—
SetupModerateModerate
Official Docker imageYesYes
LicenseAGPL-3.0Other
Main languageTypescriptJavaScript

Which one should you pick?

Element scores 76/100 against 63/100 for ZeroNet, so it is the safer default.

Element ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for ZeroNet.

Element is growing faster right now (+119 stars in 30 days).

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