# element-web vs OpenWA

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

| | element-web | OpenWA |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 | 77/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 33 in Communication | #2 of 19 in API Management |
| GitHub stars | 13 620 | 16 328 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +118 | +322 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 17 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v1.12.33 · 27 Oct 2026 | v0.26.0 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

OpenWA scores 77/100 against 75/100 for element-web, so it is the safer default.

element-web ships more often: 17 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for OpenWA.

If you want the quickest setup, OpenWA is easier to run; element-web needs more configuration.

OpenWA is growing faster right now (+322 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [element-web](https://selfhost.directory/project/element-web) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/element-web.md)
- [OpenWA](https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/element-web-vs-openwa