Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Element

Nextcloud Talk is a privacy-respecting, self-hosted communication platform that combines chat, video conferencing, and webinars in a single Nextcloud app. It supports on-premises deployment and federated collaboration across Nextcloud servers, with end-to-end encrypted calls and deep integration with other Nextcloud apps.

Key Features

• Threaded conversations with AI chat and call summaries
• End-to-end encrypted calls for private communication
• Federated chat and video calls across Nextcloud hubs and servers
• Webinars and presentations with screen sharing and participant controls
• Private, group and public calls with external participants via shareable links
• Tight integration with Nextcloud Files, Calendar and other apps for unified workflows
• Bridging with other networks via Nextcloud Bridging (e.g., IRC, Slack, Teams, Matrix)

Use Cases

• Hybrid teams needing private, on-premises collaboration across chat, calls and webinars
• Environments requiring GDPR/compliance and air-gap/self-hosted deployment
• Organizations collaborating across multiple Nextcloud servers or bridged networks

Limitations and Considerations

• NAT traversal often requires a TURN server for reliable media in restricted networks; behind symmetric NATs this becomes more critical
• Large-scale deployments usually need High Performance Backend (HPB) for thousands of participants; private setups typically handle dozens of calls depending on capacity
• Some advanced features depend on specific server components or configurations and may require additional infrastructure

Conclusion: Nextcloud Talk offers a privacy-first, self-hosted alternative for integrated chat, calls and webinars within the Nextcloud ecosystem. It emphasizes data control, security and federated collaboration, with deployment paths suitable for small teams up to large enterprises.

Salut à Toi (SàT) is a modular communication platform built on the XMPP standard. It provides a unified backend with multiple user interfaces (including the Libervia web client) to access messaging and other social features in a decentralized way.

Key Features

• XMPP-based federated communication with a plugin-oriented architecture
• Multiple frontends sharing the same backend (notably the Libervia web interface)
• Real-time messaging features designed for decentralized and interoperable deployments
• Extensible feature set through backend plugins to add new capabilities

Use Cases

• Hosting a federated chat and communication service for a community or organization
• Building custom XMPP-powered apps by extending the backend with plugins
• Providing users with web-based access to XMPP services via Libervia

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature availability and user experience can vary between frontends depending on implementation maturity
• Requires familiarity with XMPP concepts and server administration for best results

Salut à Toi is a good fit for teams and communities that want an extensible, standards-based communication stack with federation. Its multi-frontend approach makes it flexible for different user workflows while keeping a single backend core.

Hubzilla is a multi-purpose federated platform for building interconnected community sites. It combines social networking, collaboration, publishing, and cloud-style file sharing around a powerful permissions and identity system.

Key Features

• Fine-grained privacy and access control for posts, pages, wikis, images, and files
• Federated social networking via ActivityPub and other federation protocols
• Groups and discussion forums, including moderated communities and conversation tools
• Built-in file storage and sharing with permissioned access
• Publishing tools such as blog posts, pages, and wiki content with Markdown support
• Nomadic identity with cloning and portable identity backups across servers
• Federated single sign-on to authenticate on compatible remote hubs
• Content filtering and safety controls to reduce unwanted or offensive content

Use Cases

• Run a private community hub with controlled membership, groups, and discussions
• Host a federated social presence that can interact with the wider Fediverse
• Share files and collaborate on pages or wikis with per-user/per-group permissions

Hubzilla is well-suited for organizations or communities that need federation plus strong privacy controls and portable identity. Its all-in-one approach makes it a flexible “home base” for social interaction and collaboration.

Libervia is a modular communication and social platform built on the XMPP protocol. It provides a shared backend and multiple frontends (including a web interface) to deliver messaging and social features in a unified, extensible system.

Key Features

• XMPP-based architecture leveraging the open, federated messaging ecosystem
• Multiple user interfaces, including a web frontend (Libervia Web)
• Real-time chat and contact management via XMPP
• Social features often associated with "social networking" use cases (implemented through XMPP extensions)
• Extensible, plugin-oriented design to add or customize features

Use Cases

• Run a self-managed team chat and messaging service using XMPP
• Provide a federated communication platform for communities or organizations
• Build custom XMPP-powered apps by extending the backend and exposing tailored frontends

Limitations and Considerations

• Feature availability can depend on XMPP server support and enabled XMPP extensions
• A full deployment typically involves multiple components (backend, XMPP server, and chosen frontends)

Libervia is best suited for users who want an open-protocol communication stack with the flexibility of multiple interfaces. Its XMPP foundation and modular design make it a strong choice for extensible, federated messaging and social functionality.