Microsoft Teams Alternative for Enterprise – Element/Matrix in 2026

Microsoft Teams has a data-protection problem — and an antitrust problem. In 2024, the EU Commission forced Microsoft to unbundle Teams from Office. In 2025, a second antitrust case followed. Data-protection authorities have been warning against Teams in public agencies, schools, and hospitals for years. With NIS2 and BSI IT-Grundschutz in force, Teams is becoming untenable in regulated industries in 2026.

Meanwhile, a mature alternative has emerged: Matrix, with the Element client.

What is Matrix/Element?

Matrix is an open communication protocol (like SMTP for email, but modern). Element is its most popular client — available for web, desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), iOS, and Android.

Core features:

• End-to-end encrypted by default (including video calls via Element Call)
• Federated: Servers communicate with each other, no single entity controls the network
• Self-hosted or managed: Your choice
• Bridges: Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Signal, Discord can be integrated
• Open source: AGPL, fully auditable

Who runs Element/Matrix in production?

When the largest regulated organisations in Europe choose Matrix, the maturity question is answered.

Element vs. Microsoft Teams

Migration in 6 steps

1. Audit & data export

We analyse your Teams usage: how many channels, files, meetings? Existing content is exported via the Microsoft Graph API.

2. Provision homeserver

We deploy a dedicated Matrix Synapse server at Hetzner Falkenstein/Helsinki or on-premise. Includes Element Call SFU for video calls.

3. Connect identity provider

Single sign-on via Keycloak (or Azure AD / Google Workspace during transition). Staff log in with their existing credentials.

4. Set up bridges (optional)

During the transition, we sync Matrix rooms with Microsoft Teams so both worlds run in parallel.

5. Training

Two-hour workshop per team. Element is close enough to Teams that the learning curve is minimal.

6. Decommission Teams

After 4–8 weeks of parallel operation, Teams is deactivated. Licence savings start immediately.

What does it cost?

For 50 users:

Plus you eliminate the CLOUD Act exposure entirely and become Schrems-III-proof.

Common questions

Can we still communicate with external partners on Teams? Yes — via the Microsoft Teams bridge. Alternatively, external partners can create a free Matrix account on a public server (e.g., matrix.org) — federation works like email.

What about telephony? Element Call fully replaces Teams meetings (E2EE, up to ~50 participants). Classic SIP telephony integrates via 3CX, Nextcloud Talk, or a separate SIP provider.

Can I self-host Element? Yes. We also offer an on-premise variant with a maintenance contract if you want the server inside your own data centre.

Book a free Teams-migration call →