Encryption that is part of the protocol
Enclessa implements MLS per RFC 9420 through OpenMLS, one key per device, with the server running only the delivery service. That is not a plugin or a roadmap item; it is how direct messages work.
Mattermost and Enclessa are both open-source collaboration platforms aimed at organisations that will not put their conversation on a hyperscaler, and they differ in two ways that matter. Mattermost is built first for self-hosting and has a long operational track record, a large plugin ecosystem and mature enterprise features such as identity-provider integration. Enclessa is built first as a hosted European service, and encrypts direct messages end to end with MLS per RFC 9420 — which Mattermost does not do — while shipping time tracking and personnel records as modules of the same platform.
Side by side
| Dimension | Enclessa | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | AGPL-3.0 | Open source core with commercially licensed editions |
| Primary delivery | Hosted in the EU; self-hosting on Enterprise | Self-hosted first, with a cloud offering |
| End-to-end encryption | Direct and group direct messages, MLS per RFC 9420 | Not offered as a platform feature |
| Task boards | A first-party module, actively developed | Mattermost Boards has been in community maintenance since v9 |
| Time tracking and HR | First-party modules on the same permission model | Not part of the platform |
| Single sign-on | Planned; not available today | Mature SAML and OIDC support in commercial editions |
| Plugins | First-party modules only | An established plugin ecosystem |
| Maturity | New. Being built in the open, phase by phase | Many years in production at large scale |
Statements about other products come from their own public documentation and describe the position at the time of writing. Vendors change what they offer; check the current documentation before making a decision on the strength of this page.
Why teams pick Enclessa
You do not have to operate it
Self-hosting is a real cost: media servers, backups, upgrades, certificates, and somebody carrying a pager. Enclessa is hosted in the European Union, which keeps the sovereignty argument and removes the operations.
The adjacent modules are maintained
Boards, GitHub sync, time tracking and personnel records are first-party parts of the platform sharing its permission model, rather than plugins with their own lifecycles.
When Mattermost is the better choice
This section is here because a comparison page without one is an advertisement. If any of these describe you, buy the other product.
You need single sign-on today
Mattermost has mature SAML and OIDC integration. Enclessa does not have external identity-provider single sign-on yet, and if that is a procurement requirement it is decisive.
You want years of production evidence
Mattermost has been operated at large scale for a long time. Enclessa is new, and honest buyers weigh that.
You depend on plugins
Mattermost’s plugin ecosystem has no equivalent here, and Enclessa deliberately does not execute third-party code.
You must run it yourself, on every plan
Mattermost is built for self-hosting at any size. In Enclessa, self-hosting is an Enterprise arrangement rather than the default path.
Other comparisons
vs Microsoft TeamsWhere Teams gives you an ecosystem, Enclessa gives you an architecture you can inspect and data that stays in Europe.Read the comparisonvs SlackSlack is the best-known chat product on the market. Enclessa is the one whose direct messages the operator cannot read.Read the comparison
Questions
vs Mattermost: common questions
Encrypted collaboration, hosted in Europe.
Create a workspace in a couple of minutes. It is yours at your-team.enclessa.app, hosted in the European Union, with encrypted direct messages from the first one you send.
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