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 aimed at the same organisations — the ones that will not put their conversation on a hyperscaler — and they take opposite routes there. Mattermost is open source and built first for self-hosting, with a long operational track record, a large plugin ecosystem and mature enterprise features such as identity-provider integration. Enclessa is a commercial hosted European service that is never distributed, encrypts direct messages end to end with MLS per RFC 9420 — which Mattermost does not do — and ships time tracking and personnel records as modules of the same platform.
Open betaThe platform is being built in the open, so parts of it are not there yet, behaviour changes between releases, and no availability figure is committed while it is in beta. What is still being built.
Side by side
| Dimension | Enclessa | Mattermost |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | Commercial; not distributed. The operated service is what you buy | Open source core with commercially licensed editions |
| Primary delivery | Hosted in the EU; a dedicated deployment on Enterprise, run by us | 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. Built phase by phase, with the architecture published as it goes | Many years in production at large scale |
Statements about other products come from their own public documentation and describe the position as last checked on 18 August 2026. 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 years of production deployments behind it. Enclessa is in open beta, 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 the software yourself
Mattermost is built for self-hosting at any size. Enclessa is never distributed: even an Enterprise dedicated deployment is infrastructure we operate. If running it on your own machines is a hard requirement, Enclessa cannot meet it.
Where to next
Migrating from MattermostThe closest structural match of the five, and the migration where the real question is whether you want to stop operating it yourself.Read onvs Microsoft TeamsWhere Teams gives you an ecosystem, Enclessa gives you a published architecture, standard encryption and data that stays in Europe.Read onvs SlackSlack is the best-known chat product on the market. Enclessa is the one whose direct messages the operator cannot read.Read on
Questions
vs Mattermost: common questions
Does Mattermost have end-to-end encryption?
Mattermost does not offer end-to-end encryption as a platform feature; messages are encrypted in transit and at rest, and the server can read them. Enclessa encrypts direct and group direct messages end to end with MLS per RFC 9420, so its server holds no key that can decrypt them.
Can Enclessa be self-hosted like Mattermost?
No. Enclessa is a hosted service and the software is not distributed, so there is nothing to install on your own infrastructure. Organisations with a residency requirement buy a dedicated deployment on the Enterprise plan, in a region they name, which we operate and update. If you must run the software yourself, Mattermost answers that and Enclessa does not.
Which is more mature, Enclessa or Mattermost?
Mattermost, without qualification. It has been in production at large scale for years and has enterprise features such as SAML single sign-on that Enclessa does not have yet. Enclessa is new, and an honest buyer weighs that.
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.
Open beta. Free plan, no payment card to start.