What is Synapse used for?

Synapse is a Matrix homeserver written in Python and Rust, used to host accounts and chat rooms on the decentralized Matrix network. It is a good fit for self-hosted team chat and running a private Matrix server.

Is Synapse open source?

Yes. Synapse is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at element-hq/synapse and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. Synapse is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Synapse?

Yes. Synapse can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Synapse an alternative to?

Synapse is an open-source alternative to Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and Troop Messenger. Other open-source alternatives to Slack include Wire, Rocket.Chat and Mattermost.

Is Synapse actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Synapse was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.162.0, published on 29 September 2026. The project has 4.7k stars on GitHub.

Synapse: open-source alternative to Slack, Microsoft Teams

About Synapse

Synapse is a homeserver for the Matrix protocol, an open standard for decentralized, federated chat and real-time communication. It is written in Python using the Twisted framework, with performance-sensitive parts implemented in Rust, and is developed under the element-hq organization.

Running a homeserver lets a person or organization host their own accounts and chat rooms while still communicating with users on other Matrix servers. Synapse is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and its documentation is published at element-hq.github.io/synapse.

Key features

Matrix homeserver implementation
Federation with other Matrix servers
Python and Rust codebase
Hosts accounts and chat rooms
Self-hosted chat backend

Good fit for

→Self-hosted team chat
→Running a private Matrix server

Built with: Python
Tags: matrix; homeserver; chat; federation; messaging; python; rust; self-hosted

Synapse: questions and answers

What is Synapse used for?: Synapse is a Matrix homeserver written in Python and Rust, used to host accounts and chat rooms on the decentralized Matrix network. It is a good fit for self-hosted team chat and running a private Matrix server.
Is Synapse open source?: Yes. Synapse is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at element-hq/synapse and is written mainly in Python.
Is Synapse free?: Yes. Synapse is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Synapse?: Yes. Synapse can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Synapse an alternative to?: Synapse is an open-source alternative to Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat and Troop Messenger. Other open-source alternatives to Slack include Wire, Rocket.Chat and Mattermost.
Is Synapse actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Synapse was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.162.0, published on 29 September 2026. The project has 4.7k stars on GitHub.