I typed a reply and it seems to have vanished, so my apologies if you end up getting two similar yet not identical replies to this.

Thanks for elaborating. I did end up trying out Fluffychat the last time I looked into Matrix. It looks like Element on the web isn't available on mobile, so I might give it a try later on my computer or download their app.

I still think the Element site should do a better job of explaining it's also available for personal users for free. I had to go 11 links into their footer to find that information, the pricing page has no mention of their personal offerings at all.