COMMS
Element 1.12.34 RC pops calls into picture-in-picture and lets modules shut off public rooms.
Alternatives · team communication tools
Stoat alternatives
The best Stoat alternatives in team communication tools, ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score.
Updated Nov 4, 2026
Looking for the best alternatives to Stoat? Sparkpulse tracks and ranks 12 alternatives in team communication tools by shipping velocity — how frequently each ships meaningful updates, verified from official changelogs. For reference, Stoat shipped 0 meaningful updates in the last 30 days and carries a velocity score of 5.0 out of 10 in 2026. The alternatives below are ranked the same way, so you're comparing real release momentum, not marketing claims.
About Stoat
Stoat moves to release candidates and Gerrit, and gives server admins more control.
Stoat's 0.16.0 release candidates add server controls: invites with expiry and use limits, permission to block external emojis, and bot roles that grant permissions when a bot joins. The team is also piloting Gerrit as its main source control and will now ship release candidates and backports.
Velocity 5.0 · Last update 1h ago
Top 12 alternatives to Stoat
Ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial breakdown, or pivot to a head-to-head.
COMMS
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches
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Session survived its funding scare; now Pro is on hold and Protocol v2 is the bet.
COMMS
Misskey moves to Sentry v11 and keeps shipping security fixes in its monthly releases.
COMMS
Apprise 2 is out: notify() returns a result object, and 2.1 takes the catalog to 170 services.
COMMS
mailcow's monthly releases are mostly upstream security updates with small UI work
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Mailu's October: patched PHP for webmail, and a resolver that reports DNS failures
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Slack lets companies manage Slackbot skills from code and CI, not only by hand
COMMS
Bandwidth widens its BYOC footprint and lets developers trial messaging without a sales call.
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Roundcube's October release patches 13 more holes on both branches at once.
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Stalwart's weekly releases have turned from new standards to correctness fixes.
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Delta Chat is quietly replacing its email identity with relays
Stoat vs alternatives — shipping velocity at a glance
Velocity score (0–10) and meaningful releases shipped in the last 30 days, from official changelogs. Higher = shipping faster.
| Product | Velocity | Sparks · 30d | Focus areas | Latest release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stoat (baseline) | 5.0 | 0 | chatself-hostedmoderation | — |
| Element | 5.0 | 0 | encryptionrecovery-keysmodule-api | — |
| Synapse | 5.0 | 0 | matrix-protocolhomeserversecurity-patches | — |
| Session | 5.0 | 0 | private messagingpost-quantumsession pro | — |
| Misskey | 5.0 | 0 | fediverseactivitypubself-hosted | — |
| Apprise | 5.0 | 0 | notificationspythonmajor version | Last release of the v1.x line — pin before v2 breaks |
| mailcow | 5.0 | 0 | mail-serverself-hostedsecurity-updates | — |
| Mailu | 5.0 | 0 | maintenance-branchroundcubecve-patching | — |
| Slack | 5.0 | 0 | agentsslackbot-skillsblock-kit | — |
| Bandwidth | 5.0 | 0 | communications-apibyoccontact-center | — |
| Roundcube | 5.0 | 0 | webmailsecuritylts-maintenance | — |
| Stalwart | 5.0 | 0 | email-serverjmapinteroperability | — |
| Delta Chat | 5.0 | 0 | messagingrelaysdesktop client | — |
The 12 best Stoat alternatives, in depth
1. Element · velocity 5.0
Element 1.12.34 RC pops calls into picture-in-picture and lets modules shut off public rooms.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Element focuses on encryption, recovery keys and module api.
Element and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
2. Synapse · velocity 5.0
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Synapse focuses on matrix protocol, homeserver and security patches.
Synapse and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
3. Session · velocity 5.0
Session survived its funding scare; now Pro is on hold and Protocol v2 is the bet.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Session focuses on private messaging, post quantum and session pro.
Session and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
4. Misskey · velocity 5.0
Misskey moves to Sentry v11 and keeps shipping security fixes in its monthly releases.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Misskey focuses on fediverse, activitypub and self hosted.
Misskey and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
5. Apprise · velocity 5.0
Apprise 2 is out: notify() returns a result object, and 2.1 takes the catalog to 170 services.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “Last release of the v1.x line — pin before v2 breaks”.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Apprise focuses on notifications, python and major version.
Apprise and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
6. mailcow · velocity 5.0
Mailcow's monthly releases are mostly upstream security updates with small UI work.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, mailcow focuses on mail server, self hosted and security updates.
mailcow and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
7. Mailu · velocity 5.0
Mailu's October: patched PHP for webmail, and a resolver that reports DNS failures.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Mailu focuses on maintenance branch, roundcube and cve patching.
Mailu and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
8. Slack · velocity 5.0
Slack lets companies manage Slackbot skills from code and CI, not only by hand.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Slack focuses on agents, slackbot skills and block kit.
Slack and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
9. Bandwidth · velocity 5.0
Bandwidth widens its BYOC footprint and lets developers trial messaging without a sales call.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Bandwidth focuses on communications api, byoc and contact center.
Bandwidth and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
10. Roundcube · velocity 5.0
Roundcube's October release patches 13 more holes on both branches at once.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Roundcube focuses on webmail, security and lts maintenance.
Roundcube and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
11. Stalwart · velocity 5.0
Stalwart's weekly releases have turned from new standards to correctness fixes.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Stalwart focuses on email server, jmap and interoperability.
Stalwart and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
12. Delta Chat · velocity 5.0
Delta Chat is quietly replacing its email identity with relays.
Its velocity score of 5.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Stoat leans on chat, self hosted and moderation, Delta Chat focuses on messaging, relays and desktop client.
Delta Chat and Stoat have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Delta Chat trajectory → · Compare Stoat vs Delta Chat →
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to Stoat?
The top Stoat alternatives we currently track in team communication tools are Element, Synapse, Session, Misskey, Apprise, ranked by recent ship velocity.
How is this list of Stoat alternatives ranked?
Alternatives are ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score — release cadence + 30-day spark count + sector-relative ship rate.
Can I compare Stoat directly with one of these alternatives?
Yes — every card has a "Compare with Stoat" link to a side-by-side /compare page.