HOMER
HOMER 11.0.x fixes a critical S3/DuckDB contention bug and adds call-level fields to MCP NL search
Comparison · Meetings
3CX vs Element Call
A side-by-side editorial comparison of 3CX and Element Call — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
3CX vs Element Call: at a glance
What is 3CX?
3CX is opening the PBX to agents while its feed fills with awards and academy news
3CX is a self-hosted business phone system, and its feed mixes real releases with marketing. The releases have been solid and specific: an MCP server for managing the PBX from an AI client, a choice of SendGrid or Zoho for system email, department-level music on hold. Around them sit a G2 badge announcement, an academy launch and a walkthrough for adding a customer service AI agent to an existing setup.
What is Element Call?
Element Call drops MatrixRTC legacy mode entirely, betting the entire call stack on the multi-SFU protocol.
Element Call is deep into a protocol transition: MatrixRTC legacy mode was removed in v0.25.0-rc.1, and .well-known transport discovery was removed in v0.24.0-rc.1. Both had been optional for months before the forced cutover. The current v0.26.x RC cycle is stabilizing the post-legacy stack with bug fixes to audio output selection, memberId handling in MatrixRTC mode, and leave timing adjustments when SFU delegation is active. The product ships exclusively as release candidates at this stage, signaling it's in final pre-release hardening.
3CX vs Element Call: editorial side-by-side
3CX
7.5MEETINGS
3CX is opening the PBX to agents while its feed fills with awards and academy news
◆ Current state
3CX is a self-hosted business phone system, and its feed mixes real releases with marketing. The releases have been solid and specific: an MCP server for managing the PBX from an AI client, a choice of SendGrid or Zoho for system email, department-level music on hold. Around them sit a G2 badge announcement, an academy launch and a walkthrough for adding a customer service AI agent to an existing setup.
◆ Where it's heading
The AI thread is the one with direction. An MCP server for the PBX makes administration something an assistant performs rather than a console task, and the customer-service agent guide extends the same idea to the call path itself. The rest is steady administrative polish — email provider choice, per-department hold music — which is what a self-hosted product ships between larger moves. The award and academy posts carry no product content and should not be read as cadence.
◆ Prediction
With an MCP server for administration and a documented path for a customer service agent, the obvious gap is the two meeting — call handling driven by the same MCP surface rather than a separately configured agent.
Element Call
6.3MEETINGS
Element Call drops MatrixRTC legacy mode entirely, betting the entire call stack on the multi-SFU protocol.
◆ Current state
Element Call is deep into a protocol transition: MatrixRTC legacy mode was removed in v0.25.0-rc.1, and .well-known transport discovery was removed in v0.24.0-rc.1. Both had been optional for months before the forced cutover. The current v0.26.x RC cycle is stabilizing the post-legacy stack with bug fixes to audio output selection, memberId handling in MatrixRTC mode, and leave timing adjustments when SFU delegation is active. The product ships exclusively as release candidates at this stage, signaling it's in final pre-release hardening.
◆ Where it's heading
Having removed both legacy transport paths, Element Call is fully committed to a multi-SFU architecture where each homeserver operator runs their own SFU and participants connect to whichever SFUs host the streams they need. The ongoing RC cycle and the LiveKit logging improvements in v0.26.0-rc.1 point to a push for call-quality diagnostics before a stable release. Mobile performance has been a consistent focus across v0.22–v0.26 — landscape layouts, PiP mode, voice-only call handling — pointing to mobile as a priority segment.
◆ Prediction
A stable v0.26.0 release is imminent given the RC cadence. The delegated leave timing breaking change in v0.26.0-rc.2 is unfinished infrastructure for SFU delegation — that work will likely define the next development cycle.
Alternatives to 3CX and Element Call
Other Meetings products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either 3CX or Element Call.
Restream
Restream deepening X integration and adding Slack as a live streaming destination
JW Player
JW Player expands ad analytics and vertical video while hardening mobile SDKs
Fourwaves
Fourwaves replaces per-event pricing with an annual submission model and lets organizers connect custom domains to event websites.
Nextcloud Talk Desktop
Nextcloud Talk Desktop 2.3.2 ships Talk v25 stable with E2EE call audio fix
BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton 4.0 enters release candidate with LiveKit fully replacing the legacy audio stack.
See all 3CX alternatives → · See all Element Call alternatives →
Recent activity from 3CX and Element Call
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5d agoElement Callv0.26.1-rc.1
- 17d agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.2
- 19d agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.1
- 25d ago3CX3CX Earns 39 Badges in G2 Fall 2026 Reports
- 26d ago3CXChoose SendGrid or Zoho as your 3CX System Email Provider
- 29d agoElement CallMatrixRTC legacy mode removed — all calls now run on the new protocol ⚡
- 29d ago3CXDepartment Music on Hold Comes to 3CX
- 1mo ago3CXNew 3CX Academy Is Now Live
- 1mo ago3CX3CX MCP Server: Manage Your PBX With AI ⚡
- 1mo ago3CXAdding a 3CX Customer Service AI Agent Into Your Workflow
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.24.0-rc.1
- 2mo agoElement Callv0.23.0-rc.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 3CX and Element Call?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. 3CX is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 7.5 vs 6.3), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is 3CX better than Element Call?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. 3CX is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 7.5 vs 6.3), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 1. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to 3CX?
Top 3CX alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "3CX alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/3cx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Element Call?
Top Element Call alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Element Call alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/element-call for the full list with editorial commentary on each.