HOMER
HOMER 11.0.x fixes a critical S3/DuckDB contention bug and adds call-level fields to MCP NL search
Comparison · Meetings
Ant Media Server vs Fourwaves
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Ant Media Server and Fourwaves — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Ant Media Server vs Fourwaves: at a glance
What is Ant Media Server?
Ant Media crossed the 3.0 line with AV1, eight CVE patches, and a breaking API cleanup.
Ant Media Server has just shipped its 3.0 series. The cut version, 3.0.1, packed an AV1 codec path, removed long-deprecated methods (potentially breaking integrations), patched roughly eight CVEs in the parent and management console, and added Strict-Transport-Security headers and daily SSL renewal checks. Two follow-up tags (3.0.2, 3.0.3) appear to be quick rebuilds rather than feature releases. The recent 2.17.x line had introduced server-side ad insertion (SSAI with SCTE-35), a v2 WebRTC web SDK, and LL-HLS cluster play.
What is Fourwaves?
Fourwaves replaces per-event pricing with an annual submission model and lets organizers connect custom domains to event websites.
Fourwaves is shipping daily in September 2026, with two substantive changes among the UX polish: a full pricing model restructure (September 17) and custom domain support for event websites (September 11). The pricing change removes per-event limits and add-ons, replacing them with a yearly submission cap and unlimited events. This shifts how recurring event organizers budget for the product — variable per-event costs become a single annual line item.
Ant Media Server vs Fourwaves: editorial side-by-side
Ant Media Server
6.3MEETINGS
Ant Media crossed the 3.0 line with AV1, eight CVE patches, and a breaking API cleanup.
◆ Current state
Ant Media Server has just shipped its 3.0 series. The cut version, 3.0.1, packed an AV1 codec path, removed long-deprecated methods (potentially breaking integrations), patched roughly eight CVEs in the parent and management console, and added Strict-Transport-Security headers and daily SSL renewal checks. Two follow-up tags (3.0.2, 3.0.3) appear to be quick rebuilds rather than feature releases. The recent 2.17.x line had introduced server-side ad insertion (SSAI with SCTE-35), a v2 WebRTC web SDK, and LL-HLS cluster play.
◆ Where it's heading
The product is in a 'broadcaster-grade plus security hardening' arc. SSAI/SCTE-35 is a clear push toward live-event monetization use cases, while AV1 and v2 WebRTC SDK target streaming infrastructure that competes with managed services. The CVE volume across recent releases (2.16.2 was nothing but patches; 2.17.1 and 3.0.1 each carried multiple) suggests an active third-party security review or fuzzing program is feeding the queue.
◆ Prediction
Expect 3.0.x point releases focused on stabilizing AV1 in production, mopping up regressions from the deprecated-method removals, and continued CVE patching. The next functional bet to watch is whether SSAI gets enterprise-grade analytics or whether AV1 gets hardware-accelerated encode paths.
Fourwaves
6.3MEETINGS
Fourwaves replaces per-event pricing with an annual submission model and lets organizers connect custom domains to event websites.
◆ Current state
Fourwaves is shipping daily in September 2026, with two substantive changes among the UX polish: a full pricing model restructure (September 17) and custom domain support for event websites (September 11). The pricing change removes per-event limits and add-ons, replacing them with a yearly submission cap and unlimited events. This shifts how recurring event organizers budget for the product — variable per-event costs become a single annual line item.
◆ Where it's heading
The combination of custom domains, the account restructure, and the new pricing model points toward Fourwaves targeting organizations that run events repeatedly throughout the year — academic departments, conference series, professional associations. Unlimited events with a submission cap maps precisely onto that use case: many events, bounded total submissions. The preview parity between organizer and attendee views and the login gate added to registration forms (September 8) are both moves toward a more controlled, enterprise-ready submission workflow.
◆ Prediction
Custom domain support for event websites will likely be paired with branded email sender configuration — organizations running events under their own domain will want outbound emails to match. That is the logical completion of the white-label offering.
Alternatives to Ant Media Server and Fourwaves
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 Ant Media Server or Fourwaves.
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
Element Call
Element Call drops MatrixRTC legacy mode entirely, betting the entire call stack on the multi-SFU protocol.
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 Ant Media Server alternatives → · See all Fourwaves alternatives →
Recent activity from Ant Media Server and Fourwaves
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 7d agoFourwavesAccount page reorganized into Profile and Password tabs
- 9d agoFourwavesNew pricing: annual submission limit replaces per-event fees ⚡
- 10d agoFourwavesDomain configuration page restyled to match settings UI
- 11d agoFourwavesOrganizer preview now matches attendee-facing event website
- 13d agoFourwavesReview assignment confirmation now respects reviewer workload cap
- 15d agoFourwavesOrganizers can now connect a custom domain to their event website
- 4mo agoAnt Media ServerCommunity 3.0.3: rebuild tag with no published changelog
- 4mo agoAnt Media ServerCommunity 3.0.2: SNAPSHOT version bump and quality items
- 5mo agoAnt Media ServerCommunity 3.0.1: AV1 codec, breaking API cleanup, eight CVE patches ⚡
- 7mo agoAnt Media ServerCommunity 2.17.1: WebRTC timing fixes, SRT restream endpoints, local license server
- 7mo agoAnt Media ServerCommunity 2.17.0: SSAI with SCTE-35 and WebRTC Web SDK v2 ⚡
- 9mo agoAnt Media ServerCommunity 2.16.2: five CVE patches in the parent
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ant Media Server and Fourwaves?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Ant Media Server and Fourwaves are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Ant Media Server better than Fourwaves?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Ant Media Server and Fourwaves are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 6.3 vs 6.3, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Ant Media Server?
Top Ant Media Server alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Ant Media Server alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ant-media for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Fourwaves?
Top Fourwaves alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Fourwaves alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fourwaves for the full list with editorial commentary on each.