Fourwaves
Fourwaves follows its participant inbox with a week of admin fixes and security hardening.
Comparison · Meetings
BigBlueButton vs FusionPBX
A side-by-side editorial comparison of BigBlueButton and FusionPBX — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
BigBlueButton vs FusionPBX: at a glance
What is BigBlueButton?
BigBlueButton 4.0 rc.5 drops Etherpad and makes BlockNote the only notes editor.
BigBlueButton 4.0.0-rc.5 removes Etherpad, so upgrading uninstalls bbb-etherpad and bbb-pads and leaves BlockNote as the only shared-notes editor. It also moves Node components to Node.js 24, switches the client to the 1.0 pre-release plugin SDK, and redesigns the poll and quiz panels. It follows two security-only candidates, and the project still recommends 3.0.x for production.
What is FusionPBX?
The release feed stops in 2018, so nothing here describes the current product
Every visible entry predates 2019. The newest is 4.4.1, a minor bug-fix release covering call centre login, device password propagation and call detail record naming. Below it sit 4.4.0 with user change logs, call recording management, QR-code provisioning and added translations, and two 4.2.x releases focused on bug fixes and SQL injection hardening in LUA scripts.
BigBlueButton vs FusionPBX: editorial side-by-side
BigBlueButton
5.0MEETINGS
BigBlueButton 4.0 rc.5 drops Etherpad and makes BlockNote the only notes editor.
◆ Current state
BigBlueButton 4.0.0-rc.5 removes Etherpad, so upgrading uninstalls bbb-etherpad and bbb-pads and leaves BlockNote as the only shared-notes editor. It also moves Node components to Node.js 24, switches the client to the 1.0 pre-release plugin SDK, and redesigns the poll and quiz panels. It follows two security-only candidates, and the project still recommends 3.0.x for production.
◆ Where it's heading
The 4.0 cycle is removing legacy components one by one: SIP.js audio went in beta.4, and Etherpad goes now. Between the removals, security-only candidates harden the new LiveKit audio and BlockNote notes surfaces. The plugin SDK reaching a 1.0 pre-release suggests the extension API is being frozen for GA.
◆ Prediction
Expect at least one more candidate to settle the plugin SDK 1.0 change and Etherpad removal before 4.0.0 GA. The pace of security advisories makes the exact timing unclear.
FusionPBX
0.0MEETINGS
The release feed stops in 2018, so nothing here describes the current product
◆ Current state
Every visible entry predates 2019. The newest is 4.4.1, a minor bug-fix release covering call centre login, device password propagation and call detail record naming. Below it sit 4.4.0 with user change logs, call recording management, QR-code provisioning and added translations, and two 4.2.x releases focused on bug fixes and SQL injection hardening in LUA scripts.
◆ Where it's heading
What the archive shows is a project that treated security hardening as release-worthy in its own right and steadily broadened administrative tooling around FreeSWITCH. What it cannot show is anything about the last several years — the feed has been silent since 2018, so no current direction is observable.
◆ Prediction
There is not enough recent data to predict a next move. Until this feed carries releases again, the product's current state is unreadable from here.
Alternatives to BigBlueButton and FusionPBX
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 BigBlueButton or FusionPBX.
HOMER
HOMER 11.0.369 fixes S3 auth on Ceph-based storage and stops compaction memory growth.
Element Call
Element Call starts moving to new LiveKit transports and falls back to remote SFUs when needed.
JW Player
JW Player moves CMAF VOD into the dashboard, adds AV1, and opens Broadcast Live to audio-only feeds.
rtpengine
rtpengine opens the mr26.3 branch with a rollback message and leaner call state.
Nextcloud Talk Desktop
Nextcloud Talk Desktop 2.3.3 adds accessibility options and bundles Talk v25.0.6.
See all BigBlueButton alternatives → · See all FusionPBX alternatives →
Recent activity from BigBlueButton and FusionPBX
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 21d agoBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton 4.0 rc.5 removes Etherpad and moves to Node.js 24
- 27d agoBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton 4.0 rc.4 patches audio and notes security flaws
- 1mo agoBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton 4.0 rc.3 hardens LiveKit reconnection
- 1mo agoBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton 4.0 rc.2 fixes cross-meeting security flaws
- 1mo agoBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton 4.0 rc.1 completes the LiveKit audio migration ⚡
- 2mo agoBigBlueButtonBigBlueButton 4.0 beta.5 overhauls mobile layout
- 8y agoFusionPBXFusionPBX 4.4.1: call centre, device and CDR fixes
- 8y agoFusionPBXFusionPBX 4.4: recordings management, QR provisioning, email templates
- 9y agoFusionPBXFusionPBX 4.2.2: default settings and SIP alias fixes
- 9y agoFusionPBXFusionPBX 4.2.1 hardens every database-touching LUA script
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between BigBlueButton and FusionPBX?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. BigBlueButton is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is BigBlueButton better than FusionPBX?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. BigBlueButton is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to BigBlueButton?
Top BigBlueButton alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "BigBlueButton alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/bigbluebutton for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to FusionPBX?
Top FusionPBX alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FusionPBX alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fusionpbx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.