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Comparison · Comms
Dendrite vs Rspamd
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Dendrite and Rspamd — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Dendrite vs Rspamd: at a glance
What is Dendrite?
A forked, relicensed Dendrite spent its first year catching up on Matrix protocol and security debt
The window opens with the first release after forking from matrix-org/dendrite under AGPLv3, which fixed long-standing state-reset bugs and added I2P and Onion listening. What follows is a security release closing a server-side request forgery vulnerability, then a release adding room version 12 support and two MSC implementations, and finally two quick patches for unresponsiveness, v12 room joins and malformed PDUs blocking whole transactions.
What is Rspamd?
Rspamd 4.3 fixes SPF evaluation order and rejects weak DKIM keys, with results that change.
Rspamd 4.3.0 on November 13 is a correctness release with a long incompatible-changes list. SPF records are now evaluated in term order, closing a case where an explicit -ip4 deny could be overridden by a broader allow. DKIM rejects RSA keys under 1024 bits and signatures with duplicate tags, DMARC no longer drops a policy over an unknown tag, URL mismatches are scored apart from phishing, and PDF text extraction and archive unpacking change their output. Critical fixes cover a header line that could abort a worker from one unauthenticated HTTP request.
Dendrite vs Rspamd: editorial side-by-side
Dendrite
0.0COMMS
A forked, relicensed Dendrite spent its first year catching up on Matrix protocol and security debt
◆ Current state
The window opens with the first release after forking from matrix-org/dendrite under AGPLv3, which fixed long-standing state-reset bugs and added I2P and Onion listening. What follows is a security release closing a server-side request forgery vulnerability, then a release adding room version 12 support and two MSC implementations, and finally two quick patches for unresponsiveness, v12 room joins and malformed PDUs blocking whole transactions.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a fork proving it can carry a homeserver. The order is telling: license and state correctness first, then a CVE, then protocol currency with room version 12, then the operational bugs that surface once people actually run it. Several fixes carry outside contributor credits, which is the fork's clearest sign of life.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued protocol catch-up on newer MSCs and room versions plus operational fixes, since federation compatibility is the constraint that sets this project's agenda.
Rspamd
5.0COMMS
Rspamd 4.3 fixes SPF evaluation order and rejects weak DKIM keys, with results that change.
◆ Current state
Rspamd 4.3.0 on November 13 is a correctness release with a long incompatible-changes list. SPF records are now evaluated in term order, closing a case where an explicit -ip4 deny could be overridden by a broader allow. DKIM rejects RSA keys under 1024 bits and signatures with duplicate tags, DMARC no longer drops a policy over an unknown tag, URL mismatches are scored apart from phishing, and PDF text extraction and archive unpacking change their output. Critical fixes cover a header line that could abort a worker from one unauthenticated HTTP request.
◆ Where it's heading
Since 4.1, every release has hardened parsers and closed memory-safety and trust gaps; 4.3 applies the same pass to the authentication standards themselves (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, ARC) and to content extraction. Operators should expect scores and fuzzy hashes to shift after upgrading, because the project now favours spec-correct results over backward-compatible ones.
◆ Prediction
A 4.3.x point release fixing regressions from these behaviour changes is the likely next step, as 4.2.1 followed 4.2.0 within two weeks.
Alternatives to Dendrite and Rspamd
Other Comms 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 Dendrite or Rspamd.
Salesmsg
Salesmsg adds call-back requests and a one-click Emergency Stop for all outbound texts.
Element
Element 1.12.35 follows the call picture-in-picture release with one desktop storage fix.
Krisp
Krisp moves call transcripts and live captions to cloud transcription in KrispCX 2.84.4.
Misskey
Misskey 2026.11 ships: a leaner start script, and Node.js 22 no longer boots.
SlickText
SlickText's feed is all SMS buying guides; no product release has surfaced since RCS.
See all Dendrite alternatives → · See all Rspamd alternatives →
Recent activity from Dendrite and Rspamd
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 22h agoRspamd4.3.0: SPF order fix, stricter DKIM, new truncation symbols
- 24d agoRspamd4.2.3: ARC trust fix, merged RBL queries, browser-style HTML parsing
- 1mo agoRspamd4.2.2: crypto wallet detection and changed MIME digests
- 1mo agoRspamd4.2.1: critical HTTP and memory-safety fixes
- 1mo agoRspamd4.2.0: public suffix lookup and attachment content extraction
- 3mo agoRspamdCloses an arbitrary file read reachable by any TCP client
- 1y agoDendriteFixes startup crash on rooms lacking a create event
- 1y agoDendriteFixes v12 room joins, invites and stalled transactions
- 1y agoDendriteRoom version 12 support and NATS refactoring
- 1y agoDendriteFixes SSRF in gomatrixserverlib and speeds ACL loading
- 1y agoDendriteFirst release after the fork, relicensed under AGPLv3 ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dendrite and Rspamd?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Rspamd 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 Dendrite better than Rspamd?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Rspamd 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 Comms products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Dendrite?
Top Dendrite alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Dendrite alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/dendrite for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Rspamd?
Top Rspamd alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Rspamd alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rspamd for the full list with editorial commentary on each.