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Comparison · Collab

Docspell vs KACE

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Docspell and KACE — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Docspell vs KACE: at a glance

FeatureDocspellKACE
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score2.55.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesdocument-management, nightly-builds, upload-api, stalled-releasesendpoint-management, security-patches, php2shell, windows-11
Last editorial update2mo ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →—

What is Docspell?

Docspell's tagged releases stopped in 2025; the upload API only moves on the nightly.

No numbered release has landed since 0.43.0, which was itself a fixes-and-dependencies close-out. Work continues on the rolling nightly tag, where the current build adds optional priority to upload metadata, returns file keys and job ids from the upload API, and exposes a secured endpoint to fetch a file by key. That is real API surface, but it reaches only users willing to run nightly builds.

Read the full Docspell trajectory →

What is KACE?

KACE extends its PHP2SHELL fix to the SDA deployment appliance, six days after disclosure.

KACE has now patched the critical PHP2SHELL vulnerabilities across both appliances: SMA 15.1 and 15.0 on October 23, and the SDA 9.3 deployment appliance on October 27. SMA also gained official support for Windows 11 26H2 agents and patches, following KACE Cloud's 26H2 support a few days earlier.

Read the full KACE trajectory →

Docspell vs KACE: editorial side-by-side

D
Docspell
COLLAB
2.5

Docspell's tagged releases stopped in 2025; the upload API only moves on the nightly.

◆ Current state

No numbered release has landed since 0.43.0, which was itself a fixes-and-dependencies close-out. Work continues on the rolling nightly tag, where the current build adds optional priority to upload metadata, returns file keys and job ids from the upload API, and exposes a secured endpoint to fetch a file by key. That is real API surface, but it reaches only users willing to run nightly builds.

◆ Where it's heading

The project is drifting toward nightly-only distribution: contributors keep landing work, maintainers keep not cutting tags. The newest additions cluster on programmatic ingestion — a caller submitting a document, then retrieving it by key — which points at Docspell being shaped as a component other systems feed rather than a standalone archive.

◆ Prediction

The upload-API work in #3338 is the most likely core of a next tagged release if one is cut. Whether the tagged line resumes at all is not readable from these notes.

K
KACE
COLLAB
5.0

KACE extends its PHP2SHELL fix to the SDA deployment appliance, six days after disclosure.

◆ Current state

KACE has now patched the critical PHP2SHELL vulnerabilities across both appliances: SMA 15.1 and 15.0 on October 23, and the SDA 9.3 deployment appliance on October 27. SMA also gained official support for Windows 11 26H2 agents and patches, following KACE Cloud's 26H2 support a few days earlier.

◆ Where it's heading

The changelog is dominated by security response and OS-version coverage, with both SMA branches patched in lockstep. Feature work is limited to agent reliability fixes. KACE behaves like a maintained endpoint-management line rather than one being redirected.

◆ Prediction

Expect November Patch Tuesday content and further cumulative patches on both SMA branches. The entries don't point to new feature work.

Alternatives to Docspell and KACE

Other Collab 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 Docspell or KACE.

See all Docspell alternatives → · See all KACE alternatives →

Recent activity from Docspell and KACE

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 2d agoKACESDA 9.3 hotfix closes PHP2SHELL flaws
  2. 3d agoKACEKACE SMA Windows 11 26H2 general support
  3. 6d agoKACEKACE SMA 15.0 Cumulative Patch 5
  4. 6d agoKACEKACE SMA 15.1 Cumulative Patch 2
  5. 6d agoKACEKACE Cloud supports Windows 11 26H2 feature updates
  6. 14d agoKACEOctober 2026 Microsoft Patch Tuesday
  7. 2mo agoDocspellNightly adds upload priority and a file-key download endpoint
  8. 1y agoDocspell0.43.0 closes the tagged history with fixes and maintenance
  9. 2y agoDocspell0.42.0 hardens the Nix module and adds vertical Japanese OCR
  10. 2y agoDocspell0.41.0 swaps the HTTP stack from blaze to ember
  11. 3y agoDocspell0.40.0 gathers fixes, a Nix flake, and Ukrainian support
  12. 3y agoDocspell0.39.0 lets OIDC and local accounts share an identity

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Docspell and KACE?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. KACE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), 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 Docspell better than KACE?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. KACE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Docspell?

Top Docspell alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Docspell alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/docspell for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to KACE?

Top KACE alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "KACE alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kace for the full list with editorial commentary on each.