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Nextcloud Talk Desktop 2.3.3 adds accessibility options and bundles Talk v25.0.6.
Comparison · Meetings
Element Call vs Fourwaves
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Element Call and Fourwaves — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Element Call vs Fourwaves: at a glance
What is Element Call?
With the protocol cutover behind it, Element Call is back to polishing the in-call experience.
Element Call finished its architectural transition this summer: multi-SFU routing became the default in v0.21 and MatrixRTC legacy mode was removed in v0.25. The releases since are smaller: audio output defaults, delayed-leave timing tweaks, and now a quick audio menu and bell reaction sound in v0.28.
What is Fourwaves?
Fourwaves is in a polish cycle: custom-domain fixes, accessibility rules and password UX.
Fourwaves runs an event platform for academic conferences and ships small changes every few days. Since late September the work has covered participant communication (DM alerts, preferences, richer discussion emails) and organizer setup, especially custom domains: one-click DNS copy, root domains through A records, and a fix for language resets on custom-domain events. The latest items are accessibility and account hygiene.
Element Call vs Fourwaves: editorial side-by-side
Element Call
5.0MEETINGS
With the protocol cutover behind it, Element Call is back to polishing the in-call experience.
◆ Current state
Element Call finished its architectural transition this summer: multi-SFU routing became the default in v0.21 and MatrixRTC legacy mode was removed in v0.25. The releases since are smaller: audio output defaults, delayed-leave timing tweaks, and now a quick audio menu and bell reaction sound in v0.28.
◆ Where it's heading
The team is moving from protocol plumbing to call ergonomics and embedding. Recent work targets audio controls, reactions, and the embedded component used inside Element Web, along with privacy hygiene such as redacting analytics IDs from bug reports. Release cadence has stretched to roughly two to three weeks per release candidate.
◆ Prediction
Expect more in-call controls and embedded-widget fixes in the next release candidates. A new breaking change looks unlikely while the post-cutover stack settles.
Fourwaves
6.3MEETINGS
Fourwaves is in a polish cycle: custom-domain fixes, accessibility rules and password UX.
◆ Current state
Fourwaves runs an event platform for academic conferences and ships small changes every few days. Since late September the work has covered participant communication (DM alerts, preferences, richer discussion emails) and organizer setup, especially custom domains: one-click DNS copy, root domains through A records, and a fix for language resets on custom-domain events. The latest items are accessibility and account hygiene.
◆ Where it's heading
The cadence is steady and incremental, with no new product surface since the September pricing change. Custom-domain support is being hardened case by case, which suggests more organizers are running events on their own domains. Participant-side work has shifted from engagement features to account and form basics.
◆ Prediction
Expect more small custom-domain and accessibility fixes on the same few-day cadence; the entries do not point to a larger feature or another pricing change.
Alternatives to Element Call 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 Element Call or Fourwaves.
rtpengine
rtpengine pushes a runaway-recursion guard to four branches, then fixes the compile break.
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk patches v22 and v23 while v25 stable sits five weeks past its last RC.
Kamailio
Kamailio's feed shows quiet, migration-free upkeep across two stable branches.
HOMER
HOMER 11 spends a release closing security holes in its query and auth surface
JW Player
JW Player lifts JWX ad ops to the account level as live and VOD editing converge.
See all Element Call alternatives → · See all Fourwaves alternatives →
Recent activity from Element Call and Fourwaves
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoFourwavesOctober 14, 2026
- 4d agoFourwavesPassword managers now suggest passwords on activation and reset
- 7d agoFourwavesSingle-select fields now require at least two options
- 9d agoFourwavesFix: language no longer resets on custom-domain events
- 10d agoFourwavesRoot domains now connectable via A records for any DNS provider
- 11d agoElement CallQuick audio menu, bell reaction sound and redacted analytics IDs
- 12d agoFourwavesTrack filter for presentation lists
- 26d agoElement Callv0.26.1-rc.1
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.2
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.1
- 1mo agoElement CallMatrixRTC legacy mode removed — all calls now run on the new protocol ⚡
- 2mo agoElement Callv0.24.0-rc.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Element Call and Fourwaves?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Fourwaves is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 Element Call better than Fourwaves?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Fourwaves is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 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.
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.