rtpengine
rtpengine backports the same DTLS and socket fixes across four maintenance branches at once.
Comparison · Meetings
Element Call vs Restream
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Element Call and Restream — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Element Call vs Restream: at a glance
What is Element Call?
Element Call drops MatrixRTC legacy mode entirely, betting the entire call stack on the multi-SFU protocol.
Element Call is deep into a protocol transition: MatrixRTC legacy mode was removed in v0.25.0-rc.1, and .well-known transport discovery was removed in v0.24.0-rc.1. Both had been optional for months before the forced cutover. The current v0.26.x RC cycle is stabilizing the post-legacy stack with bug fixes to audio output selection, memberId handling in MatrixRTC mode, and leave timing adjustments when SFU delegation is active. The product ships exclusively as release candidates at this stage, signaling it's in final pre-release hardening.
What is Restream?
Restream's webinars get a registration page and a CSV of leads, turning broadcasts into a pipeline
Restream ships about one user-facing change a week across three surfaces: the live Studio (free element positioning, live edit mode, per-scene screen shares), destinations (X chat replies and analytics, Rumble clip publishing), and Clips, which now ingests public YouTube links. The newest release gives webinars a single registration-to-replay link and exports attendee names, emails, roles and registration details to CSV.
Element Call vs Restream: editorial side-by-side
Element Call
6.3MEETINGS
Element Call drops MatrixRTC legacy mode entirely, betting the entire call stack on the multi-SFU protocol.
◆ Current state
Element Call is deep into a protocol transition: MatrixRTC legacy mode was removed in v0.25.0-rc.1, and .well-known transport discovery was removed in v0.24.0-rc.1. Both had been optional for months before the forced cutover. The current v0.26.x RC cycle is stabilizing the post-legacy stack with bug fixes to audio output selection, memberId handling in MatrixRTC mode, and leave timing adjustments when SFU delegation is active. The product ships exclusively as release candidates at this stage, signaling it's in final pre-release hardening.
◆ Where it's heading
Having removed both legacy transport paths, Element Call is fully committed to a multi-SFU architecture where each homeserver operator runs their own SFU and participants connect to whichever SFUs host the streams they need. The ongoing RC cycle and the LiveKit logging improvements in v0.26.0-rc.1 point to a push for call-quality diagnostics before a stable release. Mobile performance has been a consistent focus across v0.22–v0.26 — landscape layouts, PiP mode, voice-only call handling — pointing to mobile as a priority segment.
◆ Prediction
A stable v0.26.0 release is imminent given the RC cadence. The delegated leave timing breaking change in v0.26.0-rc.2 is unfinished infrastructure for SFU delegation — that work will likely define the next development cycle.
Restream
5.0MEETINGS
Restream's webinars get a registration page and a CSV of leads, turning broadcasts into a pipeline
◆ Current state
Restream ships about one user-facing change a week across three surfaces: the live Studio (free element positioning, live edit mode, per-scene screen shares), destinations (X chat replies and analytics, Rumble clip publishing), and Clips, which now ingests public YouTube links. The newest release gives webinars a single registration-to-replay link and exports attendee names, emails, roles and registration details to CSV.
◆ Where it's heading
The webinar line that launched in July inside Slack has its first follow-up, and it points at marketing use: capturing who registered, not just streaming to them. Alongside Clips taking outside sources, Restream is building around the broadcast on both sides, collecting audiences before it and repurposing footage after it. Studio work stays incremental polish for producers running multi-scene shows.
◆ Prediction
Expect webinar lead data to move beyond CSV export, likely into direct CRM or marketing-tool handoffs, plus more Clips sources and destinations. How far the webinar product goes into registration forms and attendee follow-up is not yet visible.
Alternatives to Element Call and Restream
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 Restream.
coturn
coturn ships three minor versions in six weeks, packaged as Docker images on three registries.
OpenSIPS
OpenSIPS 4.0 is in release-candidate testing, with two RCs a month apart.
Kamailio
Kamailio's tracked feed shows one thing: a quiet, schema-stable 5.8 maintenance release.
JW Player
JW Player is rebuilding its VOD pipeline around CMAF, one workflow fix at a time
BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton 4.0 rc.4 is a security-only release as the LiveKit stack hardens.
See all Element Call alternatives → · See all Restream alternatives →
Recent activity from Element Call and Restream
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2d agoRestreamTurn webinar registrations into leads
- 3d agoRestreamCreate Clips from public YouTube links
- 12d agoRestreamPosition your logo, captions, and QR codes anywhere
- 12d agoElement Callv0.26.1-rc.1
- 24d agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.2
- 26d agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.1
- 1mo agoRestreamReply to X live chat
- 1mo agoElement CallMatrixRTC legacy mode removed — all calls now run on the new protocol ⚡
- 1mo agoRestreamStream to X with chat replies and viewer analytics
- 1mo agoRestreamExplore viewer analytics from X
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.24.0-rc.1
- 2mo agoElement Callv0.23.0-rc.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Element Call and Restream?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Element Call 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 Restream?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Element Call 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 Restream?
Top Restream alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Restream alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/restream for the full list with editorial commentary on each.