Element
Element 1.12.34 RC pops calls into picture-in-picture and lets modules shut off public rooms.
Comparison · Comms
Element iOS vs Mailu
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Element iOS and Mailu — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Element iOS vs Mailu: at a glance
What is Element iOS?
Element Classic now asks its own users to move to Element X, if their server opts in.
Element iOS, renamed Element Classic in late 2025, has been in maintenance with single-change releases weeks or months apart. After the device-verification banner saga closed in June, 1.11.41 on September 24 adds a room-list banner inviting users to migrate to Element X. Homeservers switch it on through their Well Known file and can set the text, button and target app.
What is Mailu?
Mailu's October: patched PHP for webmail, and a resolver that reports DNS failures
Mailu's 2024.06 branch shipped six pinned releases in October, each tied to a single issue. Three dealt with the resolver: handling the DNSSEC KSK rollover, then making the healthcheck fail on SERVFAIL, re-shipped once. Three were webmail: Roundcube 1.6.20, mitigations for the PHP2Shell CVEs, and then the patched PHP runtime. Late September releases fixed boolean settings that could not be turned off and stale webmail sessions after switching accounts via SSO.
Element iOS vs Mailu: editorial side-by-side
Element iOS
0.0COMMS
Element Classic now asks its own users to move to Element X, if their server opts in.
◆ Current state
Element iOS, renamed Element Classic in late 2025, has been in maintenance with single-change releases weeks or months apart. After the device-verification banner saga closed in June, 1.11.41 on September 24 adds a room-list banner inviting users to migrate to Element X. Homeservers switch it on through their Well Known file and can set the text, button and target app.
◆ Where it's heading
The legacy client is being wound down deliberately, with homeserver operators controlling when their users are nudged to the new app. Releases will likely stay rare and focused on migration and security.
◆ Prediction
Expect the migration banner to become more prominent or default-on in a later release; an end-of-support date is not visible in the entries.
Mailu
5.0COMMS
Mailu's October: patched PHP for webmail, and a resolver that reports DNS failures
◆ Current state
Mailu's 2024.06 branch shipped six pinned releases in October, each tied to a single issue. Three dealt with the resolver: handling the DNSSEC KSK rollover, then making the healthcheck fail on SERVFAIL, re-shipped once. Three were webmail: Roundcube 1.6.20, mitigations for the PHP2Shell CVEs, and then the patched PHP runtime. Late September releases fixed boolean settings that could not be turned off and stale webmail sessions after switching accounts via SSO.
◆ Where it's heading
The project remains in one-fix-per-release maintenance on the 2024.06 line, with upstream webmail and PHP security driving much of the cadence. Nothing in the entries points to a new main release.
◆ Prediction
The next releases will most likely follow upstream Roundcube or PHP security fixes, as three of the last six did.
Alternatives to Element iOS and Mailu
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 Element iOS or Mailu.
Synapse
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches
Subsplash
Subsplash gives church staff notes on every person and every Workflow card.
Maddy
maddy's latest release is a security fix, five months after its last feature work.
Grain
Grain adds consent controls and rule-based privacy as its meeting data reaches more AI tools.
Converse.js
Converse.js 14.0.1 fixes OMEMO:2 group decryption broken by Chromium 153.
See all Element iOS alternatives → · See all Mailu alternatives →
Recent activity from Element iOS and Mailu
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 11d agoMailuMailu ships patched PHP for PHP2Shell CVEs
- 12d agoMailuMailu mitigates PHP2Shell webmail CVEs
- 14d agoMailuMailu 2024.06.65: Roundcube 1.6.20 update
- 19d agoMailu2024.06.64 re-ships the resolver healthcheck fix
- 21d agoMailu2024.06.63 makes the resolver healthcheck catch SERVFAIL
- 22d agoMailu2024.06.62 handles the DNSSEC KSK rollover
- 1mo agoElement iOSElement Classic adds a server-controlled Element X migration banner
- 1mo agoElement iOSElement Classic 1.11.40: release merge, no notes
- 4mo agoElement iOSMandatory verification banner reinstated
- 5mo agoElement iOSReset flow wired into verification for users with no other devices
- 7mo agoElement iOSMandatory verification banner temporarily disabled
- 7mo agoElement iOSJitsi SDK bump raises minimum iOS to 15.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Element iOS and Mailu?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Mailu 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 Element iOS better than Mailu?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Mailu 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 Element iOS?
Top Element iOS alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Element iOS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/element-ios for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Mailu?
Top Mailu alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Mailu alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mailu for the full list with editorial commentary on each.