Teable
Secrets get encrypted at rest while the computed-field engine keeps getting shored up
Comparison · Collab
Elgg vs Flame
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Elgg and Flame — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Elgg vs Flame: at a glance
What is Elgg?
A social-networking engine in careful maintenance across two supported branches.
Elgg is running a two-branch release cadence: a 7.0.x line taking bug fixes and a 6.3.x line receiving backports. The recent pairs shipped within two hours of each other — 7.0.5 carrying a single performance fix that stops likes generating ajax response data for unsupported entities, while 6.3.8 carries the longer list: improved sanitization of installer config values, a valid client IP for the core, embedded-image handling in notification emails, mute-option validation, and a permission check before a profile header image can be changed. Contributor counts stay in the low single digits with the same one or two maintainers on nearly every release.
What is Flame?
Self-hosted dashboard that finished its feature arc and stopped shipping in 2023.
Flame is a self-hosted startpage for homelab services — app tiles, bookmarks, weather, and a search bar. The feature set it set out to build was finished across 2021 and 2022: custom app descriptions, Docker secrets support, a secondary search provider, and a custom theme editor. The most recent release in this feed is v2.3.1 from July 2023, and it is entirely bug fixes.
Elgg vs Flame: editorial side-by-side
Elgg
5.0COLLAB
A social-networking engine in careful maintenance across two supported branches.
◆ Current state
Elgg is running a two-branch release cadence: a 7.0.x line taking bug fixes and a 6.3.x line receiving backports. The recent pairs shipped within two hours of each other — 7.0.5 carrying a single performance fix that stops likes generating ajax response data for unsupported entities, while 6.3.8 carries the longer list: improved sanitization of installer config values, a valid client IP for the core, embedded-image handling in notification emails, mute-option validation, and a permission check before a profile header image can be changed. Contributor counts stay in the low single digits with the same one or two maintainers on nearly every release.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a mature project maintaining a stable base rather than pushing new capability, and the balance between the branches is worth noting: the older 6.3 line is receiving more substantive hardening than the current 7.0 line, which has already settled into single-commit patches. That is what a project looks like when most of its deployments have not migrated yet. The 6.3.8 items — input sanitization, permission validation before a mutating action — are the security-shaped fixes that earlier 6.3 releases summarised only as 'small security update'.
◆ Prediction
Expect the alternating pattern to continue: 7.0.x patches as issues surface, with matching 6.3.x backports carrying the hardening work, until a 7.1 cycle opens. The entries give no indication of when that might be.
Flame
0.0COLLAB
Self-hosted dashboard that finished its feature arc and stopped shipping in 2023.
◆ Current state
Flame is a self-hosted startpage for homelab services — app tiles, bookmarks, weather, and a search bar. The feature set it set out to build was finished across 2021 and 2022: custom app descriptions, Docker secrets support, a secondary search provider, and a custom theme editor. The most recent release in this feed is v2.3.1 from July 2023, and it is entirely bug fixes.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc reads as a project reaching completion rather than one under active development. Later releases shifted from adding capability to correcting the edges of what already existed — search-provider interactions, iOS input rendering, theme editor field sizes, label wording. There has been nothing since.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in these entries suggests further releases; anyone deploying Flame should treat the current version as the final one unless the project resumes.
Alternatives to Elgg and Flame
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 Elgg or Flame.
GitHub
Security and governance controls catch up to the Copilot build-out
NetNewsWire
7.1.3 ships on the Mac, closing a release spent almost entirely on rebuilding Feedly sync.
HumHub
HumHub's public feed carries only betas, and 1.19's is still about surviving the upgrade.
Hive
Hive keeps tightening the same three seams: planned time, admin control, and AI review scope
AFFiNE
A dated canary most days, with the beta line carrying the same commits later.
Recent activity from Elgg and Flame
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 17h agoElggLikes stop generating ajax data for unsupported entities
- 19h agoElgg6.3 branch gets installer sanitization and profile permission validation
- 20d agoElggGatekeeper fix for inaccessible deleted entities
- 20d agoElggSecurity patch on the 6.3 maintenance branch
- 1mo agoElggCKEditor pinned to the correct GPL-licensed version
- 1mo agoElggSmall fixes across the 7.0 line
- 3y agoFlameBug fixes for local search, iOS input styling, and theme editor
- 4y agoFlameCustom theme editor and secondary search provider
- 4y agoFlameIn-app location detection and tightened file permissions
- 4y agoFlameLocal search covers app descriptions; background task tuning
- 4y agoFlameCustom app descriptions and a cluster deployment fix
- 4y agoFlameDocker secrets support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Elgg and Flame?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Elgg 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 Elgg better than Flame?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Elgg 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 Collab products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Elgg?
Top Elgg alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Elgg alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/elgg for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Flame?
Top Flame alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Flame alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/flame-dashboard for the full list with editorial commentary on each.