Syncthing
Syncthing 2.1.7 hits a fourth release candidate as fixes move from protocol to sync logic.
Comparison · Collab
Hive vs Joplin
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Hive and Joplin — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Hive vs Joplin: at a glance
What is Hive?
Hive gives clients a passwordless portal for every proof waiting on them, across companies.
Hive keeps shipping weekly batches for professional-services and creative teams. The Oct 21 batch adds an External Review Portal where clients and vendors see every pending proof from every Hive company they work with, a Map widget that plots project and action locations next to people, personal per-assignee reminders in a unified Dates field, and collapsible media in chat. It follows Buzz as an AI approver and Forms launched from workflow buttons.
What is Joplin?
Joplin 3.7 ships AI chat, semantic search, and MCP integration — all off by default, all controllable by the user.
Joplin 3.7 is the product's first real AI release: an in-app chat panel for querying the currently open note, semantic (meaning-based) search across notebooks, and an MCP server that lets external AI assistants connect to Joplin's note graph. The implementation is privacy-first by design — AI is disabled by default, local models (Ollama, LM Studio) are explicitly supported, and cloud AI services only receive the specific note content relevant to a request rather than the full notebook. A companion documentation post published September 14 lays out the privacy model explicitly.
Hive vs Joplin: editorial side-by-side
Hive
5.0COLLABPM
Hive gives clients a passwordless portal for every proof waiting on them, across companies.
◆ Current state
Hive keeps shipping weekly batches for professional-services and creative teams. The Oct 21 batch adds an External Review Portal where clients and vendors see every pending proof from every Hive company they work with, a Map widget that plots project and action locations next to people, personal per-assignee reminders in a unified Dates field, and collapsible media in chat. It follows Buzz as an AI approver and Forms launched from workflow buttons.
◆ Where it's heading
Proofing is turning into Hive's outward-facing surface: approvals already took an AI stage, and now external reviewers get their own login-light home, upload rights and a request-approval flow of their own. Inside the workspace, the work is about cutting per-person friction (own reminders, focused chat, location-aware dashboards) rather than adding new modules.
◆ Prediction
Expect the portal to pick up more reviewer-side actions, possibly Buzz review for externally uploaded files, since reviewers can now upload and request approval from their own teams; the entries don't show pricing or seat rules for external reviewers.
Joplin
6.3COLLAB
Joplin 3.7 ships AI chat, semantic search, and MCP integration — all off by default, all controllable by the user.
◆ Current state
Joplin 3.7 is the product's first real AI release: an in-app chat panel for querying the currently open note, semantic (meaning-based) search across notebooks, and an MCP server that lets external AI assistants connect to Joplin's note graph. The implementation is privacy-first by design — AI is disabled by default, local models (Ollama, LM Studio) are explicitly supported, and cloud AI services only receive the specific note content relevant to a request rather than the full notebook. A companion documentation post published September 14 lays out the privacy model explicitly.
◆ Where it's heading
Joplin is repositioning from a sync-agnostic note-taking app into an AI-native knowledge base, differentiated by opt-in, local-first controls. The HMD Terra M preload partnership and the warrant canary point to a deliberate push toward privacy-conscious enterprise and professional users who distrust cloud-first tools. The MCP integration is particularly strategic: it makes Joplin's note graph accessible to external orchestration pipelines without locking into any particular AI provider.
◆ Prediction
The next major release will likely expand AI chat to multi-note context — currently limited to the open note — and add more configurable MCP tools. The HTR (handwritten text recognition) project from the 2024 French government partnership is also likely to appear in a near-term release.
Alternatives to Hive and Joplin
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 Hive or Joplin.
Teable
Teable tries a chat-first workspace: the grid becomes one output of an AI conversation.
Elgg
Elgg ships paired 7.1.2 and 6.3.9 patches: both branches stay in maintenance mode.
SiYuan
SiYuan's second 3.8.9 alpha in a day adds TIFF previews and depth limits for automation.
GitHub
GitHub previews a package firewall that blocks malicious dependencies at install time.
Wiki.js
Wiki.js 3.0 beta adds live notes that can be published straight to pages.
Recent activity from Hive and Joplin
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4d agoHiveReview proofs in the External Review Portal
- 4d agoHiveMap project and action locations alongside your team
- 4d agoHiveCollapse images, GIFs and link previews in chat
- 4d agoHiveSet your own reminder in the new Dates field
- 9d agoHiveNew Open prefilled Forms from action workflow buttons
- 9d agoHiveBuzz approver note reposted
- 1mo agoJoplinYour notes and AI: privacy first
- 1mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.7 ⚡
- 5mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.6
- 8mo agoJoplinIntroducing our Warrant Canary
- 8mo agoJoplinJoplin will come preloaded on the HMD Terra M
- 9mo agoJoplinWhat's new in Joplin 3.5
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Hive and Joplin?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Joplin 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 Hive better than Joplin?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Joplin 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 Collab products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Hive?
Top Hive alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Hive alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/hive for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Joplin?
Top Joplin alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Joplin alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/joplin for the full list with editorial commentary on each.