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Comparison · Collab

HumHub vs KACE

A side-by-side editorial comparison of HumHub and KACE — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

HumHub vs KACE: at a glance

FeatureHumHubKACE
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score2.55.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themessocial intranet, beta releases, upgrade migrations, permissionsendpoint management, on-prem appliance, mdm, patch management
Last editorial update5h ago56m ago
WebsiteVisit →

What is HumHub?

HumHub's public feed carries only betas, and 1.19's is mostly about surviving the upgrade.

The three releases visible here are all pre-release: 1.19.0-beta.1 in July, and 1.18.0-beta.6 and beta.5 before it. The 1.19 beta is dominated by upgrade-path and data-integrity repair — a foreign key violation that aborted the 1.19 comment content_id migration on databases with orphaned rows, a fatal error when deleting a user or running PurgeDeletedContents against content whose underlying record was gone, and a permissions fix where users with ManageSettings but not ManageModules were offered a Configure button on disabled modules. The 1.18 betas are ordinary polish: login screen layout, theme inheritance, validators, translations and installer fixes.

Read the full HumHub trajectory →

What is KACE?

KACE's real news lands in two numbered releases a quarter; the rest of the feed is fix notices

KACE runs two product lines through one changelog: the on-prem Systems Management Appliance, which ships numbered releases every few months, and KACE Cloud, which deploys continuously and reports each deploy as a fix notice. SMA 15.1 in July was the substantive release of the period, adding a native Windows ARM64 agent, Windows 11 24H2 feature-update support, HTTPS-only appliance access, and Microsoft 365 OAuth for outbound mail — all of it tracking Microsoft platform changes rather than opening new ground. Everything since has been Cloud maintenance, most of it in Apple and Android device-enrollment paths, plus the monthly Patch Tuesday catalog notice.

Read the full KACE trajectory →

HumHub vs KACE: editorial side-by-side

H
HumHub
COLLAB
2.5

HumHub's public feed carries only betas, and 1.19's is mostly about surviving the upgrade.

◆ Current state

The three releases visible here are all pre-release: 1.19.0-beta.1 in July, and 1.18.0-beta.6 and beta.5 before it. The 1.19 beta is dominated by upgrade-path and data-integrity repair — a foreign key violation that aborted the 1.19 comment content_id migration on databases with orphaned rows, a fatal error when deleting a user or running PurgeDeletedContents against content whose underlying record was gone, and a permissions fix where users with ManageSettings but not ManageModules were offered a Configure button on disabled modules. The 1.18 betas are ordinary polish: login screen layout, theme inheritance, validators, translations and installer fixes.

◆ Where it's heading

The 1.19 cycle is being spent making the migration survivable on real installations rather than adding capability, which is the usual shape when a schema change meets databases that have accumulated orphaned rows over years. The permission fix points the same way: tightening the boundary between managing settings and managing modules is cleanup of an authorisation model, not an extension of it.

◆ Prediction

Only beta tags appear in this feed, so a 1.19.0 stable is the obvious next milestone, but nothing here dates it. Note that the gap between the 1.18 betas and the 1.19 beta is roughly six months, which is the only cadence signal available.

K
KACE
COLLAB
5.0

KACE's real news lands in two numbered releases a quarter; the rest of the feed is fix notices

◆ Current state

KACE runs two product lines through one changelog: the on-prem Systems Management Appliance, which ships numbered releases every few months, and KACE Cloud, which deploys continuously and reports each deploy as a fix notice. SMA 15.1 in July was the substantive release of the period, adding a native Windows ARM64 agent, Windows 11 24H2 feature-update support, HTTPS-only appliance access, and Microsoft 365 OAuth for outbound mail — all of it tracking Microsoft platform changes rather than opening new ground. Everything since has been Cloud maintenance, most of it in Apple and Android device-enrollment paths, plus the monthly Patch Tuesday catalog notice.

◆ Where it's heading

The on-prem line is being modernized to track Microsoft's platform changes rather than extended into new territory — ARM64 coverage, UUP-based feature updates, OAuth mail, and mandatory TLS are all catch-up moves against dependencies KACE does not control. Cloud is where the volume is, and its fix stream reads as a product still stabilizing its MDM enrollment surface: Apple DEP profiles, restriction sets, WiFi payloads, and Android AMAPI have each needed correction in the last month. The split is clear enough that the two lines could be read as different maturity stages of the same portfolio.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next SMA numbered release to continue the Microsoft-alignment work rather than open a new capability area, with Cloud fix notices continuing at roughly weekly cadence in between. The entries give no indication of when that release lands.

Alternatives to HumHub and KACE

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 HumHub or KACE.

See all HumHub alternatives → · See all KACE alternatives →

Recent activity from HumHub and KACE

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoKACEKACE Cloud: Fixed issues with Apple WiFi and Restriction Set configurations
  2. 9d agoKACESMA Agent 15.1.46 fixes .NET dependency on Windows Server 2016/2019
  3. 17d agoHumHub1.19 upgrade migration and orphaned content fixes
  4. 20d agoKACEKACE Cloud: Fixed issues with Apple "Not Now" responses, DEP profiles, web app icons and Android AMAPI enrollments
  5. 22d agoKACEJuly 2026 Microsoft Patch Tuesday
  6. 23d agoKACEKACE Cloud: Fixed issue with MFA configuration on new tenants
  7. 25d agoKACESMA 15.1 adds Windows ARM64 agent and enforces HTTPS-only access
  8. 7mo agoHumHubLogin screen, theming and validator fixes
  9. 8mo agoHumHubGroup manager options and assorted UI fixes

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between HumHub and KACE?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. KACE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), 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 HumHub better than KACE?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. KACE is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), 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 HumHub?

Top HumHub alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "HumHub alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/humhub for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to KACE?

Top KACE alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "KACE alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kace for the full list with editorial commentary on each.