3CX
3CX lands V20 Update 9 — redesigned web client and AI assistants in the PBX
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Lark and Nextcloud Talk — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Lark concentrates monthly updates on Base — automation branching, mobile dashboards, layout reset — while the collaboration suite holds steady.
Lark's monthly update cadence is centered on Lark Base, the suite's no-code data tool. V7.65 adds advanced formatting and branch settings to Base automations; V7.64 makes dashboard charts interactive on the mobile app; V7.62 ships one-click reset for custom Base record detail page layouts; V7.63 introduces AHA PC Doctor as an in-app self-service troubleshooter. V7.60 polishes image highlights in comments and V7.59 expands message-sending options in Base automated workflows.
Nextcloud Talk 24 is heading toward GA — permanent rooms, noise suppression, richer conversation organisation.
Talk 24's beta carried the substantive payload: 'Call from anywhere' through the avatar menu, permanent call rooms, advanced noise suppression, attachment grouping per conversation, and full tagging/sorting/grouping for the conversation list. Four RCs have followed with steady fixes across chat, SIP, federation, and admin access. The 22.x stable line is receiving parallel backports for the same federation and SIP issues.
Lark's monthly update cadence is centered on Lark Base, the suite's no-code data tool. V7.65 adds advanced formatting and branch settings to Base automations; V7.64 makes dashboard charts interactive on the mobile app; V7.62 ships one-click reset for custom Base record detail page layouts; V7.63 introduces AHA PC Doctor as an in-app self-service troubleshooter. V7.60 polishes image highlights in comments and V7.59 expands message-sending options in Base automated workflows.
Lark is investing heavily in Base's automation depth and admin ergonomics — branch settings, granular automation triggers, mobile-first dashboard interaction, layout management. Earlier versions in the index (V7.51 AI in Base, V7.55 new workspaces, V7.58 condition-group permissions) confirm Base as the consistent center of feature work. The broader collaboration suite (chat, docs, calendar) is held steady while Base evolves.
Expect more agentic AI inside Base (extending the V7.51 thread), continued mobile parity with desktop dashboards, and deeper automation features — multi-step branching with conditions, more third-party connectors. Self-service support (PC Doctor) is likely to expand to mobile and Mac.
Talk 24's beta carried the substantive payload: 'Call from anywhere' through the avatar menu, permanent call rooms, advanced noise suppression, attachment grouping per conversation, and full tagging/sorting/grouping for the conversation list. Four RCs have followed with steady fixes across chat, SIP, federation, and admin access. The 22.x stable line is receiving parallel backports for the same federation and SIP issues.
The 24.x cycle is the most consequential Talk release in some time, pulling the product toward feature parity with hosted meeting suites while preserving federation and self-hosting. Late-cycle work is overwhelmingly stability and admin polish, suggesting GA is close. Hub 26 Spring is now the floor.
Expect Talk 24.0.0 GA within the next few release cycles, followed by minor patch trains on 22.x and 21.x stable branches. Next-cycle investment likely turns to bot/agent extensibility and richer presence and scheduling primitives.
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 Lark or Nextcloud Talk.
3CX lands V20 Update 9 — redesigned web client and AI assistants in the PBX
mediasoup stays in maintenance mode, hardening its SFU worker internals
Restream opens an MCP server so AI assistants can run live streams in plain language.
Mux pushes deeper into AI video workflows and engagement analytics as Robots starts billing.
Switcher Studio's feed is mostly livestreaming how-to content, with the occasional real release.
WebinarJam's feed is webinar-marketing how-to content, not a product changelog.
See all Lark alternatives → · See all Nextcloud Talk alternatives →
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Nextcloud Talk is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 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.
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Nextcloud Talk is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 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 Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
Top Lark alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Lark alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/lark for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
Top Nextcloud Talk alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Nextcloud Talk alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/nextcloud-talk for the full list with editorial commentary on each.