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Comparison · Collab
Passbolt vs Elgg
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Passbolt and Elgg — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Passbolt vs Elgg: at a glance
What is Passbolt?
Passbolt made shared-resource permissions explicit, then spent a release calming the prompt.
The 5.14 line dominates the window. 5.14.0 introduced explicit confirmation dialogs before creating items in shared folders or editing shared resources, and fixed a security issue in MFA policy enforcement. 5.14.3 then narrowed that dialog, which had been firing on metadata-only edits such as renaming, and now appears only when a secret actually changes. Behind those, 5.13 added in-app switching between Community and Pro editions, and 5.12 took the Safari extension out of beta and added a PIN code resource type.
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 security-only patches. The recent entries are small — single-commit gatekeeper fixes, a CKEditor licensing version correction, terse 'small security update' notes — and contributor counts are in the low single digits, with the same one or two maintainers on nearly every release. The 7.0 line has already settled into patch mode.
Passbolt vs Elgg: editorial side-by-side
Passbolt
5.0COLLAB
Passbolt made shared-resource permissions explicit, then spent a release calming the prompt.
◆ Current state
The 5.14 line dominates the window. 5.14.0 introduced explicit confirmation dialogs before creating items in shared folders or editing shared resources, and fixed a security issue in MFA policy enforcement. 5.14.3 then narrowed that dialog, which had been firing on metadata-only edits such as renaming, and now appears only when a secret actually changes. Behind those, 5.13 added in-app switching between Community and Pro editions, and 5.12 took the Safari extension out of beta and added a PIN code resource type.
◆ Where it's heading
The recent arc is about making shared state legible before it changes, then tuning that intervention so it does not fire on edits that carry no risk — a confirmation prompt is only useful while users still read it. Around that thread the work is reach and packaging: Safari at parity with the other browsers, editions switchable without a manual migration, new resource types added one at a time. This is a product filling in the operational edges of team password management rather than moving into new territory.
◆ Prediction
The 5.14.3 correction suggests further tuning of which edit paths trigger the confirmation dialog as more cases are reported. Beyond that, the entries point to continued resource-type additions in the manner of the PIN code type.
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 security-only patches. The recent entries are small — single-commit gatekeeper fixes, a CKEditor licensing version correction, terse 'small security update' notes — and contributor counts are in the low single digits, with the same one or two maintainers on nearly every release. The 7.0 line has already settled into patch mode.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a mature project maintaining a stable base rather than pushing new capability. The pattern of paired 7.0.x/6.3.x releases on the same day indicates a deliberate backport discipline, keeping the previous major line safe for deployments that haven't migrated. Nothing in the changelogs points toward new features; the substantive work visible here is the 7.0.1 cleanup batch that shook out post-major-release regressions in theming, discussions, and Safari script loading.
◆ Prediction
Expect the alternating pattern to continue — 7.0.x patch releases as issues surface, with matching 6.3.x security backports — until a 7.1 cycle opens. The entries give no indication of when that might be.
Alternatives to Passbolt and Elgg
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 Passbolt or Elgg.
Calibre-Web
A self-hosted ebook library growing one reader feature and one format at a time.
NetNewsWire
NetNewsWire's release notes have become a log of other people's rate limits.
HumHub
HumHub's public feed carries only betas, and 1.19's is mostly about surviving the upgrade.
LibrePhotos
LibrePhotos folded five repositories into one and started versioning like a real product.
Asana
Asana is bolting an agent layer and a docs surface onto work management.
See all Passbolt alternatives → · See all Elgg alternatives →
Recent activity from Passbolt and Elgg
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoPassbolt5.14.3 limits the permission dialog to actual secret changes
- 8d agoElggGatekeeper fix for inaccessible deleted entities
- 8d agoElggSecurity patch on the 6.3 maintenance branch
- 10d agoPassbolt5.14 adds confirmation prompts before shared-resource edits
- 28d agoElggCKEditor pinned to the correct GPL-licensed version
- 1mo agoElggSmall fixes across the 7.0 line
- 1mo agoElggSecurity patch on the 6.3 maintenance branch
- 1mo agoElggPost-7.0 cleanup: theming, discussions, and Safari script loading
- 1mo agoPassbolt5.13 adds in-app switching between Community and Pro
- 2mo agoPassbolt5.12 makes the Safari extension generally available
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Passbolt and Elgg?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Passbolt and Elgg are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Passbolt better than Elgg?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Passbolt and Elgg are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Passbolt?
Top Passbolt alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Passbolt alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/passbolt for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
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.