Element
Element 1.12.34 RC pops calls into picture-in-picture and lets modules shut off public rooms.
Comparison · Comms
Roundcube vs Stoat
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Roundcube and Stoat — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Roundcube vs Stoat: at a glance
What is Roundcube?
Roundcube's October release patches 13 more holes on both branches at once.
Roundcube shipped 1.7.5 and 1.6.20 on 19 October, again as a matched pair, fixing IMAP command injection via the _uid parameter, mail header injection in bounce and reply paths, a session object-injection primitive, ImageMagick limits bypasses, an SSRF filter bypass via NAT64 and several remote-content blocking bypasses. It is the fifth paired security release since June.
What is Stoat?
Stoat moves to release candidates and Gerrit, and gives server admins more control.
Stoat's 0.16.0 release candidates add server controls: invites with expiry and use limits, permission to block external emojis, and bot roles that grant permissions when a bot joins. The team is also piloting Gerrit as its main source control and will now ship release candidates and backports.
Roundcube vs Stoat: editorial side-by-side
Roundcube
5.0COMMS
Roundcube's October release patches 13 more holes on both branches at once.
◆ Current state
Roundcube shipped 1.7.5 and 1.6.20 on 19 October, again as a matched pair, fixing IMAP command injection via the _uid parameter, mail header injection in bounce and reply paths, a session object-injection primitive, ImageMagick limits bypasses, an SSRF filter bypass via NAT64 and several remote-content blocking bypasses. It is the fifth paired security release since June.
◆ Where it's heading
Monthly security releases on both the 1.7 and LTS 1.6 lines have become the product's main output, driven by outside researchers. Several fixes revisit earlier ones, such as CSS-escape blocking bypasses fixed 'again', which suggests the content-sanitising code is still being mapped.
◆ Prediction
Another paired 1.7.x and 1.6.x security release in about a month is the pattern; feature work isn't visible in these entries.
Stoat
5.0COMMS
Stoat moves to release candidates and Gerrit, and gives server admins more control.
◆ Current state
Stoat's 0.16.0 release candidates add server controls: invites with expiry and use limits, permission to block external emojis, and bot roles that grant permissions when a bot joins. The team is also piloting Gerrit as its main source control and will now ship release candidates and backports.
◆ Where it's heading
The feature list is about moderation and bot management for server owners, and rc.1 adds OpenTelemetry tracing for the file service. The process change toward RCs and backports suggests the team wants steadier releases for self-hosters.
◆ Prediction
A final 0.16.0 should follow the two RCs; the entries do not say when.
Alternatives to Roundcube and Stoat
Other Comms 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 Roundcube or Stoat.
Synapse
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches
Subsplash
Subsplash gives church staff notes on every person and every Workflow card.
Maddy
maddy's latest release is a security fix, five months after its last feature work.
Grain
Grain adds consent controls and rule-based privacy as its meeting data reaches more AI tools.
Converse.js
Converse.js 14.0.1 fixes OMEMO:2 group decryption broken by Chromium 153.
See all Roundcube alternatives → · See all Stoat alternatives →
Recent activity from Roundcube and Stoat
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 15d agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.7.5
- 15d agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.6.20
- 21d agoStoatStoat 0.16 RC1 adds OpenTelemetry tracing
- 21d agoStoatStoat 0.16 RC adds invite limits and bot roles
- 1mo agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.7.4
- 1mo agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.6.19
- 2mo agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.7.3
- 2mo agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.6.18
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Roundcube and Stoat?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Roundcube and Stoat 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 Roundcube better than Stoat?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Roundcube and Stoat 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 Comms products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Roundcube?
Top Roundcube alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Roundcube alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/roundcube for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Stoat?
Top Stoat alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Stoat alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/stoat for the full list with editorial commentary on each.