Element
Element 1.12.34 RC pops calls into picture-in-picture and lets modules shut off public rooms.
Comparison · Comms
Roundcube vs Synapse
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Roundcube and Synapse — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Roundcube vs Synapse: 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 Synapse?
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches
Synapse keeps its two-to-three-week cycle of candidates and stables. 1.164.0 went stable on 27 October with support for Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 and a dedicated endpoint for scheduling delayed events (MSC4140). The surrounding releases are security dependency bumps: certifi, a rustls-webpki update that distrusts the compromised eMudhra intermediate CAs, Pillow 13.0.0 for critical image-handling flaws, and msgpack against memory exhaustion on the public room list.
Roundcube vs Synapse: 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.
Synapse
5.0COMMS
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches
◆ Current state
Synapse keeps its two-to-three-week cycle of candidates and stables. 1.164.0 went stable on 27 October with support for Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 and a dedicated endpoint for scheduling delayed events (MSC4140). The surrounding releases are security dependency bumps: certifi, a rustls-webpki update that distrusts the compromised eMudhra intermediate CAs, Pillow 13.0.0 for critical image-handling flaws, and msgpack against memory exhaustion on the public room list.
◆ Where it's heading
The homeserver tracks the spec closely, stabilising MSCs as they land in Matrix releases, while backporting each security bump to the previous stable line. Sticky Events and User Status work suggest continued alignment with newer client features.
◆ Prediction
1.165 release candidates should follow within about two weeks, likely with further MSC stabilisations.
Alternatives to Roundcube and Synapse
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 Synapse.
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.
Element iOS
Element Classic now asks its own users to move to Element X, if their server opts in.
See all Roundcube alternatives → · See all Synapse alternatives →
Recent activity from Roundcube and Synapse
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoSynapseSynapse 1.164.2 patch release
- 6d agoSynapseSynapse 1.164.1: msgpack memory-exhaustion fix, status clearing
- 7d agoSynapseSynapse 1.164.0: Matrix v1.16/v1.17 support goes stable
- 11d agoSynapseSynapse 1.164.0rc3: Pillow 13 security bump
- 11d agoSynapseSynapse 1.163.2: Pillow critical security backport
- 12d agoSynapseSynapse 1.164.0rc2: certificate trust updates
- 15d agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.7.5
- 15d agoRoundcubeRoundcube Webmail 1.6.20
- 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 Synapse?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Roundcube and Synapse 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 Synapse?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Roundcube and Synapse 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 Synapse?
Top Synapse alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Synapse alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/synapse for the full list with editorial commentary on each.