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Roundcube vs Zoho Cliq

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

Roundcube vs Zoho Cliq: at a glance

FeatureRoundcubeZoho Cliq
SectorCommsComms
Velocity score5.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themessecurity-patching, webmail, dual-branch-releases, xss-sanitizationteam-chat, zoho-suite, embedded-communication, developer-platform
Last editorial update10d ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Roundcube?

Roundcube is shipping matched security pairs across 1.7 and 1.6 LTS, roughly monthly.

Every release in this window is a security update, and they arrive in matched pairs — the same fix set landed on the 1.7 stable branch and backported to the 1.6 LTS branch minutes apart. The August pair closes eleven reported issues, including remote code execution through the markasjunk plugin's cmd_learn driver, IMAP command injection via LITERAL+ byte-count desynchronization, LDAP filter injection through unescaped substitution in search_filter, arbitrary Sieve script injection past managesieve_disabled_actions, multiple SSRF filter bypasses, and stored XSS. The June and July pairs follow the same structure with different findings.

Read the full Roundcube trajectory →

What is Zoho Cliq?

Cliq 7.0 stops being a destination app and becomes a layer across Zoho

Cliq 7.0 landed as a single same-day cluster of five posts covering one annual release. The named change is Cliq Mini — formerly the Cliq chat widget — repositioned as communication that travels with the user across CRM, help desk and project apps, alongside picture-in-picture across Zoho apps, thread and recall improvements, and a developer platform push. The feed publishes marketing narratives rather than release notes, and all five bodies are truncated teasers, so direction is readable but scope is not.

Read the full Zoho Cliq trajectory →

Roundcube vs Zoho Cliq: editorial side-by-side

R5.0

Roundcube is shipping matched security pairs across 1.7 and 1.6 LTS, roughly monthly.

◆ Current state

Every release in this window is a security update, and they arrive in matched pairs — the same fix set landed on the 1.7 stable branch and backported to the 1.6 LTS branch minutes apart. The August pair closes eleven reported issues, including remote code execution through the markasjunk plugin's cmd_learn driver, IMAP command injection via LITERAL+ byte-count desynchronization, LDAP filter injection through unescaped substitution in search_filter, arbitrary Sieve script injection past managesieve_disabled_actions, multiple SSRF filter bypasses, and stored XSS. The June and July pairs follow the same structure with different findings.

◆ Where it's heading

Roundcube is absorbing sustained external security-research attention and has settled into a repeatable response cadence: fix, pair the branches, ship. The recurring categories are telling — HTML and CSS sanitizer bypasses via SVG attributes, SSRF filters defeated by address-space and hostname tricks, and injection through plugin drivers — which means the same attack surfaces keep yielding new variants rather than being closed once. The 1.5 branch received its last pair in March; since 1.7.0 arrived in May, maintenance has narrowed to two branches instead of three.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next release to be another 1.7/1.6 security pair rather than a feature drop, and to include further sanitizer or URL-fetch bypass fixes, since those two categories have recurred in every pair in this window.

Z6.3

Cliq 7.0 stops being a destination app and becomes a layer across Zoho

◆ Current state

Cliq 7.0 landed as a single same-day cluster of five posts covering one annual release. The named change is Cliq Mini — formerly the Cliq chat widget — repositioned as communication that travels with the user across CRM, help desk and project apps, alongside picture-in-picture across Zoho apps, thread and recall improvements, and a developer platform push. The feed publishes marketing narratives rather than release notes, and all five bodies are truncated teasers, so direction is readable but scope is not.

◆ Where it's heading

Cliq's last two notable moves point the same way from opposite ends: the MCP server made it an endpoint agents drive, and 7.0 makes it a surface embedded inside sibling Zoho apps. Both reduce the case for opening Cliq as its own window. The bet is that chat is infrastructure for the suite rather than a place people go.

◆ Prediction

Expect Cliq Mini to keep widening across the Zoho catalogue app by app, and the developer platform and MCP surfaces to converge so a bot built once runs both from the embedded widget and from an outside agent. Scope beyond that is not readable from these teaser bodies.

Alternatives to Roundcube and Zoho Cliq

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 Zoho Cliq.

See all Roundcube alternatives → · See all Zoho Cliq alternatives →

Recent activity from Roundcube and Zoho Cliq

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

  1. 17h agoZoho CliqMeet the new Cliq Mini: Communication that stays with you across Zoho apps
  2. 17h agoZoho CliqCliq 7.0 carries calls picture-in-picture across Zoho apps
  3. 17h agoZoho CliqCliq 7.0: Get to what matters, faster
  4. 17h agoZoho CliqCliq 7.0: Built to fit the way you work
  5. 17h agoZoho CliqCliq 7.0: From hours to minutes with the Cliq developer platform
  6. 10d agoRoundcube1.7.3 fixes 11 issues including plugin RCE and IMAP injection
  7. 10d agoRoundcube1.6.18 backports the same 11 security fixes to the LTS branch
  8. 1mo agoRoundcube1.6.17 fixes CVE-2026-54432/54433 and a TNEF decoder loop
  9. 1mo agoRoundcube1.7.2 ships July's security set to the stable branch
  10. 2mo agoRoundcube1.6.16 fixes pre-auth SQL injection and arbitrary file delete
  11. 2mo agoRoundcube1.7.1 pairs June's fixes with Enigma HKP key lookup
  12. 6mo agoZoho CliqBuild AI-powered workflows with Zoho Cliq MCP and the Cliq developer platform

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Roundcube and Zoho Cliq?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Zoho Cliq is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 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 Roundcube better than Zoho Cliq?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Zoho Cliq is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. 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 Zoho Cliq?

Top Zoho Cliq alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Zoho Cliq alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zoho-cliq for the full list with editorial commentary on each.