Element
Element 1.12.34 RC pops calls into picture-in-picture and lets modules shut off public rooms.
Comparison · Comms
Stoat vs Subsplash
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Stoat and Subsplash — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Stoat vs Subsplash: at a glance
| Feature | Stoat | Subsplash |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Comms | Comms |
| Velocity score | 5.0 | 2.5 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Top themes | chat, self-hosted, moderation, bots | church-platform, workflow-automation, people-management, giving-management |
| Last editorial update | 3h ago | 1d ago |
| Website | Visit → | — |
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.
What is Subsplash?
Subsplash gives church staff notes on every person and every Workflow card.
Subsplash runs giving, media, people and workflow tools for churches. Late September brought notes on People profiles and Workflow cards, board search and hide-completed checklists in Workflows, gift totals and recurring-gift status in Giving, and timestamped share links for media. October added multi-select actions on People.
Stoat vs Subsplash: editorial side-by-side
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.
Subsplash
2.5COMMS
Subsplash gives church staff notes on every person and every Workflow card.
◆ Current state
Subsplash runs giving, media, people and workflow tools for churches. Late September brought notes on People profiles and Workflow cards, board search and hide-completed checklists in Workflows, gift totals and recurring-gift status in Giving, and timestamped share links for media. October added multi-select actions on People.
◆ Where it's heading
The platform is filling in the record-keeping that church staff did in other tools: notes, handoffs, follow-ups and giving totals now live next to the person or card. Workflows keeps getting features for busy boards and team handoffs. The releases are practical and incremental rather than new product lines.
◆ Prediction
Expect Workflows and People to keep converging, for example notes or tasks shared between a person and their cards. The entries say nothing new about the AI features mentioned earlier in the year.
Alternatives to Stoat and Subsplash
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 Stoat or Subsplash.
Synapse
Synapse 1.164 advertises Matrix v1.16 and v1.17 amid a run of dependency security patches
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 Stoat alternatives → · See all Subsplash alternatives →
Recent activity from Stoat and Subsplash
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4d agoSubsplashPeople Multi-Select
- 21d agoStoatStoat 0.16 RC1 adds OpenTelemetry tracing
- 21d agoStoatStoat 0.16 RC adds invite limits and bot roles
- 1mo agoSubsplashGift totals and recurring status in Giving
- 1mo agoSubsplashNotes on People
- 1mo agoSubsplashShare links that start a video at the current timestamp
- 1mo agoSubsplashCard search and cleaner checklists in Workflows
- 1mo agoSubsplashNotes on Workflow Cards
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Stoat and Subsplash?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Stoat is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), 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.
Is Stoat better than Subsplash?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Stoat is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 2.5), with 0 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 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.
What are the best alternatives to Subsplash?
Top Subsplash alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Subsplash alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/subsplash for the full list with editorial commentary on each.