Fourwaves
Fourwaves adds custom domain support for event websites, removing the hosted-subdomain constraint for conference organizers
Comparison · Meetings
Element Call vs HOMER
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Element Call and HOMER — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Element Call vs HOMER: at a glance
What is Element Call?
Element Call is removing its legacy architecture — the federated multi-SFU model is now the only option.
Element Call has spent the last two months removing compatibility scaffolding: MatrixRTC legacy mode (v0.25.0) and .well-known transport discovery (v0.24.0) are both gone. Every participant now connects to their homeserver's SFU with no fallback to the old negotiated single-SFU model. React Compiler is enabled for rendering performance, and media quality settings got a dedicated UI in v0.24.0. The RC release cadence is high while stable releases remain patch-focused.
What is HOMER?
HOMER patches DuckDB storage reliability and restores multi-value search while fixing admin dashboard sharing
HOMER is in steady maintenance mode across the 11.0.339-11.0.344 range, resolving DuckDB temp directory configuration, search correctness (multi-value semicolon syntax restored, oldest-first sort default), and an admin-level dashboard sharing access fix. The recent Azure Blob Storage DuckLake backend addition (11.0.334) was the last directional move; these releases consolidate that storage work.
Element Call vs HOMER: editorial side-by-side
Element Call
6.3MEETINGS
Element Call is removing its legacy architecture — the federated multi-SFU model is now the only option.
◆ Current state
Element Call has spent the last two months removing compatibility scaffolding: MatrixRTC legacy mode (v0.25.0) and .well-known transport discovery (v0.24.0) are both gone. Every participant now connects to their homeserver's SFU with no fallback to the old negotiated single-SFU model. React Compiler is enabled for rendering performance, and media quality settings got a dedicated UI in v0.24.0. The RC release cadence is high while stable releases remain patch-focused.
◆ Where it's heading
The architecture is settled: federated multi-SFU, homeserver-anchored, no legacy bridges. The breaking changes are pruning maintenance surface rather than adding capability. The next period is likely refinement — call quality controls, edge-case stability, and mobile experience polish — within the established architecture. Element Call's trajectory is now governed by the Matrix ecosystem roadmap more than its own feature backlog.
◆ Prediction
Stable releases catching up to the RC channel, with polish on the media quality controls from v0.24.0 and mobile layout improvements. Homeserver-level call routing policies are a plausible next capability now that the SFU model is uniform across all deployments.
HOMER
5.0MEETINGS
HOMER patches DuckDB storage reliability and restores multi-value search while fixing admin dashboard sharing
◆ Current state
HOMER is in steady maintenance mode across the 11.0.339-11.0.344 range, resolving DuckDB temp directory configuration, search correctness (multi-value semicolon syntax restored, oldest-first sort default), and an admin-level dashboard sharing access fix. The recent Azure Blob Storage DuckLake backend addition (11.0.334) was the last directional move; these releases consolidate that storage work.
◆ Where it's heading
HOMER is hardening its DuckLake storage tier across cloud backends (S3, Azure) and fixing real user-facing search behavior. The OTLP table inclusion in compaction is the most operationally significant fix in this window — without it, OpenTelemetry data would bypass retention policies. Admin dashboard sharing and search UX fixes point to growing multi-user deployments.
◆ Prediction
The OTLP table compaction work and credential refresh fixes point to an ongoing push to make the observability data tier reliable for long-running multi-cloud deployments; expect continued storage and retention policy improvements.
Alternatives to Element Call and HOMER
Other Meetings 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 Element Call or HOMER.
BigBlueButton
BigBlueButton 4.0 enters release candidate with LiveKit fully replacing the legacy audio stack.
JW Player
JW Player automates CMAF rendition ladders and sharpens ad attribution by player and placement
Nextcloud Talk Desktop
Nextcloud Talk Desktop is approaching Talk v25 stable while its July managed-config feature unlocks enterprise mass deployment for the first time.
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk v25 adds classified conversations and an owner role, targeting regulated enterprise deployments.
Greenlight
Greenlight 3.9 makes URL_HOST mandatory, forcing admin action on every self-hosted deployment.
See all Element Call alternatives → · See all HOMER alternatives →
Recent activity from Element Call and HOMER
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoHOMER11.0.344
- 4d agoHOMER11.0.343
- 6d agoHOMER11.0.342
- 7d agoHOMER11.0.341
- 7d agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.2
- 7d agoHOMER11.0.340
- 8d agoHOMER11.0.339
- 9d agoElement Callv0.26.0-rc.1
- 18d agoElement CallElement Call v0.25.0 removes MatrixRTC legacy mode, requiring full multi-SFU migration ⚡
- 1mo agoElement CallElement Call v0.24.0: React Compiler enabled, media quality UI, legacy transport removed
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.23.0-rc.1
- 2mo agoElement CallElement Call v0.22.0: Mobile call UI overhaul with gradient backgrounds as default
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Element Call and HOMER?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Element Call 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 Element Call better than HOMER?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Element Call 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 Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Element Call?
Top Element Call alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Element Call alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/element-call for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to HOMER?
Top HOMER alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "HOMER alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/homer-voip for the full list with editorial commentary on each.