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KACE vs Mattermost

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

KACE vs Mattermost: at a glance

FeatureKACEMattermost
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score5.06.3
Sparks · 30d01
Top themesendpoint-management, security-patches, php2shell, windows-11access control, zero trust, defense, self-hosted
Last editorial update2d ago12h ago
Website—Visit →

What is KACE?

KACE extends its PHP2SHELL fix to the SDA deployment appliance, six days after disclosure.

KACE has now patched the critical PHP2SHELL vulnerabilities across both appliances: SMA 15.1 and 15.0 on October 23, and the SDA 9.3 deployment appliance on October 27. SMA also gained official support for Windows 11 26H2 agents and patches, following KACE Cloud's 26H2 support a few days earlier.

Read the full KACE trajectory →

What is Mattermost?

Mattermost v12.1 puts bots and burn-after-reading messages under the same access rules.

Mattermost v12 shipped in parts: agents limited to the requesting user's access, Cross Guard for transfers across security domains, and user, device and channel attributes in access policy. A November 9 partnership pairs v12 with Arqit's quantum-safe device trust. v12.1 on November 13 extends attribute-based access control to bot accounts and to Burn-on-Read permissions, and Desktop v6.4 fixes Boards on subpath deployments.

Read the full Mattermost trajectory →

KACE vs Mattermost: editorial side-by-side

K
KACE
COLLAB
5.0

KACE extends its PHP2SHELL fix to the SDA deployment appliance, six days after disclosure.

◆ Current state

KACE has now patched the critical PHP2SHELL vulnerabilities across both appliances: SMA 15.1 and 15.0 on October 23, and the SDA 9.3 deployment appliance on October 27. SMA also gained official support for Windows 11 26H2 agents and patches, following KACE Cloud's 26H2 support a few days earlier.

◆ Where it's heading

The changelog is dominated by security response and OS-version coverage, with both SMA branches patched in lockstep. Feature work is limited to agent reliability fixes. KACE behaves like a maintained endpoint-management line rather than one being redirected.

◆ Prediction

Expect November Patch Tuesday content and further cumulative patches on both SMA branches. The entries don't point to new feature work.

M6.3

Mattermost v12.1 puts bots and burn-after-reading messages under the same access rules.

◆ Current state

Mattermost v12 shipped in parts: agents limited to the requesting user's access, Cross Guard for transfers across security domains, and user, device and channel attributes in access policy. A November 9 partnership pairs v12 with Arqit's quantum-safe device trust. v12.1 on November 13 extends attribute-based access control to bot accounts and to Burn-on-Read permissions, and Desktop v6.4 fixes Boards on subpath deployments.

◆ Where it's heading

Each release closes another gap in one policy model for who and what can see a message: people, devices, channels, and now automation accounts and ephemeral messages. The audience stays defence and regulated buyers, and point releases are filling in v12 rather than starting new lines.

◆ Prediction

Further v12.x releases likely apply the same attribute rules to more objects, such as files, plugins or AI agent actions, following the pattern of v12.1.

Alternatives to KACE and Mattermost

Other Collab 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 KACE or Mattermost.

See all KACE alternatives → · See all Mattermost alternatives →

Recent activity from KACE and Mattermost

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

  1. 23h agoMattermostMattermost v12.1: Control That Goes Beyond On and Off
  2. 3d agoKACEKACE Cloud fixes Apple VPP license counts and device models
  3. 4d agoMattermostYour MFA Isn't Phishing-Resistant. Here's What Is, and What the Deployment Decision Actually Involves
  4. 4d agoMattermostMattermost v12 pairs with Arqit for quantum-safe edge deployments
  5. 8d agoKACEKACE Cloud: Fixed issues with Android Agent enrollment and Device Patch Details search
  6. 9d agoMattermostMattermost v12 adds device and channel attributes to access policy
  7. 18d agoKACESDA 9.3 hotfix closes PHP2SHELL flaws
  8. 18d agoMattermostMattermost v12 Cross Guard: managed cross-domain transfers
  9. 19d agoKACEKACE SMA Windows 11 26H2 general support
  10. 21d agoMattermostMattermost v12: Agents Are Doing the Work. Now Control What They Can See. ⚡
  11. 22d agoKACEKACE SMA 15.0 Cumulative Patch 5
  12. 22d agoKACEKACE Cloud supports Windows 11 26H2 feature updates

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between KACE and Mattermost?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Mattermost 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 KACE better than Mattermost?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Mattermost 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 Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to KACE?

Top KACE alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "KACE alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kace for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Mattermost?

Top Mattermost alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Mattermost alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mattermost for the full list with editorial commentary on each.