Rspamd
Rspamd 4.3 fixes SPF evaluation order and rejects weak DKIM keys, with results that change.
Comparison · Comms
Mailu vs Element
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Mailu and Element — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Mailu vs Element: at a glance
What is Mailu?
Mailu's October: patched PHP for webmail, and a resolver that reports DNS failures
Mailu's 2024.06 branch ships pinned releases, each tied to a single issue. October brought resolver fixes for the DNSSEC KSK rollover and SERVFAIL healthchecks, Roundcube 1.6.20, then PHP2Shell CVE mitigations in webmail followed by the patched PHP runtime. 2024.06.68 on 8 November carries the same PHP2Shell mitigation note again.
What is Element?
Element 1.12.35 follows the call picture-in-picture release with one desktop storage fix.
Element Web spent October on crypto UX: mandatory device verification, removal of guest tokens and NEB links, and a shorter recovery-key flow in 1.12.33. 1.12.34 shipped OS-level picture-in-picture for Element Call, a module switch that disables public rooms, recovery-key generation when logging out of the last device and fixes for two security advisories. 1.12.35, a day later, backports a single fallback to synchronous safeStorage.
Mailu vs Element: editorial side-by-side
Mailu
5.0COMMS
Mailu's October: patched PHP for webmail, and a resolver that reports DNS failures
◆ Current state
Mailu's 2024.06 branch ships pinned releases, each tied to a single issue. October brought resolver fixes for the DNSSEC KSK rollover and SERVFAIL healthchecks, Roundcube 1.6.20, then PHP2Shell CVE mitigations in webmail followed by the patched PHP runtime. 2024.06.68 on 8 November carries the same PHP2Shell mitigation note again.
◆ Where it's heading
The project remains in one-fix-per-release maintenance on the 2024.06 line, with upstream webmail and PHP security driving much of the cadence. Nothing in the entries points to a new main release.
◆ Prediction
The next releases will most likely follow upstream Roundcube or PHP security fixes, as three of the last six did.
Element
5.0COMMS
Element 1.12.35 follows the call picture-in-picture release with one desktop storage fix.
◆ Current state
Element Web spent October on crypto UX: mandatory device verification, removal of guest tokens and NEB links, and a shorter recovery-key flow in 1.12.33. 1.12.34 shipped OS-level picture-in-picture for Element Call, a module switch that disables public rooms, recovery-key generation when logging out of the last device and fixes for two security advisories. 1.12.35, a day later, backports a single fallback to synchronous safeStorage.
◆ Where it's heading
Two tracks run in parallel: reducing key-loss failures in encryption, and giving deployers more control through the Module API. The public-room switch and timezone config point at managed and institutional deployments, while the new timeline in labs is slowly gaining parity features.
◆ Prediction
1.12.34 should ship stable within about a week, following the RC-to-release pattern of recent versions; read receipts suggest the new timeline is getting closer to replacing the old one.
Alternatives to Mailu and Element
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 Mailu or Element.
Twilio
Twilio's voice AI stops cutting callers off mid-sentence, using its own turn-taking model.
Salesmsg
Salesmsg adds call-back requests and a one-click Emergency Stop for all outbound texts.
Krisp
Krisp moves call transcripts and live captions to cloud transcription in KrispCX 2.84.4.
Misskey
Misskey 2026.11 ships: a leaner start script, and Node.js 22 no longer boots.
SlickText
SlickText's feed is all SMS buying guides; no product release has surfaced since RCS.
See all Mailu alternatives → · See all Element alternatives →
Recent activity from Mailu and Element
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoElementElement 1.12.35 backports a safeStorage fallback fix
- 3d agoElementElement 1.12.34: call picture-in-picture, two security fixes
- 5d agoMailu2024.06.68 re-ships the PHP2Shell webmail mitigation
- 7d agoElement1.12.34 RC.1 adds labs read receipts and configurable timezone
- 10d agoElement1.12.34 RC: call picture-in-picture, module switch for public rooms
- 17d agoElementElement 1.12.33 ships simpler recovery keys, ends libolm migration
- 22d agoMailuMailu ships patched PHP for PHP2Shell CVEs
- 22d agoMailuMailu mitigates PHP2Shell webmail CVEs
- 24d agoMailuMailu 2024.06.65: Roundcube 1.6.20 update
- 25d agoElement1.12.33 RC simplifies recovery keys, drops libolm migration
- 1mo agoMailu2024.06.64 re-ships the resolver healthcheck fix
- 1mo agoMailu2024.06.63 makes the resolver healthcheck catch SERVFAIL
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Mailu and Element?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Mailu and Element 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 Mailu better than Element?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Mailu and Element 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 Mailu?
Top Mailu alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Mailu alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mailu for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Element?
Top Element alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Element alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/element-web for the full list with editorial commentary on each.