Ant Media Server
Ant Media Server 3.2 adds WHEP playback, Prometheus metrics and plugin installs from the dashboard.
Comparison · Meetings
SRS vs 3CX
A side-by-side editorial comparison of SRS and 3CX — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
SRS vs 3CX: at a glance
What is SRS?
SRS now runs three release lines at once and publishes A/B CPU benchmarks with each build.
SRS, the open-source media streaming server, cut v6.0-r3, v7.0-a4 and v8.0-d3 within two minutes on 31 October. Each release now carries an A/B CPU benchmark across 16 delivery scenarios: 6.0-r3 trims 4-6% CPU on RTMP, HTTP-FLV and HTTP-TS, while both 7.0-a4 and 8.0-d3 show RTSP delivery using about 30% more CPU than the prior build. Release commits are co-authored with Claude.
What is 3CX?
3CX sets the end of 2026 to switch off its own transcription service.
3CX is closing its bundled AI services and moving customers to AI they run or connect themselves. On November 13 it confirmed its transcription service switches off at the end of 2026, with ENT+ subscriptions moving to AI Edition. V20 Update 10 fills in the replacement: Grok support, MCP, improved AI agents and local transcription on a Mac, plus simpler audio conferencing, a pop-out dialer and delegated call recording review.
SRS vs 3CX: editorial side-by-side
SRS
5.0MEETINGS
SRS now runs three release lines at once and publishes A/B CPU benchmarks with each build.
◆ Current state
SRS, the open-source media streaming server, cut v6.0-r3, v7.0-a4 and v8.0-d3 within two minutes on 31 October. Each release now carries an A/B CPU benchmark across 16 delivery scenarios: 6.0-r3 trims 4-6% CPU on RTMP, HTTP-FLV and HTTP-TS, while both 7.0-a4 and 8.0-d3 show RTSP delivery using about 30% more CPU than the prior build. Release commits are co-authored with Claude.
◆ Where it's heading
Release engineering is becoming the product's visible discipline: stable, alpha and dev lines ship together with measured performance deltas rather than feature notes. The 7.0 line has moved from dev snapshots into alphas, and 8.0 now takes the dev-snapshot slot.
◆ Prediction
The shared RTSP regression in 7.0-a4 and 8.0-d3 is the obvious thing for the next alpha and dev builds to address, given the benchmarks now flag it on every release.
3CX
6.3MEETINGS
3CX sets the end of 2026 to switch off its own transcription service.
◆ Current state
3CX is closing its bundled AI services and moving customers to AI they run or connect themselves. On November 13 it confirmed its transcription service switches off at the end of 2026, with ENT+ subscriptions moving to AI Edition. V20 Update 10 fills in the replacement: Grok support, MCP, improved AI agents and local transcription on a Mac, plus simpler audio conferencing, a pop-out dialer and delegated call recording review.
◆ Where it's heading
Update 10 widens the choice of AI provider and moves more processing onto hardware customers own, while adding manager controls around recordings. The release is shipping in pieces through how-to posts rather than one changelog.
◆ Prediction
Expect Update 10 to reach general release and more posts on the self-hosted AI Server ahead of the January 2027 licence conversion.
Alternatives to SRS and 3CX
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 SRS or 3CX.
Eventcombo
Eventcombo adds webinar demo checklists to its 2027 buyer guides.
Fourwaves
Fourwaves doubles Free plan submissions to 50 and reworks reviewer assignment.
JW Player
JW Player's Android SDK 4.28 adds live Chromecast and new background audio controls.
Nextcloud Talk
Nextcloud Talk v23.0.14 fixes Firefox video and keeps v25 waiting at RC3.
Kurento
Kurento's JavaScript client gets a 7.3.1 point release with no notes.
Recent activity from SRS and 3CX
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 20h ago3CX3CX Transcription Service to be Switched Off End of 2026
- 1d ago3CXStop Selling Features. Start Selling Business Outcomes
- 1d ago3CXDelegate Call Recording Review and Protect Sensitive Calls in 3CX V20 Update 10
- 2d ago3CXV20 U10 Extending Our AI Lead: Improved Agents, MCP, and Local Transcription on a Mac
- 3d ago3CXTest Where Calls Go When Your 3CX AI Agent Is Unavailable
- 4d ago3CXSize Your 3CX AI Server for Today, Scale It for Tomorrow
- 14d agoSRSSRS 8.0 dev3: RTMP CPU down 7.6%, RTSP up 29%
- 14d agoSRSSRS 7.0 alpha4: RTSP delivery uses 31% more CPU
- 14d agoSRSSRS 6.0-r3 cuts RTMP and HTTP-FLV CPU by 4-6%
- 19d agoSRSSRS 7.0 alpha3 snapshot
- 20d agoSRSSRS 8.0 dev2 snapshot
- 23d agoSRSSRS 8.0 dev1 snapshot
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between SRS and 3CX?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. 3CX is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 SRS better than 3CX?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. 3CX is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 0 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 SRS?
Top SRS alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "SRS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/srs for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to 3CX?
Top 3CX alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "3CX alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/3cx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.