Ant Media Server
Ant Media Server 3.2 adds WHEP playback, Prometheus metrics and plugin installs from the dashboard.
Comparison · Meetings
SRS vs Fourwaves
A side-by-side editorial comparison of SRS and Fourwaves — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
SRS vs Fourwaves: 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 Fourwaves?
Fourwaves doubles Free plan submissions to 50 and reworks reviewer assignment.
Fourwaves ships small dated updates most days. November 11 raised the Free plan from 25 to 50 submissions, and November 12 added a four-step Assign reviewers window. Earlier in November it brought offline mobile check-in for Pro organizers and saved email templates for Advanced and Pro.
SRS vs Fourwaves: 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.
Fourwaves
5.0MEETINGS
Fourwaves doubles Free plan submissions to 50 and reworks reviewer assignment.
◆ Current state
Fourwaves ships small dated updates most days. November 11 raised the Free plan from 25 to 50 submissions, and November 12 added a four-step Assign reviewers window. Earlier in November it brought offline mobile check-in for Pro organizers and saved email templates for Advanced and Pro.
◆ Where it's heading
Most releases go to organizer tools for running the event and the review process, with features gated to paid plans. The Free plan increase is the first move in this run that widens the entry tier rather than adding to paid ones.
◆ Prediction
Expect more steps in the submission and review workflow to follow the new reviewer window; whether the Free plan change is part of a wider pricing revision is unclear from the entries.
Alternatives to SRS and Fourwaves
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 Fourwaves.
3CX
3CX sets the end of 2026 to switch off its own transcription service.
Eventcombo
Eventcombo adds webinar demo checklists to its 2027 buyer guides.
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.
See all SRS alternatives → · See all Fourwaves alternatives →
Recent activity from SRS and Fourwaves
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2d agoFourwavesNew four-step window for assigning reviewers
- 3d agoFourwavesFree plan now includes 50 submissions, up from 25
- 4d agoFourwavesOffline mobile check-in for Pro organizers
- 5d agoFourwavesParticipant pages show the same data to organizers
- 9d agoFourwavesSaved email templates for Advanced and Pro organizers
- 10d agoFourwavesAustralia/Sydney added as a reference timezone
- 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 Fourwaves?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. SRS and Fourwaves 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 SRS better than Fourwaves?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. SRS and Fourwaves 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 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 Fourwaves?
Top Fourwaves alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Fourwaves alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fourwaves for the full list with editorial commentary on each.