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Comparison · Comms

Subsplash vs Element

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

Subsplash vs Element: at a glance

FeatureSubsplashElement
SectorCommsComms
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themeschurch-platform, giving-management, integrations, people-managementencryption, recovery-keys, module-api, element-call
Last editorial update2d ago17h ago
Website—Visit →

What is Subsplash?

Subsplash Giving now syncs donations and people with Planning Center.

Subsplash runs giving, media, people and workflow tools for churches. In November it made Dashboard Home a single view across all its products, then on 10 November connected Subsplash Giving to Planning Center: transactions sync one way on a schedule or on demand, profiles sync both ways, funds are mapped, and each sync produces a report with flagged items staff can fix themselves.

Read the full Subsplash trajectory →

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.

Read the full Element trajectory →

Subsplash vs Element: editorial side-by-side

S5.0

Subsplash Giving now syncs donations and people with Planning Center.

◆ Current state

Subsplash runs giving, media, people and workflow tools for churches. In November it made Dashboard Home a single view across all its products, then on 10 November connected Subsplash Giving to Planning Center: transactions sync one way on a schedule or on demand, profiles sync both ways, funds are mapped, and each sync produces a report with flagged items staff can fix themselves.

◆ Where it's heading

Recent work focuses on the church office's admin load: notes, multi-select, reconciliation, a unified home page, and now integration with the people database many churches already use. Subsplash is positioning Giving to work alongside Planning Center rather than requiring churches to replace it.

◆ Prediction

Further Planning Center links, such as events or groups, are plausible, but the entries do not indicate which comes next.

E
Element
COMMS
5.0

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 Subsplash 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 Subsplash or Element.

See all Subsplash alternatives → · See all Element alternatives →

Recent activity from Subsplash and Element

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

  1. 1d agoElementElement 1.12.35 backports a safeStorage fallback fix
  2. 3d agoElementElement 1.12.34: call picture-in-picture, two security fixes
  3. 3d agoSubsplashPlanning Center Integration
  4. 7d agoElement1.12.34 RC.1 adds labs read receipts and configurable timezone
  5. 9d agoSubsplashDashboard Home now covers every Subsplash product
  6. 10d agoElement1.12.34 RC: call picture-in-picture, module switch for public rooms
  7. 14d agoSubsplashPeople Multi-Select
  8. 17d agoElementElement 1.12.33 ships simpler recovery keys, ends libolm migration
  9. 25d agoElement1.12.33 RC simplifies recovery keys, drops libolm migration
  10. 1mo agoSubsplashGift totals and recurring status in Giving
  11. 1mo agoSubsplashNotes on People
  12. 1mo agoSubsplashShare links that start a video at the current timestamp

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Subsplash and Element?

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

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Subsplash 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 Subsplash?

Top Subsplash alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Subsplash alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/subsplash 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.