Rspamd
Rspamd 4.3 fixes SPF evaluation order and rejects weak DKIM keys, with results that change.
Comparison · Comms
The Events Calendar vs Element
A side-by-side editorial comparison of The Events Calendar and Element — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
The Events Calendar vs Element: at a glance
What is The Events Calendar?
The Events Calendar runs a disciplined maintenance train across its whole plugin suite.
The Events Calendar is a mature WordPress events and ticketing suite spanning several plugins — the core calendar, Event Tickets, Filter Bar, Community, and Pro add-ons. The recent release stream is almost entirely maintenance: bug fixes, translation updates, accessibility work, and payment-gateway handling for PayPal, Square, and Stripe. Development is spread evenly across the plugin family rather than concentrated in one flagship.
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.
The Events Calendar vs Element: editorial side-by-side
The Events Calendar
0.0COMMS
The Events Calendar runs a disciplined maintenance train across its whole plugin suite.
◆ Current state
The Events Calendar is a mature WordPress events and ticketing suite spanning several plugins — the core calendar, Event Tickets, Filter Bar, Community, and Pro add-ons. The recent release stream is almost entirely maintenance: bug fixes, translation updates, accessibility work, and payment-gateway handling for PayPal, Square, and Stripe. Development is spread evenly across the plugin family rather than concentrated in one flagship.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a product in steady stewardship mode. The releases show a team keeping a large installed base stable — tightening capability checks for security, fixing pagination and view rendering, improving WooCommerce and Elementor compatibility — with no new capability surface in view. Accessibility and payment reliability are recurring focus areas.
◆ Prediction
Expect the same cadence of small, per-plugin maintenance releases to continue, with security hardening and gateway compatibility as the likely themes. Nothing in these entries signals a larger feature push.
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 The Events Calendar 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 The Events Calendar 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 The Events Calendar alternatives → · See all Element alternatives →
Recent activity from The Events Calendar 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
- 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
- 25d agoElement1.12.33 RC simplifies recovery keys, drops libolm migration
- 7mo agoThe Events CalendarEvent Tickets 5.27.6.1
- 7mo agoThe Events CalendarThe Events Calendar 6.15.20
- 7mo agoThe Events CalendarThe Events Calendar 6.15.19
- 7mo agoThe Events CalendarEvent Tickets 5.27.6
- 7mo agoThe Events CalendarCommunity 5.0.15
- 7mo agoThe Events CalendarThe Events Calendar 6.15.18
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between The Events Calendar and Element?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Element is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), 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 The Events Calendar better than Element?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Element is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Comms products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to The Events Calendar?
Top The Events Calendar alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "The Events Calendar alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/the-events-calendar 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.