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Comparison · Collab

Flame vs Nextcloud

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

Flame vs Nextcloud: at a glance

FeatureFlameNextcloud
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score0.06.3
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesself-hosting, homelab, dashboard, dormantself-hosted, file-sharing, security-patches, webhooks
Last editorial update2mo ago13d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Flame?

Self-hosted dashboard that finished its feature arc and stopped shipping in 2023.

Flame is a self-hosted startpage for homelab services — app tiles, bookmarks, weather, and a search bar. The feature set it set out to build was finished across 2021 and 2022: custom app descriptions, Docker secrets support, a secondary search provider, and a custom theme editor. The most recent release in this feed is v2.3.1 from July 2023, and it is entirely bug fixes.

Read the full Flame trajectory →

What is Nextcloud?

Nextcloud ships three patch lines in a day as 35.0.2 adds webhook metadata and a report API.

Nextcloud released 35.0.2, 34.0.5 and 33.0.10 on the same day, a month after the 35.0.0 major that swapped OnlyOffice for Euro-Office and added FrankenPHP support. The backports share a security-flavored core: a CSRF token on the share-accept endpoint, upload checks against session and share tokens, and logs that no longer leak sensitive data. 35.0.2 also adds richer node-webhook metadata, webhook-compatible comment events and an API for system-report sections.

Read the full Nextcloud trajectory →

Flame vs Nextcloud: editorial side-by-side

F
Flame
COLLAB
0.0

Self-hosted dashboard that finished its feature arc and stopped shipping in 2023.

◆ Current state

Flame is a self-hosted startpage for homelab services — app tiles, bookmarks, weather, and a search bar. The feature set it set out to build was finished across 2021 and 2022: custom app descriptions, Docker secrets support, a secondary search provider, and a custom theme editor. The most recent release in this feed is v2.3.1 from July 2023, and it is entirely bug fixes.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc reads as a project reaching completion rather than one under active development. Later releases shifted from adding capability to correcting the edges of what already existed — search-provider interactions, iOS input rendering, theme editor field sizes, label wording. There has been nothing since.

◆ Prediction

Nothing in these entries suggests further releases; anyone deploying Flame should treat the current version as the final one unless the project resumes.

N
Nextcloud
COLLAB
6.3

Nextcloud ships three patch lines in a day as 35.0.2 adds webhook metadata and a report API.

◆ Current state

Nextcloud released 35.0.2, 34.0.5 and 33.0.10 on the same day, a month after the 35.0.0 major that swapped OnlyOffice for Euro-Office and added FrankenPHP support. The backports share a security-flavored core: a CSRF token on the share-accept endpoint, upload checks against session and share tokens, and logs that no longer leak sensitive data. 35.0.2 also adds richer node-webhook metadata, webhook-compatible comment events and an API for system-report sections.

◆ Where it's heading

The patch stream is still dominated by sharing permissions, resharer caps and encryption cache fixes, now applied across three supported branches at once. The small additions in 35.0.2, webhooks and the 'Unified Sharing Legacy Sync' groundwork, point to sharing being rebuilt under the hood and to more automation hooks for integrators. The 35 line is absorbing regressions from the major at a steady monthly pace.

◆ Prediction

Expect a 35.0.3 within a month continuing sharing and encryption fixes, with more of the unified-sharing work surfacing; the entries do not say when that rework becomes user-visible.

Alternatives to Flame and Nextcloud

Other Collab 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 Flame or Nextcloud.

See all Flame alternatives → · See all Nextcloud alternatives →

Recent activity from Flame and Nextcloud

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

  1. 14d agoNextcloudNextcloud 35.0.2: webhook metadata, sharing fixes, report API
  2. 14d agoNextcloudNextcloud 33.0.10: share CSRF fix and sharing backports
  3. 14d agoNextcloudNextcloud 34.0.5: share CSRF fix, log redaction, sharing backports
  4. 1mo agoNextcloudNextcloud 35.0.1: sharing fixes, encryption key-cache cap, sidebar API back
  5. 1mo agoNextcloudNextcloud 35: Euro-Office replaces OnlyOffice, FrankenPHP support ⚡
  6. 1mo agoNextcloudNextcloud 32.0.15: share expiration time correction
  7. 3y agoFlameBug fixes for local search, iOS input styling, and theme editor
  8. 4y agoFlameCustom theme editor and secondary search provider
  9. 4y agoFlameIn-app location detection and tightened file permissions
  10. 4y agoFlameLocal search covers app descriptions; background task tuning
  11. 4y agoFlameCustom app descriptions and a cluster deployment fix
  12. 4y agoFlameDocker secrets support

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Flame and Nextcloud?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Nextcloud is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 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 Flame better than Nextcloud?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Nextcloud is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 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 Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Flame?

Top Flame alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Flame alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/flame-dashboard for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Nextcloud?

Top Nextcloud alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Nextcloud alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/nextcloud for the full list with editorial commentary on each.