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Comparison · Comms
Gromox vs Zoho Cliq
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Gromox and Zoho Cliq — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Gromox vs Zoho Cliq: at a glance
What is Gromox?
Gromox keeps closing the gap with Exchange one protocol surface at a time — this round it's IMAP flags and Outlook for Mac.
Gromox ships a numbered release roughly monthly, each a mix of Exchange-protocol enhancements and fixes across emsmdb, EWS, IMAP, and the store layer. Version 3.10 makes midb synchronize IMAP message flags to and from the mailbox so they survive deletion of midb.sqlite3, adds IMAP keyword support, teaches EWS the Outlook-for-Mac smart response draft types, extends FindPeople and GetUserPhoto to personal contacts, and adds a short-TTL cache for recurring user ID and group membership lookups.
What is Zoho Cliq?
Zoho Cliq is opening its bot platform to AI coding agents through MCP tools.
Cliq 7.0 shipped in August with AI summarisation, a developer platform refresh and Cliq Mini embedded across Zoho apps. September added reworked guest access, Cliq Rooms on Neat hardware and per-role subscription plans. In October Cliq published MCP tools for its developer platform, so automations can be generated with an AI coding assistant instead of written by hand.
Gromox vs Zoho Cliq: editorial side-by-side
Gromox
2.5COMMS
Gromox keeps closing the gap with Exchange one protocol surface at a time — this round it's IMAP flags and Outlook for Mac.
◆ Current state
Gromox ships a numbered release roughly monthly, each a mix of Exchange-protocol enhancements and fixes across emsmdb, EWS, IMAP, and the store layer. Version 3.10 makes midb synchronize IMAP message flags to and from the mailbox so they survive deletion of midb.sqlite3, adds IMAP keyword support, teaches EWS the Outlook-for-Mac smart response draft types, extends FindPeople and GetUserPhoto to personal contacts, and adds a short-TTL cache for recurring user ID and group membership lookups.
◆ Where it's heading
The project is methodically completing Microsoft's protocol surface rather than building an alternative one. EWS went from partial handlers in 3.2 to the full meeting, delegate, and task surface in 3.6, and now picks up client-specific dialects like Outlook for Mac's draft types. IMAP is on the same path — keywords and colour categories in 3.8, IMAP4rev2 pieces, and now flag durability. Meanwhile the store layer keeps being split and cached for operability. The audience is clearly administrators migrating off Exchange or Kopano who need existing clients to behave unchanged.
◆ Prediction
Expect IMAP4rev2 coverage to keep filling in and more client-specific EWS dialects to appear as particular Outlook builds are tested against it.
Zoho Cliq
6.3COMMS
Zoho Cliq is opening its bot platform to AI coding agents through MCP tools.
◆ Current state
Cliq 7.0 shipped in August with AI summarisation, a developer platform refresh and Cliq Mini embedded across Zoho apps. September added reworked guest access, Cliq Rooms on Neat hardware and per-role subscription plans. In October Cliq published MCP tools for its developer platform, so automations can be generated with an AI coding assistant instead of written by hand.
◆ Where it's heading
Cliq is turning into the messaging layer of the Zoho suite and widening its reach: other Zoho apps, meeting-room hardware, external guests, and now AI agents that write its automations. The developer platform keeps lowering the cost of building bots and workflows, first through 7.0's low-code tooling and now through MCP. Pricing is moving the same way, with role-based plans meant to put more of each company on Cliq.
◆ Prediction
Expect more of the Cliq developer platform (bots, handlers, widgets) to be exposed through MCP. The entries don't show whether AI-assisted building will be priced separately.
Alternatives to Gromox and Zoho Cliq
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 Gromox or Zoho Cliq.
Element
Element 1.12.33 ships: simpler recovery keys, mandatory verification, no libolm migration.
Tawk.to
tawk.to's widget 4.4.0 turns to keyboard and screen-reader fixes after a run of form work.
Krisp
Krisp 2.83.4 brings Voice Translation into conference calls and lightens Accent Conversion.
Pixelfed
Pixelfed 0.15.2 ships the PHP RCE patches and turns cached timelines on for everyone.
Salesmsg
Salesmsg Reviews can now trigger follow-ups automatically based on a customer's latest rating.
See all Gromox alternatives → · See all Zoho Cliq alternatives →
Recent activity from Gromox and Zoho Cliq
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 16d agoZoho CliqVibe code your automations with Cliq platform MCP tools
- 1mo agoZoho CliqBeyond productivity: Why live captions belong in every meeting
- 1mo agoZoho CliqMix-and-match plans let each role pay for what it uses ⚡
- 1mo agoZoho CliqStep into smarter meetings: Zoho Cliq Rooms is now available on Neat devices
- 1mo agoZoho CliqBring external collaborators into the right Cliq conversations with the revamped guest user feature
- 1mo agoZoho CliqAI that moves work forward: Inside Zoho Cliq 7.0
- 2mo agoGromox3.10 makes IMAP flags durable and teaches EWS Outlook for Mac's drafts
- 3mo agoGromox3.9 makes room bookings and EWS meetings properly actionable
- 4mo agoGromox3.8 splits the Information Store per store and extends IMAP
- 6mo agoGromox3.7 fixes shared calendars, EWS fields and Thunderbird discovery
- 7mo agoGromox3.6 lands the full EWS meeting, delegate and task surface ⚡
- 8mo agoGromox3.5 adds per-service listen directives and fixes notifications
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Gromox and Zoho Cliq?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Zoho Cliq is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), 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 Gromox better than Zoho Cliq?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Zoho Cliq is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), 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 Gromox?
Top Gromox alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Gromox alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/gromox for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Zoho Cliq?
Top Zoho Cliq alternatives in Comms are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Zoho Cliq alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/zoho-cliq for the full list with editorial commentary on each.