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Comparison · Meetings
Nextcloud Talk vs Element Call
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Nextcloud Talk and Element Call — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Nextcloud Talk vs Element Call: at a glance
What is Nextcloud Talk?
Nextcloud Talk stabilizes a major v24 line while keeping the v22 stable branch patched.
Nextcloud Talk is running two tracks in parallel: a 24.0.0 release-candidate train moving toward a major release, and continued maintenance patches on the stable 22.0.x branch. Recent RC entries are dominated by bug fixes and dependency/translation churn, while the earlier 24.0 betas introduced the substantive features (permanent call rooms, advanced noise suppression, calls from the avatar menu).
What is Element Call?
Element Call moves to a multi-SFU architecture, ending per-call media-server negotiation
Element Call, the Matrix-native video calling app, is iterating quickly on RC builds and just made a structural change to how calls route media. The latest RC adopts a multi-SFU approach where each participant connects to the SFU tied to their own homeserver, while recent releases also steadily improve mobile layout, error reporting, and call reliability.
Nextcloud Talk vs Element Call: editorial side-by-side
Nextcloud Talk
5.0MEETINGS
Nextcloud Talk stabilizes a major v24 line while keeping the v22 stable branch patched.
◆ Current state
Nextcloud Talk is running two tracks in parallel: a 24.0.0 release-candidate train moving toward a major release, and continued maintenance patches on the stable 22.0.x branch. Recent RC entries are dominated by bug fixes and dependency/translation churn, while the earlier 24.0 betas introduced the substantive features (permanent call rooms, advanced noise suppression, calls from the avatar menu).
◆ Where it's heading
The product is in the hardening phase of a major version — most v24 RC activity is fixes rather than new capability, which signals the feature set is largely locked and the team is converging on a stable v24. Call quality and reliability (frame rate, reconnection, screenshare rendering) are a recurring focus across both branches.
◆ Prediction
A stable 24.0.0 release is the likely next move once the RC fixes settle, carrying the call-experience features from the beta line. Expect continued backported fixes to 22.0.x in the meantime.
Element Call
6.3MEETINGS
Element Call moves to a multi-SFU architecture, ending per-call media-server negotiation
◆ Current state
Element Call, the Matrix-native video calling app, is iterating quickly on RC builds and just made a structural change to how calls route media. The latest RC adopts a multi-SFU approach where each participant connects to the SFU tied to their own homeserver, while recent releases also steadily improve mobile layout, error reporting, and call reliability.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is federation-correct real-time media: rather than negotiating a single shared SFU per call, Element Call leans into Matrix's decentralized model by letting each homeserver own its participants' media and subscribing cross-server as needed. Around that, the team keeps polishing the mobile experience (edge-to-edge, portrait one-on-one layouts, PiP) and hardening LiveKit error handling.
◆ Prediction
Expect multi-SFU to graduate from RC to default with legacy single-SFU mode kept as a fallback, followed by continued work on cross-homeserver subscription reliability and mobile polish.
Alternatives to Nextcloud Talk and Element Call
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 Nextcloud Talk or Element Call.
Digital Samba
A WebRTC video vendor whose feed is deep engineering essays, not release notes
Whereby
Whereby leans into embedded video as a developer platform via steady monthly SDK roundups
Muvi
Muvi keeps widening its all-in-one OTT suite across monetization, audio, and compliance.
BoxCast
BoxCast's feed is streaming/audio how-to content, not product release notes.
Evercast
Evercast's feed is a re-crawl of old blog posts, not product releases.
See all Nextcloud Talk alternatives → · See all Element Call alternatives →
Recent activity from Nextcloud Talk and Element Call
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4d agoElement Callv0.21.0-rc.1 ⚡
- 7d agoNextcloud TalkCalls move to 30fps with reconnection and background fixes
- 17d agoElement Callv0.20.2-rc.1
- 1mo agoNextcloud Talkv24 RC4: chat-edit hotkey and dial-out rejection fixes
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.20.1-rc.1
- 1mo agoNextcloud Talkv24 RC3: screenshare video and federated reaction fixes
- 1mo agoNextcloud Talk22.0.13: screenshare video and federated reaction-name fixes
- 1mo agoNextcloud Talkv24 RC2: Raise hand moves into the call reactions menu
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.20.0-rc.1
- 1mo agoNextcloud Talkv24 RC1: email guests without public links, forced lobby
- 1mo agoElement Callv0.19.3-rc1
- 2mo agoElement Callv0.19.2-rc.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Nextcloud Talk and Element Call?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Element Call is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 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 Nextcloud Talk better than Element Call?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Element Call is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Meetings products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Nextcloud Talk?
Top Nextcloud Talk alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Nextcloud Talk alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/nextcloud-talk for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Element Call?
Top Element Call alternatives in Meetings are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Element Call alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/element-call for the full list with editorial commentary on each.