Ecko has local-only posts, editable post and poll length, some UX improvements, import/export of blocklists.
Need would be a strong word at this point but if those features are must-haves then that's why.
The other thing is if you have a problem, often posed as a feature request that you'd like to discuss, then a solution will get merged if the underlying problem is accurate and valuable to solve according to community consensus. For more on that protocol, see https://github.com/magicstone-dev/magicstone.dev/wiki/Addendum-to-C4-protocol
It is hoped that Ecko can function as a "labs" to prove out issues and solutions for social networking more broadly.