Zulip

✓ Verified FOSSApache-2.0

Top open-source alternative to Slack

⭐ 26,032 Stars Official Website ↗

Zulip server and web application. Open-source team chat that helps teams stay productive and focused.

Tech StackPython, Django, TypeScript, PostgreSQL

Self-Host DifficultyMedium

License ModelApache-2.0

GitHub Repositoryzulip/zulip

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode)

Min RAM:2 GB

Rec RAM:4 GB

Compute:2 vCPU

Disk Space:25 GB SSD

Zulip vs Slack Comparison Matrix

Evaluation Criteria	Zulip (Open Source)	Slack (Proprietary)
Message History Lockout	Infinite searchable message history	Slack 90-day message purge on free tiers
Seat Costs	$0 (Host entire company on one VPS)	$7.25 - $12.50 per user per month

INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $12/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Slack to Self-Hosted Zulip

Detailed Stack Calculator →

Active Team Members / Seats: 25 Users

5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)

Slack (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax

$3,600per year ($300/mo)

3-Year Spend:$10,800

* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages

Zulip (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee

$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)

3-Year Compute:$360

* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance

Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$10,440Net savings across 36 months (97% reduction)

Annual Free Cash:+$3,480/yr

Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.

HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLES // SIDE-BY-SIDE AUDIT

Compare Zulip Head-to-Head

Custom Comparison Engine →

★ PRIMARY REPLACEMENTFOSS vs SaaS

Zulipvs

Slack

Comprehensive benchmark comparing Zulip against proprietary Slack licensing and features.

View Full Battle Report→

TeamPEER BENCHMARK

Mattermostvs

Zulip

Slack-Style Channels vs Threaded Stream Topic Discussions

Inspect Comparison→

CommunicationPEER BENCHMARK

Listmonkvs

Mailchimp

Self-Hosted High-Speed Newsletter Server vs $350+/Mo Mailchimp Tier

Inspect Comparison→

CommunicationPEER BENCHMARK

Novuvs

Twilio / Courier

Unified Notification Infrastructure (In-App, Push, Email, SMS) vs High Platform Fees

Inspect Comparison→

Core Capabilities & Features

✓Unique Stream + Topic Threaded Model

✓Infinite Searchable Message History

✓End-to-End Search with Full SQL Precision

✓Mobile & Desktop Apps across all platforms

Self-Host Zulip with Docker Compose

Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:

1-Click Docker Compose Generator

Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.

Select Open-Source Project:

ZulipApache-2.0

Organized team chat that combines the best of email and real-time chat

Difficulty: Medium26,032 ⭐

Configure Parameters

Zulip Web Port (PORT)

SMTP Password (EMAIL_PASS)

docker-compose.zulip.yml

version: '3.8'

services:
  zulip:
    image: zulip/docker-zulip:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "${PORT:-8080}:80"
    environment:
      - SETTING_EXTERNAL_HOST=localhost:${PORT:-8080}
      - [email protected]
      - SECRETS_email_password=${EMAIL_PASS:-secret}
    volumes:
      - zulip_data:/data

volumes:
  zulip_data:

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting Zulip

How do I self-host Zulip using Docker Compose?

You can deploy Zulip (zulip/zulip) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.

How does Zulip compare to Slack?

Zulip is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Slack built with Python, Django, TypeScript, PostgreSQL. Unlike Slack ($8.75 - $15 / user / month), Zulip has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.

What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for Zulip?

For production self-hosting (Medium difficulty tier), we recommend at least 4 GB RAM (minimum 2 GB), 2 vCPU, and 25 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $10 - $15/mo (e.g. Hetzner CPX21 or Linode).

Is Zulip free for commercial business use under the Apache-2.0 license?

Yes. Distributed under the Apache-2.0 license, Zulip can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.

README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED

Embed Official Zulip Badge in GitHub README

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SIMILAR REPOSITORIES // PEER COMPARISON