Communications platform that puts data protection first (alternative to Gitter.im and Slack).
- MIT
- TypeScript
- Docker
- Actively maintained
Team Chat comparison
Rocket.Chat vs Zulip: which should you self-host in 2026?
Pick Rocket.Chat if you want Slack-style channels plus omnichannel customer chat; pick Zulip if your team works asynchronously and wants topic-based threads that stay organized.
Both are open source and run on your own server. Below: a side-by-side of license, stack and features, live GitHub activity, and our verdict on who should pick which.
Zulip is a powerful, open source group chat application.
- Apache-2.0
- Python
- Actively maintained
Head-to-head
Rocket.Chat vs Zulip, side by side
Hand-checked differences first, then live numbers from GitHub, refreshed with every catalog update.
| Aspect |  Rocket.Chat |  Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT for the core; code in the ee/ directories is under a separate enterprise license | Apache-2.0 |
| Language/stack | TypeScript on Node.js (Meteor), MongoDB | Python (Django) with PostgreSQL |
| Conversation model | Channels with optional threads and discussions, similar to Slack | Streams split into named topics, so every message belongs to a thread |
| Mobile apps | Official Android and iOS apps plus desktop apps | Official Android and iOS apps plus desktop apps |
| Hosting | Official Docker Compose setup with MongoDB | Official installer for Ubuntu and Debian, plus a docker-zulip image |
| GitHub stars | 46,213 | 25,998 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 2,155 | 4,853 |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | 8.9.0Oct 5, 2026 | 12.3Sep 21, 2026 |
| Main language | TypeScript | Python |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| Repository | RocketChat/Rocket.Chat | zulip/zulip |
Swipe the table sideways to see both apps. GitHub figures come from the public API. Highlighted values are the higher of the two.
Verdict
Rocket.Chat is a feature-heavy chat platform with livechat, integrations and federation, a good fit when chat doubles as a support tool. Zulip's stream and topic model keeps every conversation in its own thread, which is far easier to follow for distributed or async teams, and the whole server is Apache-2.0.
Best for
Choose Rocket.Chat for
Teams that want chat plus livechat and omnichannel customer support.
Best for
Choose Zulip for
Distributed, async-first teams and open-source communities.
Deploy either in minutes
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What makes Zulip different from Rocket.Chat?
Zulip requires every message to have a topic inside a stream, so conversations never interleave. Rocket.Chat works like Slack, with channels and optional threads.
Is Zulip fully open source?
Yes. The Zulip server and apps are released under Apache-2.0 and the self-hosted server is the same codebase that powers Zulip Cloud.
Which is easier to self-host?
Both are well documented. Zulip's installer sets up everything on a fresh Ubuntu or Debian server, while Rocket.Chat is usually run with Docker Compose and MongoDB.
Which is more popular on GitHub, Rocket.Chat or Zulip?
Rocket.Chat has 46,213 GitHub stars against 25,998 for Zulip. Over the last twelve months Rocket.Chat received 2,155 commits and Zulip received 4,853, so Zulip is the more actively developed of the two right now. Stars measure interest, not fit, so weigh them against the differences above.
Keep comparing
Other comparisons
Mattermost vs Rocket.Chat
Pick Mattermost if you want a Slack-like chat built for engineering and DevOps teams; pick Rocket.Chat if you want an MIT core with omnichannel customer chat and federation.
Mattermost vs Zulip
Pick Mattermost if you want Slack-style channels with DevOps workflows and enterprise options; pick Zulip if you want topic-based threading and a fully Apache-2.0 server.
Chatwoot vs Zammad
Pick Chatwoot for omnichannel live chat and social messaging support with mobile apps; pick Zammad for classic email-centred ticketing with SLAs, a knowledge base and reporting.
