# Rocket.Chat vs Zulip

> 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.

## 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 Rocket.Chat: Teams that want chat plus livechat and omnichannel customer support
- Best for Zulip: Distributed, async-first teams and open-source communities

## Key differences

| 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 numbers

| Metric | Rocket.Chat | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 46,213 | 25,998 |
| Forks | 13,948 | 10,353 |
| Commits, last 12 months | 2,155 | 4,853 |
| Last commit | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Latest release | 8.9.0 | 12.3 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Docker image | Yes | No |
| Repository | https://github.com/RocketChat/Rocket.Chat | https://github.com/zulip/zulip |

App pages: [Rocket.Chat](https://appsgit.com/apps/rocket-chat), [Zulip](https://appsgit.com/apps/zulip)

## FAQ

### 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.

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/compare/rocket-chat-vs-zulip
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