Alternatives · Team Chat
Zulip alternatives
Zulip compared with 8 alternatives: Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element, Twist and 3 more.
Zulip has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually. All 8 alternatives are free or have a free plan.
8 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 6, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZulipThis tool | Free plan · from $3.50/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Slack | Free plan · from $7.25/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Mattermost | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Rocket.Chat | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Element | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Twist | Free plan · from $6/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Discord | Free plan · from $2.99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Glue | Free plan · from $6/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| ONCE Campfire | Free | Free | Web |
How each one differs from Zulip
- Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Slack
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI
- Slack starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed annually. Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
- Zulip is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Slack also covers workflow automation, documents and video calls.
Suits: Teams that want conversations organized by channel rather than email threads
- Free plan
Mattermost
Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards
- Mattermost also covers kanban boards, workflow automation and AI agents.
- Zulip also covers file sharing.
Suits: Organizations that must keep chat on their own servers or air-gapped networks
- Free plan
Rocket.Chat
Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams
- Rocket.Chat is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
Suits: Organizations that must host chat themselves for data sovereignty
- Free plan
Element
End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard
- Element is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Element also covers video calls.
Suits: Governments and regulated organizations that self-host encrypted chat
- Free plan · from $6/mo
Twist
Async team messaging organized into threads
- Twist starts at $6 per user / month, billed yearly. Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
- Zulip is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Suits: Distributed teams that reply across time zones rather than in real time
- Free plan · from $2.99/mo
Discord
Free text, voice and video chat built around servers
- Discord starts at $2.99 per month. Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
- Zulip is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Discord also covers video calls.
Suits: Gaming groups and friends who want always-open voice chats
- Free plan · from $6/mo
Glue
Work chat organized into named threads, with AI agents built in
- Glue starts at $6 per user / month, billed annually (Startup; first 5 users free). Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
- Only Zulip lists a Linux app.
- Zulip is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Glue also covers AI agents.
- Zulip also covers file sharing.
Suits: Teams that find channel-based chat noisy and want every topic in its own thread
- Free
ONCE Campfire
Self-hosted group chat from 37signals, free and open source
- ONCE Campfire is free. Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
- Only Zulip lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
Suits: Teams that want group chat without a recurring subscription
Limits worth knowing in Zulip
- Zulip Cloud Free searches only the most recent 10,000 messages and has 5 GB of file storage for the whole organization.
- SAML single sign-on and SCIM on Zulip Cloud need the Plus plan, which has a 10-user minimum; self-hosted Business has a 25-user minimum.
- Voice and video calls depend on an outside provider such as Zoom or Jitsi.
- Self-hosted Free limits mobile push notifications to 10 users unless the organization registers as an eligible community.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Zulip?
The alternatives to Zulip in this directory are Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element, Twist, Discord, Glue and ONCE Campfire. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Zulip.
Is there a free alternative to Zulip?
Yes. ONCE Campfire is free to use. Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element, Twist, Discord and Glue have a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Oct 6, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.