Matrix vs Zulip (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Matrix grades higher than Zulip: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Matrix grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Zulip
Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic
Which one is for you
Pick Matrix if
- Fits if you want chat that no single company controls
- Works for communities that want to run their own server
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want one app that behaves the same everywhere, since features depend on the client
- Tight if you share big files on the free homeserver, as attachments stop at 10MB
- Watch out: the matrix.org server is crowded and has usage limits
- Watch out: running your own homeserver, or paying a host, is a separate cost and effort the Foundation does not endorse
- Watch out: Element X is mobile only and Nheko is desktop only
Pick Zulip if
- Fits if your team is spread across time zones and reads chat hours after it happened
- Works for open-source projects and research groups, which can apply for a free Standard plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want voice and video calls built in, as they depend on an outside provider
- Tight if you stay on Cloud Free and need to search old messages, since it covers the latest 10,000 and 5 GB in all
- Not for you if you need SAML on Cloud with under 10 people, because Plus has a 10-user minimum
- Watch out: free self-hosting sends phone push notifications to 10 users only, unless you qualify as a community
- Pricey if you self-host with single sign-on for a small team, as Business has a 25-user minimum
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAMatrixVery good | 2.8GPAZulipGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe protocol and its clients are free to use, and the Foundation runs a free public matrix.org homeserver. Free software anyone can use counts as free and substantial. | BSelf-hosted Basic is $3.50 a user a month, in the cheapest quarter of team chat, and Cloud Standard is $6.67 billed annually, under the $7 middle. Open-source projects, research groups and small nonprofits can apply for Standard free, and schools pay from 67 cents a user. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free homeserver allows 10MB per attachment and 100MB of uploads per 24 hours, 500MB per 28 days. Most people get by, but heavy sharers hit it. | BSelf-hosting is free with every feature. Two catches: mobile push notifications stop at 10 users unless you register as an eligible community, and Cloud Free searches only the latest 10,000 messages with 5 GB in total. |
| Features | CFederation, a choice of clients, spaces, threads and bridges to Slack and Discord. Calls, threads and encryption depend on the client you pick, which is a gap. | CTopics you can rename, move and mark resolved, code highlighting, LaTeX, polls, reminders, 130-plus native integrations and a terminal app. The gap is calls. Zulip builds none, handing voice and video to Zoom, Jitsi or BigBlueButton. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You pick a homeserver and a client before you start, so there is some learning. | CNo App Store rating on record, and the topic model is a habit to learn: every message needs a topic, and a team that doesn't keep them tidy ends up worse off than with plain channels. Self-hosting, if you go that way, is a server to run as well. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android clients exist, with bridges to Discord, Slack, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp and Mattermost. Which platform a given client covers differs. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and a terminal app. More than 130 native integrations with thousands more through Zapier and IFTTT, a REST API, custom webhooks, and bridges that pass messages to and from Slack, Microsoft Teams and Matrix. |
| Best for | open, federated chat you can host yourself | chat you can catch up on hours later |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Matrix and Zulip. How we grade
Price against what you get
Matrix has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zulip starts at $3.50 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Matrix starts $3.50 a month lower. Of the other team communication apps on the chart, none scores higher than Matrix for less, and 3 score higher than Zulip for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Matrix is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Zulip also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Matrix | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually |
| Free plan | The protocol is free to use, and the Foundation runs a free public matrix.org homeserver with usage limits on attachments and data. | Zulip Cloud Free: 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB of file storage in total. Self-hosting is free with all features, with mobile notifications for up to 10 users. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | The Matrix.org Foundation | Kandra Labs, Inc. |
| Price read from | matrix.org | zulip.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Matrix
- Matrix is a protocol, not one app: features such as calls, threads and encryption depend on the client you choose.
- The public matrix.org homeserver is crowded and has usage limits; the Foundation says premium plan pricing is not yet published.
- Running your own homeserver, or paying a hosting provider, is a separate cost and effort that the Foundation does not endorse or guarantee.
- The platforms listed are those of the featured clients, which differ: Element X is mobile only, while Nheko is desktop only.
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.
Key features
Matrix
- Federation between servers
- Accounts look like @username:example.com, and people on different providers can message each other, much as email works across providers.
- Choice of client
- Matrix is only the standard; you chat through a client. The clients page lists Element, Element X, FluffyChat, Cinny and Nheko across web, desktop and mobile.
- Encryption in clients that support it
- End-to-end encryption is listed as a capability of the featured clients, including for media and calls where a client supports them.
- Spaces and threads
- Clients can browse and manage Matrix spaces to group rooms for a community, and most featured clients support threaded replies.
- Bridges to other networks
- Bridges connect Matrix rooms to platforms including Discord, Slack, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, Mattermost and Google Chat.
- Self-hosting or hosted providers
- Anyone can run their own homeserver, or pick from the hosting providers the Foundation lists, so an organization keeps control of its data.
Zulip
- Topic-based threading
- A new conversation starts by giving it a brief topic inside a channel, and replies stay in that context. Messages can be moved between topics, and topics marked as resolved.
- Cloud or self-hosted
- The same 100% open-source software runs on Zulip Cloud or on your own server, and export and import tools let an organization move between them.
- Apps for every platform
- Zulip has a web app for any modern browser, desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and a terminal app.
- Calls through a provider
- 1:1 and group voice and video calls open in a configurable call provider such as Zoom, Jitsi or BigBlueButton.
- Integrations and API
- More than 130 native integrations, thousands more through Zapier and IFTTT, custom webhooks, a REST API, and chat bridges to Slack, Microsoft Teams and Matrix.
- Formatting and lightweight workflows
- Messages support code syntax highlighting and LaTeX, plus polls and to-do lists, scheduled sends, reminders and extensive keyboard shortcuts.
Plans
Matrix
Free$0
Matrix.org homeserver account: 10MB per attachment and 100MB of uploads per 24 hours, up to 500MB per 28 days.
Zulip
Free$0
On Zulip Cloud: 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB of storage in total. Self-hosted: every feature, with mobile notifications for up to 10 users.
Self-hosted Basic$3.50
per user / month, billed monthly
Self-hosted server with all Zulip features and unlimited mobile notifications.
Cloud Standard$6.67
per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
Unlimited search history, 5 GB of file storage per user, message retention policies, custom groups and priority commercial support.
Self-hosted Business$6.67
per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly)
25 users minimum. Email and chat support for SAML and Entra ID single sign-on, AD/LDAP user sync, compliance exports and retention policies.
Cloud Plus$10
per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly)
10 users minimum. Adds 25 GB of file storage per user, SAML single sign-on, SCIM user and group sync, and a custom domain.
Self-hosted EnterpriseCustom
Email, chat and phone support, OpenID Connect single sign-on, group sync, implementation consulting and custom feature development.
Ways to pay less
Matrix
No public discounts listed.
Zulip
- Annual discount
About 17% less with annual billing
Cloud Standard and self-hosted Business cost $6.67 per user / month billed annually against $8 billed monthly, and Cloud Plus is $10 against $12.
- Other savings
$20 a month off self-hosted plans in year one
The plans page advertises $20 per month off the self-hosted Basic and Business plans for the first year.
- Nonprofit
Free Standard plan for eligible organizations
Open-source projects, academic research, non-profit events and non-profits with no paid staff are generally eligible for a free Zulip Cloud Standard plan, by application.
- Education
Education pricing from $0.67 per user
Standard for Education costs $0.67 per user / month for non-profit institutions and $1 for for-profit ones with annual billing, or $0.80 and $1.20 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Matrix or Zulip?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Matrix is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $3.50 a month for each person for Zulip. Matrix is free, and Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
Which has a free plan, Matrix or Zulip?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Matrix and Zulip have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.