Zulip
Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic
What is Zulip?
Zulip is an open-source team chat app in which every channel conversation is filed under a short topic, so several discussions can run side by side and still be read in context later. It is offered as Zulip Cloud or as software to self-host, with export and import tools for moving between the two. Voice and video calls are handed to a provider such as Zoom or Jitsi rather than built in.
Zulip has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually. See every plan
Good for
- Distributed teams that prefer asynchronous, topic-organized conversations
- Open-source projects, research groups and communities seeking sponsored plans
- Organizations that want to self-host open-source chat
- Classes and schools, which get education pricing
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Zulip pricing
- Starts at
- $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually
- Free plan
- 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
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $3.50per user / month, billed monthly | Self-hosted server with all Zulip features and unlimited mobile notifications. |
| Cloud Standard | $6.67per 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 | $6.67per 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 | $10per 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 Enterprise | Custom | Email, chat and phone support, OpenID Connect single sign-on, group sync, implementation consulting and custom feature development. |
Read from zulip.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zulip before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 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.
Stated on zulip.com - 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.
Stated on zulip.com - NonprofitFree 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.
Stated on zulip.com - EducationEducation 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.
Stated on zulip.com
Works with
Who makes Zulip
Zulip is developed, hosted and supported by Kandra Labs, a company owned by the nonprofit Zulip Foundation; more than 1,500 people have contributed code to the open-source project. Kandra Labs earns money from Zulip Cloud subscriptions and from push-notification and support plans for self-hosted servers; the foundation can also take grants and donations.
- Founded
- 2016zulip.com
- Based
- San Francisco, Californiazulip.com
- Ownership
- Nonprofit. Kandra Labs is fully owned by the Zulip Foundation, an independent nonprofit created in May 2026 when its founder donated the company to it; the announcement says there are no other stockholders.blog.zulip.com
- Funding
- Its founder wrote in May 2026 that he had been reluctant to take external funding, so the company was funded by his own investment on top of subscription revenue; he then donated it to the nonprofit Zulip Foundation. Its history page says Kandra Labs has been supported by nearly $1M in SBIR grants from the US National Science Foundation.blog.zulip.comzulip.com
- Team
- 12 Kandra Labs team members stayed on to work on Zulip when four of its leaders left in May 2026, according to its announcementblog.zulip.com
- Founders and leaders
- Kim Vandiver, Interim President of Kandra Labs, named in May 2026blog.zulip.com
- Tim Abbott, Founder; director of the Zulip Foundation boardzulip.com
- Hiring
- One listing, for leadership team roles spanning technical, business, management, marketing, sales and product. All openings are remote.zulip.com
- Partner program
- Partner program for resellers, value-added resellers, managed service providers and hosting providers, with a partner onboarding kit. No commission or discount terms are published.zulip.com
- Lately
- Zulip Server 12.3 security release · Sep 21, 2026
- Zulip Server 12.2 security release · Aug 10, 2026
- Zulip Server 12.1 bug fix release · Jun 26, 2026
- Announcing the Zulip Foundation · May 15, 2026
Read on Oct 6, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Zulip alternatives
- Zulip vs Slack
Free plan · from $7.25/mo
- Zulip vs Mattermost
Free plan
- Zulip vs Rocket.Chat
Free plan
- Zulip vs Element
Free plan
- Zulip vs Twist
Free plan · from $6/mo
Common questions
Is Zulip free?
Zulip has a free plan. 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. Paid plans start at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.
How much does Zulip cost?
Zulip lists 6 plans. Free: $0. Self-hosted Basic: $3.50 per user / month, billed monthly. Cloud Standard: $6.67 per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly). Self-hosted Business: $6.67 per user / month, billed annually ($8 billed monthly). Cloud Plus: $10 per user / month, billed annually ($12 billed monthly). Self-hosted Enterprise: custom pricing. Prices were read from zulip.com on Oct 5, 2026.
What platforms does Zulip work on?
Zulip is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Zulip offer any discounts?
Zulip publicly lists the following: About 17% less with annual billing; $20 a month off self-hosted plans in year one; Free Standard plan for eligible organizations; Education pricing from $0.67 per user.
Is Zulip open source?
Yes. Zulip is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Zulip have an API?
Yes. Zulip offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Zulip integrate with?
Zulip's listing names GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Zapier, Zoom, Jitsi, Sentry and Google Calendar. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Zulip have a student discount?
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.
Who makes Zulip?
Zulip is made by Kandra Labs. Kandra Labs is fully owned by the Zulip Foundation, an independent nonprofit created in May 2026 when its founder donated the company to it; the announcement says there are no other stockholders. The company was founded in 2016.
What are the alternatives to Zulip?
The closest alternatives to Zulip in our directory are Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element and Twist. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Zulip.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026.