# Zulip

> Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic

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.

- **Category:** Team Communication
- **Made by:** Kandra Labs, Inc.
- **Website:** https://zulip.com
- **Runs on:** Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 5, 2026

## Pricing

Zulip has a free plan. Paid plans start at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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 | $3.50 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 Enterprise | Custom | Email, chat and phone support, OpenID Connect single sign-on, group sync, implementation consulting and custom feature development. |

Read from https://zulip.com/plans/ on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Zulip before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **About 17% less with annual billing** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://zulip.com/plans/
- **$20 a month off self-hosted plans in year one** (Other savings): The plans page advertises $20 per month off the self-hosted Basic and Business plans for the first year. Source: https://zulip.com/plans/
- **Free Standard plan for eligible organizations** (Nonprofit): 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. Source: https://zulip.com/help/zulip-cloud-billing
- **Education pricing from $0.67 per user** (Education): 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. Source: https://zulip.com/for/education/

## 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.

## 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.

## Works with

GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Zapier, Zoom, Jitsi, Sentry, Google Calendar

**Tags:** Team chat, Open source, Self-hostable, File sharing, Public API

## Alternatives

- [Slack](https://toolgpa.com/tools/slack): Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/slack-vs-zulip)
- [Mattermost](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mattermost): Self-hosted team messaging with playbooks, calls and boards. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mattermost-vs-zulip)
- [Rocket.Chat](https://toolgpa.com/tools/rocket-chat): Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/rocket-chat-vs-zulip)
- [Element](https://toolgpa.com/tools/element): End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/element-vs-zulip)
- [Twist](https://toolgpa.com/tools/twist): Async team messaging organized into threads. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/twist-vs-zulip)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026:

- https://zulip.com/plans/
- https://zulip.com
- https://zulip.com/help/zulip-cloud-billing
- https://zulip.com/for/education/
- https://zulip.com/integrations/
- https://zulip.com/team/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/zulip
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).