4 Best Zulip Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 14 min read
Zulip is a popular tool for teams needing organized, threaded conversations. While it offers a free tier (Free (self-hosted or cloud)), its paid plans start at $6.67/user/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 4 best Zulip alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 4
- Free alternatives: 4 (Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat)
- Open-source options: Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element
- Best overall: Slack
- Best free: Slack
Why Look for Zulip Alternatives?
People commonly look for Zulip alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Zulip has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $6.67/user/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Unfamiliar UI and smaller community are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Zulip overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zulip | ✓ Free (self-hosted or cloud) | $6.67/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | ✓ Yes | Teams needing organized, threaded conversations |
| Slack | ✓ 90-day message history | $8.75/user/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Teams of all sizes |
| Mattermost | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $10/user/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | ✓ Yes | Security-conscious organizations |
| Rocket.Chat | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $4/user/mo | ⭐ 4 | ✓ Yes | Organizations needing open-source, compliant chat |
| Element | ✓ Free (self-hosted or matrix.org) | $5/user/mo | ⭐ 3.9 | ✓ Yes | Privacy-focused organizations |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Slack
Business communication platform for team messaging and collaboration.
Slack is the leading business communication platform, used by millions of teams worldwide for messaging, file sharing, and integrating with other work tools. Now owned by Salesforce, Slack has defined the category of team messaging with its channel-based communication model, extensive app integrations, and searchable message history.
Pros
- ✓ Industry standard
- ✓ Massive integration ecosystem
- ✓ Great search
- ✓ Familiar to most teams
Cons
- ✗ Expensive at scale
- ✗ Can be distracting
- ✗ Limited free plan now
- ✗ Message history limits
Mattermost
Open-source, self-hosted Slack alternative for secure team communication.
Mattermost is an open-source messaging platform that provides a secure, self-hosted alternative to Slack. It's popular among organizations with strict security requirements, including government agencies and financial institutions. Mattermost offers channels, direct messaging, file sharing, and integrations while keeping all data under your control.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Self-hosted
- ✓ High security
- ✓ Slack-like interface
Cons
- ✗ Requires hosting
- ✗ Fewer integrations
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Smaller ecosystem
Rocket.Chat
Open-source communication platform for teams.
Rocket.Chat is an open-source team communication platform offering channels, direct messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing. It's highly customizable and can be self-hosted, making it popular among organizations needing data sovereignty and compliance with regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Self-hosted option
- ✓ Feature rich
- ✓ Good for compliance
Cons
- ✗ Resource heavy
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Performance issues
- ✗ UI not as polished
Element
Secure messaging app built on the Matrix protocol.
Element is a secure messaging platform built on the open Matrix protocol. It offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, and video calls with the ability to bridge to other platforms like Slack, Discord, and Teams. Element can be self-hosted and is used by governments and enterprises for secure communication.
Pros
- ✓ End-to-end encrypted
- ✓ Open protocol
- ✓ Bridges to other apps
- ✓ Self-hostable
Cons
- ✗ Complex setup
- ✗ Smaller user base
- ✗ UI needs work
- ✗ Performance issues
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
Slack — Teams of all sizes
Best Free Alternative:
Slack — 90-day message history
Best Open-Source Alternative:
Mattermost — Security-conscious organizations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Zulip?
The best free alternative to Zulip is Slack, which offers 90-day message history.
Is there an open-source alternative to Zulip?
Yes! Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Element are open-source alternatives to Zulip that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Zulip?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Slack, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $4/mo.
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