Zulip: Organized Team Chat
Zulip helps distributed teams manage conversations through topic-based threading and provides a self-hosting option for organizations requiring data sovereignty.
At a glance
- Category
- Productivity
- Best for
- Distributed teams, Small businesses, Mid-market companies, Enterprise companies, Open-source projects
- Pricing
- Cloud pricing starts at $6.67 per user/month (billed annually). A self-hosted Basic plan is available at $3.50 per user/month. A free cloud version is available with limited search history.
- Key use cases
- Asynchronous Team Collaboration, Data-Sensitive Communication, Complex Workstream Organization, Technical Team Coordination
- Integrations
- Zapier, IFTTT, Zoom, Jitsi, GitHub
- Official website
- zulip.com/
Zulip is a team chat tool designed for distributed teams of various sizes. Rather than using a linear stream of messages, Zulip uses a threading model based on specific topics, which helps users track multiple conversations without losing context.
The software is available as a managed cloud service or as open-source software that can be self-hosted. It provides dedicated clients for desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), mobile (iOS, Android), and a terminal app.
For business buyers, the platform includes security features such as TLS encryption, GDPR compliance, and SSO options. Buyers should confirm if a topic-based threading paradigm fits their team's workflow, as it differs from standard linear chat interfaces.
Key Features
Organizes conversations by specific topics within channels to support asynchronous communication.
Provides 100% open-source software that can be hosted on private servers for data sovereignty.
Includes applications for desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), mobile (iOS, Android), and a terminal app.
Supports SSO via SAML, Microsoft Entra ID, and OpenID Connect.
Supports the integration of AI and Large Language Models into the chat workflow.
Offers 130+ native integrations with other business tools.
Use Cases
Supports remote work by allowing team members to catch up on specific topics at their own pace.
Supports self-hosting and air-gapped deployments for organizations that need full control over their data.
Helps organize numerous project threads within a single communication hub.
Provides engineers with a terminal app and code syntax highlighting for technical discussions.
Best For
Integrations
Pricing
Cloud pricing starts at $6.67 per user/month (billed annually). A self-hosted Basic plan is available at $3.50 per user/month. A free cloud version is available with limited search history.
FAQ
Topic-based threading allows users to organize conversations by specific subjects within a channel rather than using a single linear stream of messages.
Yes, Zulip is 100% open-source and provides options for self-hosting to ensure data sovereignty.
Zulip offers a Free cloud plan, a Standard cloud plan starting at $6.67/user/month (annual), a Plus plan at $10/user/month (annual), and a self-hosted Basic plan at $3.50/user/month.
Yes, it supports SSO via SAML (including Okta and OneLogin), Microsoft Entra ID, and OpenID Connect.
Source category: Productivity
Source subcategory: Collaboration
