Zulip
Open-source team chat app that organizes conversations into channels and topic threads.
Liked for its topic-first threading that helps manage distractions,12 and as an open-source, self-hostable team chat that commenters moved to from Slack, Mattermost and Matrix.3456 The most common caveat is that it feels too heavy-duty for casual friend groups and lacks voice features,789 and one commenter warns against it as a secure chat because it has no end-to-end encryption.10
Why people recommend it
Slack alternative · 3
Commenters recommend it over Slack, Mattermost, Matrix and Microsoft Teams, and some switched to it.
“Highly recommend looking at Zulip as an alternative.”
“a few weeks ago we switched to Zulip. That's pretty straightforward to setup as well.”
Show 1 more
“we moved to Zulip”
Enjoyable daily use · 3
Long-term users describe it as enjoyable software they rely on every day.
“It was truly enjoyable software.”
“I really like Zulip, and I'd like to migrate my friend-group onto it”
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Topic-first threading · 2
Its topic-based organization is credited with keeping conversations focused and reducing distractions.
“i love zulip for so many things, and in particular the topic-first paradigm.”
“Highly recommend looking at Zulip as an alternative.”
Open source, self-hosted · 2
Valued as an open-source platform that is straightforward to self-host and customize.
“I’m increasingly thankful Zulip exists as an open source alternative to other collaborative platforms.”
“a few weeks ago we switched to Zulip. That's pretty straightforward to setup as well.”
Bot friendly · 1
One team found it easier for chat bots than Slack's permissions or Matrix's strict encryption.
“a few weeks ago we switched to Zulip. That's pretty straightforward to setup as well.”
Caveats and dissent
Casual group fit · 3
Seen as too heavy-duty for friend groups, with no voice messages and voice possibly missing or paywalled.
“I really like Zulip, and I'd like to migrate my friend-group onto it”
“i love zulip for so many things, and in particular the topic-first paradigm.”
Show 1 more
“I looked into hosting Rocket.chat, Zullip, and Mattermost but from what I recall voice + mobile were either missing or paywalled”
UI speed, polish · 2
One team reports a very slow web UI, and the UI is described as lacking visual polish.
“The web UI has become extremely slow.”
“I really like Zulip, and I'd like to migrate my friend-group onto it”
No E2E encryption · 1
It lacks end-to-end encryption, which a commenter says is not on its roadmap.
“avoid Zulip for a properly secure Discord replacement, givin its lack of (and roadmap refusal for) e2e”
Hosting overhead · 1
Self-hosting it adds maintenance overhead compared with a hosted service.
“If I go with Zulip, mattermost, rocket.chat, matrix, etc I introduce maintenance overhead”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
From the makers not counted in the ranking
“Zulip is the only modern team chat app designed for both live and asynchronous conversations.”
“it's one of my favorite pieces of software, and I use it daily.”
“the topics-based organization and ability for moderators to move/split conversations means one can read and participate in a community much more fully”
“I'd say so, especially if you start on desktop and have them watch the 2-minute onboarding video.”
“Zulip is the only modern team chat app that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations.”
Threads where it came up
- Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month 4 mentions
- The Zulip Foundation 2 mentions
- Ask HN: Does anyone here use Discord as their work chat tool? 2 mentions
- Does Reddit have an astroturfing problem? What the data suggests 1 mention
- Armada: Encrypted, Open-Source, Discord Alternative (Built on Nostr) 1 mention
- Jack Dorsey launches Buzz to combine team chat, AI agents and Git hosting 1 mention
Data: zulip.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 14
>s between actual people. Only for arbitrary people. Gate kept or low member count communities that exist to facilitate a discussion between appliance repair men, literature enthusiasts, fly tying hobbyists or owners of a particular model of vehicle are largely alive and well (unfortunately a lot of them moved from forums to facebook, but still.
“avoid Zulip for a properly secure Discord replacement, givin its lack of (and roadmap refusal for) e2e”
“a few weeks ago we switched to Zulip. That's pretty straightforward to setup as well.”
“I use Zulip and Signal extensively”
“It was truly enjoyable software.”
“I’m increasingly thankful Zulip exists as an open source alternative to other collaborative platforms.”
“The web UI has become extremely slow.”
“I have pretty minimal experience with it, but I've mostly heard positive things.”
“i love zulip for so many things, and in particular the topic-first paradigm.”
“I really like Zulip, and I'd like to migrate my friend-group onto it”
“I looked into hosting Rocket.chat, Zullip, and Mattermost but from what I recall voice + mobile were either missing or paywalled”
“If I go with Zulip, mattermost, rocket.chat, matrix, etc I introduce maintenance overhead”
“Highly recommend looking at Zulip as an alternative.”
“we moved to Zulip”