Last checked October 15, 2026
Zulip
Zulip is Apache-2.0 team chat. Every conversation has a topic, which is the point: busy channels stay readable. The cloud product and the self-hosted server run the same software.
Free tier
Cloud Free includes 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB of file storage. Many open-source, research, and non-profit groups qualify for a free Standard plan.
Hosted
Cloud Standard is $6.67 per user/month billed annually, or $8 billed monthly. Plus requires a 10-user minimum. Self-hosting the software is free; paid self-hosted plans are support tiers.
Self-host
Moderate. The installer supports Docker and traditional Linux. A small organization fits on one VM. Mobile push for more than 10 users needs Zulip's push service or a sponsorship plan. About $10–20/mo for a small server. Unverified estimate.
Drop-in scores
Sources checked
https://ditchly.co/software/zulip