Rocket.Chat vs Zulip

Zulip organizes conversations by topic; Rocket.Chat uses channels.

Rocket.ChatOpen-source team chat you can self-host

ZulipOpen-source team chat organized by topic threads

Which to pick

Pick Rocket.Chat if you want…

Mission-critical, zero-trust team collaboration
Self-hosted chat with omnichannel support
Integrations with Active Directory, LDAP or SAML 2.0 (on Rocket.Chat's list, not Zulip's)

Pick Zulip if you want…

Topic-based threaded chat
Integrations with Zoom, Jitsi or BigBlueButton (on Zulip's list, not Rocket.Chat's)

Rocket.Chat adds livechat and omnichannel features.

Side by side

What it is: Rocket.Chat:Rocket.Chat is an open-source, self-hosted team chat platform for secure messaging, voice, video and collaboration.; Zulip:Zulip is an open-source team chat app that organizes conversations by topic threads for async collaboration.
Best for: Rocket.Chat:Mission-critical, zero-trust team collaboration; Zulip:Topic-based threaded chat
Who it’s for: Rocket.Chat:Enterprises, government agencies, defense organizations and any team needing sovereign, compliant communications.; Zulip:Distributed teams, engineers, educators, open-source communities
Pricing: Rocket.Chat:Freemium; Zulip:Freemium
Plans: Rocket.Chat:Starter Free; Zulip:Free $0 · Standard $0 · Basic (self-hosted) $0
Open source: Rocket.Chat:Yes, 46,213 GitHub stars; Zulip:Yes, 25,994 GitHub stars
Works with: Rocket.Chat:Active Directory, LDAP, SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, Matrix protocol, XMPP; Zulip:Zoom, Jitsi, BigBlueButton, Zapier, IFTTT, 130+ native integrations

Rocket.Chat features

Zero-trust security model. Supports air-gapped, on-prem, sovereign cloud and DoD IL6 deployments with end-to-end encryption.
Unified communications. Combines messaging, voice, video, screen sharing and AI-powered search in one platform.
Granular access controls. Role-based and attribute-based access control, ABAC, MFA and integration with AD/LDAP/SAML.
Compliance & audit. Built-in audit logs, tamper-evident records and certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, FINRA, NIS2, GDPR).
Extensible architecture. Open API, custom apps, Matrix federation, XMPP bridge and plugin ecosystem for tailored workflows.
Mobile & field support. Secure iOS/Android apps with device-level enforcement and remote-wipe capabilities.

Zulip features

Topic-based threading. Each message is labeled with a topic, keeping discussions organized and easy to follow.
Unlimited search (Standard+). Search full chat history without limits on Standard and higher plans.
File storage per user. 5 GB per user on Standard, 25 GB per user on Plus.
Advanced permissions. Custom groups, flexible roles, and granular admin controls.
Integrations & bridges. 130+ native integrations plus bridges to Slack, Teams, Matrix, Zapier, IFTTT.
Self-hosting option. 100 % open-source code can be deployed on-premises for full data sovereignty.

Rocket.Chat vs Zulip FAQ

Is Rocket.Chat or Zulip free?+

Rocket.Chat has a free plan (Starter) and paid plans. Zulip has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Rocket.Chat or Zulip open source?+

Yes, both are open source: Rocket.Chat (RocketChat/Rocket.Chat on GitHub) and Zulip (zulip/zulip on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license).

Do Rocket.Chat and Zulip integrate with the same tools?+

Their integration lists don't overlap: Rocket.Chat lists Active Directory, LDAP, SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect and 2 more; Zulip lists Zoom, Jitsi, BigBlueButton, Zapier and 2 more.

On DevHunt

Rocket.Chat

Listed by DevHunt

Rocket.Chat on DevHunt →Rocket.Chat alternatives

Zulip