Let's Chat vs Zulip Terminal
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted team chat options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Let's Chat | Zulip Terminal |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 62 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Team Chat | Team Chat |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,797 | ★ 865 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Slack, HipChat | Slack |
What are Let's Chat and Zulip Terminal?
Let's Chat
Let's Chat is a persistent messaging application for small teams, offering chat rooms, file uploads, and history search. It is a lightweight Node.js application backed by MongoDB.
- Persistent chat rooms
- File uploads and image embeds
- Searchable history
- LDAP/Kerberos authentication
Zulip Terminal
Zulip Terminal is an interactive terminal client for the Zulip team chat platform, offering threaded conversations and keyboard-driven navigation. It connects to any self-hosted Zulip server.
- Threaded conversations
- Keyboard navigation
- Connects to any Zulip server
- Low resource usage
Let's Chat vs Zulip Terminal: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Let's Chat's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Zulip Terminal is actively maintained. Let's Chat is written in JavaScript, while Zulip Terminal is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Let's Chat versus Apache-2.0 for Zulip Terminal. Zulip Terminal is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Let's Chat. Let's Chat is the more established project (first released 2014), while Zulip Terminal arrived in 2018. Let's Chat has the considerably larger community, at 9,797 GitHub stars versus 865. Let's Chat lists first-class Docker deployment; Zulip Terminal does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Let's Chat if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Watch out for
- No longer actively developed
- Dated interface
Choose Zulip Terminal if…
- Great for terminal users
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Requires a Zulip server
- No media-rich UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Let's Chat or Zulip Terminal better?
Neither is universally better. Let's Chat has the larger community, while Zulip Terminal is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Let's Chat and Zulip Terminal free and open-source?
Yes. Let's Chat is licensed under MIT and Zulip Terminal under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Let's Chat and Zulip Terminal with Docker?
Let's Chat: yes. Zulip Terminal: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Let's Chat or Zulip Terminal?
Zulip Terminal has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Let's Chat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.