Let's Chat vs Zulip
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted team chat options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Zulip
Threaded team chat that combines email and chat
| Feature | Let's Chat | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 97 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Team Chat | Team Chat |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,797 | ★ 25,944 |
| First released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Slack, HipChat | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
What are Let's Chat and Zulip?
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
Zulip is an open-source team chat application with a unique topic-based threading model that organizes conversations clearly. It targets teams that want focused, asynchronous-friendly discussions. It is deployed via Docker or an installer.
- Topic-based threading model
- Great for async discussion
- Powerful search
- Many integrations
Let's Chat vs Zulip: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Let's Chat's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Zulip is actively maintained. Let's Chat is written in JavaScript, while Zulip is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Let's Chat versus Apache-2.0 for Zulip. Let's Chat is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Zulip. Zulip has the considerably larger community, at 25,944 GitHub stars versus 9,797.
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 if…
- Excellent conversation organization
- Strong async workflow
- Fully open source
Watch out for
- Threading model takes adjustment
- Heavier install
Frequently asked questions
Is Let's Chat or Zulip better?
Neither is universally better. Zulip has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Let's Chat and Zulip free and open-source?
Yes. Let's Chat is licensed under MIT and Zulip under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Let's Chat and Zulip with Docker?
Let's Chat: yes. Zulip: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Let's Chat or Zulip?
Let's Chat has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Zulip. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.