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.
Not the right match-up?
Let's Chat
Self-hosted chat app for small teams
VS
Zulip
Threaded team chat that combines email and chat
| Feature | Let's Chat | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 9,803 | ★ 25,619 |
| First released | 2014 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Slack, HipChat | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
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
Choose Zulip if…
- Excellent conversation organization
- Strong async workflow
- Fully open source
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.