Rocket.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?
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat and collaboration platform
VS
Zulip
Threaded team chat that combines email and chat
| Feature | Rocket.Chat | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Team Chat | Team Chat |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, snap, kubernetes | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 45,947 | ★ 25,619 |
| First released | 2015 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Slack, Microsoft Teams | Slack, Microsoft Teams |
Why pick each one
Choose Rocket.Chat if…
- Feature-rich Slack alternative
- Strong integrations
- Self-hostable
Choose Zulip if…
- Excellent conversation organization
- Strong async workflow
- Fully open source
Frequently asked questions
Is Rocket.Chat or Zulip better?
Neither is universally better. Rocket.Chat has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Rocket.Chat and Zulip free and open-source?
Yes. Rocket.Chat is licensed under MIT and Zulip under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rocket.Chat and Zulip with Docker?
Rocket.Chat: yes. Zulip: yes.