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Head-to-head · Team Chat Apps

Rocket.Chat vs Zulip

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Rocket.Chat #5 in Team Chat Apps 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Rocket.Chat
Zulip #6 in Team Chat Apps 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Zulip

Rocket.Chat leads on 0 checks, Zulip on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreRocket.Chat · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth

Rocket.Chat scores higher on our rubric for team chat apps: 8.8 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #6.

On message history, Rocket.Chat gives you Unlimited where Zulip offers Limited.

Rocket.Chat is the better fit for organizations needing controlled deployments. Zulip is the better fit for teams that prefer topic-based discussions.

  • Rocket.Chat fits best

    Organizations needing controlled deployments

  • Zulip fits best

    Teams that prefer topic-based discussions

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Side by side

Feature Rocket.Chat 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Zulip 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.7
Ranking #5 in Team Chat Apps #6 in Team Chat Apps
Best for Organizations needing controlled deployments Teams that prefer topic-based discussions
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price — $3.50/user/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Community, Docs Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML, 2FA GDPR, SSO/SAML
Integrations 5,000+ integrations 130+ integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Rocket.Chat 2/2 · Zulip 2/2
Channels ✓ ✓
Guest access ✓ ✓
Specs
Message history Unlimited Limited
Integrations GitHub, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Meet, Jira Cloud, Microsoft Teams, Pexip, Telegram, Trello, WhatsApp, Zapier, Zoom GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Zoom, Jitsi Meet, Zapier, IFTTT, Sentry, Zendesk
Supported platforms web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API, self-hosted web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API
Maximum members 50 users Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options
  • Channels, threads, search, calls, guests, and file sharing
  • Role-based access, SSO, MFA, encryption, and retention policies
  • Topic-based threads keep discussions organized and searchable
  • 130+ native integrations plus API, webhooks, Zapier and IFTTT
  • Cloud and self-hosted options support varied deployment needs
Cons
  • Commercial, Government, and Defense plans are quote-based
  • Community is self-hosted only and limited to core messaging
  • Community push notifications are capped at 10,000 per month
  • Cloud Free limits searchable history to 10,000 messages
  • Cloud Plus requires a 10-user minimum
  • Self-hosted Free has limited mobile notifications for some organizations
Our verdict

Rocket.Chat is an open-source communications platform for organizations that need controlled collaboration and data ownership. It brings together public and private channels, direct messages, groups, threaded discussions, searchable…

Read the review →

Zulip is an open-source team chat application for organizations ranging from small teams to thousands of users. Its central design is topic-based threading inside channels, which supports both real-time and asynchronous communication.…

Read the review →
  1. Rocket.ChatTeam Chat Apps 8.8Free plan
  2. ZulipTeam Chat Apps 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Rocket.Chat — where it wins

    • Self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options
    • Channels, threads, search, calls, guests, and file sharing
    • Role-based access, SSO, MFA, encryption, and retention policies

    Where it doesn't

    • Commercial, Government, and Defense plans are quote-based
    • Community is self-hosted only and limited to core messaging
    • Community push notifications are capped at 10,000 per month

  • Zulip — where it wins

    • Topic-based threads keep discussions organized and searchable
    • 130+ native integrations plus API, webhooks, Zapier and IFTTT
    • Cloud and self-hosted options support varied deployment needs

    Where it doesn't

    • Cloud Free limits searchable history to 10,000 messages
    • Cloud Plus requires a 10-user minimum
    • Self-hosted Free has limited mobile notifications for some organizations

More comparisons

All team chat apps comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update