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Head-to-head · Team Chat Apps

Slack vs Zulip

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Slack #2 in Team Chat Apps 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Slack
Zulip #6 in Team Chat Apps 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Zulip

Slack leads on 0 checks, Zulip on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSlack · 9.3/10
  • Lowest starting priceZulip · $3.50/user/mo
  • Free planboth

Slack scores higher on our rubric for team chat apps: 9.3 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Zulip is cheaper to start at $3.50/user/mo against $7.25/user/mo.

Slack is the better fit for integration-heavy teams. Zulip is the better fit for teams that prefer topic-based discussions.

  • Slack fits best

    Integration-heavy teams

  • Zulip fits best

    Teams that prefer topic-based discussions

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Side by side

Feature Slack 9.3/10 Visit ↗ Zulip 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.3 8.7
Ranking #2 in Team Chat Apps #6 in Team Chat Apps
Best for Integration-heavy teams Teams that prefer topic-based discussions
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $7.25/user/mo $3.50/user/mo (best)
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Docs · 24/7 Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, SSO/SAML, 2FA GDPR, SSO/SAML
Integrations 2,600+ integrations 130+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Slack 2/2 · Zulip 2/2
Channels ✓ ✓
Guest access ✓ ✓
Specs
Message history Limited Limited
Integrations Salesforce, Jira, Google Drive, ChatGPT, Asana, Miro, Notion, Zoom, GitHub, GitLab, PagerDuty, Box, Dropbox, Zendesk, Freshdesk, HubSpot GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Zoom, Jitsi Meet, Zapier, IFTTT, Sentry, Zendesk
Supported platforms web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android, api web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API
Maximum members Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Channels, direct messages, huddles, guests, and Slack Connect
  • Broad integrations with Salesforce, Jira, GitHub, and other tools
  • Workflow automation, AI features, and enterprise administration
  • 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
  • The Free plan includes only 90 days of message history
  • Paid access starts at $7.25 per user per month on annual billing
  • Enterprise+ requires contacting sales for pricing
  • 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

Slack organizes workplace communication around public and private channels, direct messages, shared spaces, and Slack Connect external messaging. It is aimed at teams that need structured conversations alongside searchable message and file…

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. SlackTeam Chat Apps 9.3Free plan
  2. ZulipTeam Chat Apps 8.7Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Slack — where it wins

    • Channels, direct messages, huddles, guests, and Slack Connect
    • Broad integrations with Salesforce, Jira, GitHub, and other tools
    • Workflow automation, AI features, and enterprise administration

    Where it doesn't

    • The Free plan includes only 90 days of message history
    • Paid access starts at $7.25 per user per month on annual billing
    • Enterprise+ requires contacting sales for pricing

  • 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