Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Team Chat Apps

Zulip vs Google Chat

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Zulip #6 in Team Chat Apps 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Zulip
Google Chat #29 in Team Chat Apps 6.3/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Google Chat

Zulip leads on 1 check, Google Chat on 0, 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 scoreZulip · 8.7/10
  • Lowest starting priceZulip · $3.50/user/mo
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Google Chat

Zulip scores higher on our rubric for team chat apps: 8.7 against 6.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #29.

Zulip is cheaper to start at $3.50/user/mo against $7/user/mo.

Zulip is the better fit for teams that prefer topic-based discussions. Google Chat is the better fit for google Workspace organizations.

  • Zulip fits best

    Teams that prefer topic-based discussions

  • Google Chat fits best

    Google Workspace organizations

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Zulip 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Google Chat 6.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 6.3
Ranking #6 in Team Chat Apps #29 in Team Chat Apps
Best for Teams that prefer topic-based discussions Google Workspace organizations
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $3.50/user/mo (best) $7/user/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs Live chat, Email, Community, Docs
Compliance GDPR, SSO/SAML SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations 130+ integrations 14 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Zulip 2/2 · Google Chat 2/2
Channels ✓ ✓
Guest access ✓ ✓
Specs
Message history Limited Not checked yet
Integrations GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Zoom, Jitsi Meet, Zapier, IFTTT, Sentry, Zendesk Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Google Groups, Asana, Jira, PagerDuty, GitHub, Workday, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Trello, Zapier
Supported platforms web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Maximum members Not checked yet 500000 users
Our review
Pros
  • 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
  • Persistent spaces combine threads, files, tasks, and meeting coordination.
  • Integrates with Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Groups, and third-party tools.
  • Supports guest access, Gemini assistance, and apps across major platforms.
Cons
  • 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
  • Paid tiers bundle Chat with broader Google Workspace plans.
  • Conversation history can be configured to delete after 24 hours.
  • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales.
Our verdict

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 →

Google Chat is a team messaging and collaboration product for individuals, teams, and organizations. It combines direct messages and group conversations with persistent spaces for projects and topics. Spaces support threaded discussions,…

Read the review →
  1. ZulipTeam Chat Apps 8.7Free plan
  2. Google ChatTeam Chat Apps 6.3Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • 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

  • Google Chat — where it wins

    • Persistent spaces combine threads, files, tasks, and meeting coordination.
    • Integrates with Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Groups, and third-party tools.
    • Supports guest access, Gemini assistance, and apps across major platforms.

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid tiers bundle Chat with broader Google Workspace plans.
    • Conversation history can be configured to delete after 24 hours.
    • Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales.

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