# Zulip

Zulip server and web application. Open-source team chat that helps teams stay productive and focused.

Repository: https://github.com/zulip/zulip
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/zulip
Homepage: https://zulip.com
Language: Python
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: zulip, python, python3, chat, javascript, collaboration, slack, foss, free, apache, react-native, electron
Last push: 2026-08-26T12:35:17+00:00
Link (homepage): https://zulip.com
Link (site_page): https://zulip.com/features
Link (site_page): https://zulip.com/integrations
Link (site_page): https://zulip.com/help/getting-started-with-zulip
Link (site_page): https://zulip.com/plans

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 85, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3995, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 23, "gap_med": 42, "n_releases_24m": 18}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 25774, forks 10131 (observed 2026-08-28T04:11:38.641050+00:00)

## What it is
Zulip is an open-source team chat application with unique topic-based threading that combines the best of email and real-time chat. It includes a Python/Django server, web app, and companion desktop and mobile clients, and can be self-hosted or used via Zulip Cloud.

## Use cases
- self-host a slack alternative for my team
- team chat with threaded conversations for remote work
- open source community chat platform
- chat app for a university or research group
- migrate from slack to an open-source chat
- run a chat server for thousands of users
- async communication tool for distributed teams

## When to choose
- you want a fully open-source, self-hostable Slack alternative with no vendor lock-in
- your team relies heavily on asynchronous communication and needs conversations organized by topic
- you need to support large organizations, open-source communities, or education at scale
- you want 130+ native integrations, bots, and a REST API
- you need both cloud and self-hosted options with export/import between them

## When to avoid
- your team only needs lightweight real-time chat and finds topic threading overhead unnecessary
- you want a minimal chat with a tiny resource footprint or simple deployment
- you need a chat product with a large marketplace of third-party apps like Slack's
- you prefer a proprietary SaaS with managed enterprise support contracts only

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: chat-interface, webhook, api-framework, self-hosted, search-engine, email
- domain: messaging-platforms, developer-tools, self-hosted, real-time
- platform: python, cross-platform, self-hosted, browser
- tags: team-chat, slack-alternative, topic-based-threading, async-communication, open-source-chat, zulip, integrations, remote-work, open-source, web-server, javascript, docker, mobile, desktop

## Member repositories
- zulip/zulip (main) score 94
- zulip/zulip-mobile (frontend) score 71

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:38.641050+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T16:55:59.121534+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/zulip/zulip (fetched 2026-08-28T04:11:38.641050+00:00, sha f7cdc0d57204)
  - homepage: https://zulip.com (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:08.536478+00:00, sha cced9eb79e36)
  - site_page: https://zulip.com/features (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:08.545834+00:00, sha 48bcaa577fa8)
  - site_page: https://zulip.com/help/getting-started-with-zulip (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:08.549848+00:00, sha 701e170fff29)
  - site_page: https://zulip.com/integrations (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:08.548023+00:00, sha b86c15d55676)
  - site_page: https://zulip.com/plans (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:08.551835+00:00, sha 47e67383f765)
  - site_page: https://zulip.com/case-studies/atolio (fetched 2026-08-29T07:53:08.553842+00:00, sha c257b3d03a08)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.