Element vs. Zulip
Side by side, with sources. Checked Oct 3, 2026.
Price
The app is free and open source and works with a free matrix.org account. Organisations can buy Element Server Suite Pro, priced per seat through sales.Source: element.io
Free to self-host with every feature. Zulip Cloud has a free plan; Standard is US$6.67 per user per month billed annually (US$8 monthly).from $6.67/user/monthSource: zulip.com
Pricing model
Open source · Free plan available
Open source · Free plan available
License
Open source · AGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-3.0-onlyAvailable under AGPL-3.0 or GPL-3.0, or a paid Element Commercial License.
Open source · Apache-2.0The server and the desktop app are Apache-2.0 open source.
Works on
- ✓ Windows
- ✓ Mac
- ✓ Linux
- ✓ iPhone & iPad
- ✓ Android
- ✓ Web browser
- ✓ Your own server
- ✓ Windows
- ✓ Mac
- ✓ Linux
- ✓ iPhone & iPad
- ✓ Android
- ✓ Web browser
- ✓ Your own server
Where your data lives
On the Matrix server where your account is — matrix.org by default, or your organisation’s or your own.
On Zulip Cloud (run by the core Zulip team) or on your own server; you can move between the two.
Getting started
Difficulty: Easy Create a free account on matrix.org straight from the browser or the official installers; no server needed.
Difficulty: Easy A free Zulip Cloud account plus official installers and app stores; no server needed unless you choose to self-host.
Hosted version
app.element.io with a free matrix.org accountThe free matrix.org server is run by the Matrix.org Foundation, not Element, and limits uploads (10 MB per file).
Zulip CloudFree plan with 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB of file storage.