Slack vs. Zulip
Side by side, with sources. Checked Oct 3, 2026.
Price
Free plan with 90 days of history and up to 10 apps. Pro is US$8.75 and Business+ US$18 per user per month billed monthly (US list prices).from $8.75/user/monthSource: salesforce.com
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
Paid plans · Free plan available
Open source · Free plan available
License
ProprietaryA proprietary cloud service under Slack’s Main Services Agreement.
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
In Slack’s cloud, stored in the US unless your organisation sets up data residency (Business+ or higher).
On Zulip Cloud (run by the core Zulip team) or on your own server; you can move between the two.
Getting started
—
Difficulty: Easy A free Zulip Cloud account plus official installers and app stores; no server needed unless you choose to self-host.
Hosted version
—
Zulip CloudFree plan with 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB of file storage.
Our take
One of the easiest open-source switches from Slack: sign up in the browser, import your Slack workspace, and keep the option to self-host later.
Best for
Busy, asynchronous teams
Groups where many conversations run at once and people catch up later.
Check first
The topic habit
Every message needs a topic; give your team a week to get used to it.