Mattermost
Self-hosted, open-source team chat with a free edition for small teams.
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.4Visit
Web App
Zulip
Open-source team chat where every conversation has a topic, so threads stay readable.
Built with love by Shushant Lakhyani. Building bestproductivityresources.com
What is Zulip?
Zulip is open-source team chat (Apache 2.0) that organises messages into channels and topics, so you can catch up on one conversation at a time instead of scrolling a single stream. Zulip Cloud has a free plan with 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB of file storage, and the self-hosted version is free with every feature included. Paid cloud plans start at $6.67 per user a month billed annually.
Pros
- Topics keep busy channels easy to follow asynchronously
- Free self-hosted version with all features
- Open source under Apache 2.0
Cons
- Free cloud plan only searches the latest 10,000 messages
- The topic model takes a little getting used to
Who should use Zulip
Remote and open-source teams that work asynchronously across time zones.
Who may not need it
Small groups that just want a quick, casual chat.
Zulip alternatives
Similar resources to Zulip, picked from the directory.
Rocket.Chat
Open-source team chat you host yourself, free for up to 50 users.
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.2Visit
Element
Open-source, Matrix-based messaging you can self-host for free.
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.3Visit
Pumble
Team chat with a free plan for unlimited users and unlimited message history.
Web AppFree planWeb, macOS
4.4Visit
Slack
Team communication organised into channels.
Web AppFree planWeb, macOS
4.2Visit
Discord
Free voice, video and text chat for communities, friends and small teams.
Web AppFree planWeb, Windows
4.5Visit
Free alternatives to Zulip
Free resources that cover similar ground.
Nextcloud
Open-source, self-hosted file sync and sharing: your own Dropbox.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.4Visit
Jitsi Meet
Free, open-source video meetings with no account needed.
Web AppFreeWeb, Android
4.3Visit
TaskView
A self-hosted project and task management platform built for clarity and control.
Web AppFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.3Visit
cumora
Where agent teams gather — cross-platform team chat where AI agents are first-class teammates.
Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.5Visit
Octop
A smarter, self-hosted AI assistant — multi-user, multi-agent.
AI ToolFreeWeb, Cross-Platform
4.4Visit
Microsoft Teams (free)
Microsoft's free chat and video meetings for personal use.
Web AppFreeWeb, Windows
4.0Visit
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