Element vs Zulip
Comparing two open source alternatives to Discord and Slack . Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.
Element
AGPL-3.0Open-source Matrix client for secure, decentralized messaging, voice, and video — runs on your own server.
Zulip
Apache-2.0Open-source team chat with a unique topic-based threading model that makes it easy to follow multiple conversations.
Side-by-side comparison
| Element | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| GitHub Stars | 13,086 | 25,165 |
| Forks | 2,601 | 9,823 |
| Open Issues | 3,661 | 2,059 |
| Last Commit | May 11, 2026 | May 12, 2026 |
| First Released | Jul 22, 2015 | Sep 25, 2015 |
| Categories | ||
| Tags |
Similar open source alternatives
Mumble
Low-latency, open-source voice chat built for gaming — self-host your own server with no subscription required.
Alternative to: 
Discord
Discord
Raven
Simple, open source team messaging platform
Alternative to: Discord
Discord
Rocket.Chat
The communications platform that puts data protection first.
Alternative to: 
Skype
Skype
Mattermost
Mattermost is an open source platform for secure collaboration across the entire software development lifecycle..
Alternative to: Discord
Discord
Discourse
A platform for community discussion. Free, open, simple.
Alternative to: Discord
Discord