Element vs Zulip
On the evidence we track, Zulip leads this comparison with a composite score of 71/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for collaboration software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Element
A secure, encrypted messaging and collaboration system built on the Matrix open standard. Element enables organizations to host their own communications servers, featuring end-to-end encryption, video conferencing, and federation between different organizations or systems.
Zulip
LeaderZulip is an open-source team chat platform featuring topic-based threading to organize conversations. It supports both synchronous and asynchronous workflows and offers flexible deployment options including cloud hosting or self-hosted infrastructure.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Element
Free open-source tier; Enterprise and Sovereign pricing available via contact
- CommunityFree
- Self-hosted Synapse server
- Element Call included
- AGPL open source
- Frontend and backend
- Server configuration
- +1 more
- EnterpriseContact sales
- Synapse Pro server
- Enhanced security advisories
- Compliance and enterprise controls
- Moderation and supervision
- Retention policies
- +11 more
- SovereignContact sales
- Synapse Pro server
- Air-gapped deployment
- Operates without internet connectivity
- Custom mobile push gateway
- Air-gapped setup and support
Zulip
LeaderFrom free to $12/user/month (Cloud Plus). Self-hosted from $3.50/user/month.
- Zulip Cloud FreeFree
- 10,000 messages search history
- 5GB total file storage
- Complete team chat solution
- Hundreds of integrations
- Advanced roles and permissions
- +1 more
- Zulip Cloud Standard$6.67/user/month billed annually or $8/month
- Unlimited search history
- 5GB per user storage
- Custom permission groups
- Message retention policies
- Custom branding
- +2 more
- Zulip Cloud Plus$10/user/month billed annually or $12/month (minimum 10 users)
- All Standard features
- 25GB per user storage
- SAML SSO (Okta, OneLogIn)
- SCIM sync
- Custom domain
- +1 more
- Self-hosted FreeFree
- All Zulip features
- Mobile notifications (limited)
- 100% open-source
- Self-hosted Basic$3.50/user/month, $20/month off first year
- All features
- Unlimited mobile notifications
- Supports open-source development
- Self-hosted Business$6.67/user/month billed annually or $8/month (minimum 25 users), $20/month off first year
- All features
- Email and chat support
- SSO (SAML, Entra ID)
- AD/LDAP sync
- Configurable guest access
- +2 more
- Self-hosted EnterpriseContact sales
- All features
- Phone, email and chat support
- OpenID Connect SSO
- SCIM sync
- Implementation consulting
- +2 more
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
- Grafana
- Google Calendar
- Github
- Gitlab
- JIRA
Element
- Jitsi
- Etherpad
- Spotify
- YouTube
- EtherCalc
- TradingView
- RSS
- Webhooks
Zulip
Leader- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Discord
- Mattermost
- Rocket.Chat
- Matrix
- IRC
- Bitbucket
- Asana
- Linear
- Trello
- Basecamp
- Jenkins
- CircleCI
- GitHub Actions
- Travis CI
- TeamCity
- Heroku
- Netlify
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Ansible Tower
- Puppet
- +21 more
Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.