COLLAB
Teable ships connected-app event triggers for automations, deepening its no-code workflow orchestration play.
Alternatives · team collaboration tools
Zulip alternatives
The best Zulip alternatives in team collaboration tools, ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score.
Updated Sep 25, 2026
Looking for the best alternatives to Zulip? Sparkpulse tracks and ranks 12 alternatives in team collaboration tools by shipping velocity — how frequently each ships meaningful updates, verified from official changelogs. For reference, Zulip shipped 0 meaningful updates in the last 30 days and carries a velocity score of 5.0 out of 10 in 2026. The alternatives below are ranked the same way, so you're comparing real release momentum, not marketing claims.
About Zulip
Zulip donates itself to a nonprofit foundation as its founder joins Anthropic.
Two consequential moves landed inside three weeks. Tim Abbott, Zulip's longtime leader, is stepping back to join Anthropic along with three senior Kandra Labs engineers, and the for-profit company is being donated to a newly formed independent Zulip Foundation. In parallel, Zulip Server 12.0 shipped — roughly 5,500 commits, end-to-end encryption for mobile push notifications, a major Docker upgrade, and configurable image previews — alongside routine 11.x security patches and a self-hosted AI search integration via Atolio.
Velocity 5.0 · Last update 4mo ago
Top 12 alternatives to Zulip
Ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial breakdown, or pivot to a head-to-head.
DEVOPS
GitHub turns Copilot into an org-wide default, adds memory to agentic security fixes.
COLLAB
Softr ships MCP and embedded agents, making no-code apps AI-orchestratable
COLLAB
Tana races toward ambient AI assistant — voice commands now execute silently without interrupting you
COLLAB
Hive keeps iterating on proofing and dashboard UX — workmanlike improvements, no pivot.
COLLAB
Double shifts AI economics: 93%-cheaper Standard tier and Claude Opus 5 Expert mode
COLLAB
SiYuan is adding mind map block types and calendar scheduling depth as it pushes toward 3.8.6.
COLLAB
Wiki.js 3.0 beta ships blog pages, comments, and AsciiDoc — pivoting toward a full content platform
COLLAB
Wiki.js 3.0 beta ships blog pages, comments, and enterprise auth — production readiness is close.
COLLAB
Document360 ships collaborative editing and a rebuilt API as it expands MCP control.
COLLAB
Skedda opens a developer API — a clear signal it's repositioning as a workplace data platform
COLLAB
Joplin 3.7 ships AI chat, semantic search, and MCP integration — all off by default, all controllable by the user.
Zulip vs alternatives — shipping velocity at a glance
Velocity score (0–10) and meaningful releases shipped in the last 30 days, from official changelogs. Higher = shipping faster.
| Product | Velocity | Sparks · 30d | Focus areas | Latest release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zulip (baseline) | 5.0 | 0 | governance-transitionself-hosted-chatend-to-end-encryption | Announcing the Zulip Foundation |
| Teable | 10.0 | 0 | no-codeworkflow-automationoauth-ecosystem | — |
| GitHub | 10.0 | 3 | copilotagentic-aimemory | Agentic autofix now uses Copilot Memory |
| Softr | 7.5 | 1 | no-codemcpai-agents | A brand new way to build with Softr |
| Tana | 7.5 | 2 | ambient-aivoice-agentmeeting-capture | Hey Tana just does it, a Calendar, and a new Home |
| Hive | 6.3 | 0 | proofingdashboardsproject-management | — |
| Double | 6.3 | 1 | ai-accountingask-doubleai-agents | September 10, 2026 |
| SiYuan | 6.3 | 0 | pkmblock-editorlocal-first | — |
| Wiki.js | 6.3 | 1 | wikiself-hostedcontent-platform | Wiki.js 3.0-beta.583 — blog, AsciiDoc, comments, and analytics shipped |
| Wiki.js | 6.3 | 1 | wikiopen-sourceenterprise-auth | Wiki.js 3.0 adds blog pages, comments, and AsciiDoc editing |
| Document360 | 6.3 | 0 | mcpcollaborative-editingapi-platform | Document360 adds real-time collaborative editing |
| Skedda | 6.3 | 1 | workspace-managementdeveloper-platformoccupancy-analytics | Build with the Skedda API |
| Joplin | 6.3 | 1 | note-takingai-integrationprivacy | What's new in Joplin 3.7 |
The 12 best Zulip alternatives, in depth
1. Teable · velocity 10.0
Teable ships connected-app event triggers for automations, deepening its no-code workflow orchestration play.
Its velocity score of 10.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Teable focuses on no code, workflow automation and oauth ecosystem.
Teable and Zulip have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
2. GitHub · velocity 10.0
GitHub turns Copilot into an org-wide default, adds memory to agentic security fixes.
Over the last 30 days GitHub shipped 3 meaningful updates vs Zulip's 0, most recently “Agentic autofix now uses Copilot Memory”. Its velocity score of 10.0/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, GitHub focuses on copilot, agentic ai and memory.
Over the last 30 days GitHub has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
3. Softr · velocity 7.5
Softr ships MCP and embedded agents, making no-code apps AI-orchestratable.
Over the last 30 days Softr shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zulip's 0, most recently “A brand new way to build with Softr”. Its velocity score of 7.5/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Softr focuses on no code, mcp and ai agents.
Over the last 30 days Softr has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
4. Tana · velocity 7.5
Tana races toward ambient AI assistant — voice commands now execute silently without interrupting you.
Over the last 30 days Tana shipped 2 meaningful updates vs Zulip's 0, most recently “Hey Tana just does it, a Calendar, and a new Home”. Its velocity score of 7.5/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Tana focuses on ambient ai, voice agent and meeting capture.
Over the last 30 days Tana has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
5. Hive · velocity 6.3
Hive keeps iterating on proofing and dashboard UX — workmanlike improvements, no pivot.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Hive focuses on proofing, dashboards and project management.
Hive and Zulip have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
6. Double · velocity 6.3
Double shifts AI economics: 93%-cheaper Standard tier and Claude Opus 5 Expert mode.
Over the last 30 days Double shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zulip's 0, most recently “September 10, 2026”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Double focuses on ai accounting, ask double and ai agents.
Over the last 30 days Double has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
7. SiYuan · velocity 6.3
SiYuan is adding mind map block types and calendar scheduling depth as it pushes toward 3.8.6.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, SiYuan focuses on pkm, block editor and local first.
SiYuan and Zulip have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
8. Wiki.js · velocity 6.3
Wiki.js 3.0 beta ships blog pages, comments, and AsciiDoc — pivoting toward a full content platform.
Over the last 30 days Wiki.js shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zulip's 0, most recently “Wiki.js 3.0-beta.583 — blog, AsciiDoc, comments, and analytics shipped”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Wiki.js focuses on wiki, self hosted and content platform.
Over the last 30 days Wiki.js has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
9. Wiki.js · velocity 6.3
Wiki.js 3.0 beta ships blog pages, comments, and enterprise auth — production readiness is close.
Over the last 30 days Wiki.js shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zulip's 0, most recently “Wiki.js 3.0 adds blog pages, comments, and AsciiDoc editing”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Wiki.js focuses on wiki, open source and enterprise auth.
Over the last 30 days Wiki.js has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
10. Document360 · velocity 6.3
Document360 ships collaborative editing and a rebuilt API as it expands MCP control.
Its velocity score of 6.3/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “Document360 adds real-time collaborative editing”.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Document360 focuses on mcp, collaborative editing and api platform.
Document360 and Zulip have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full Document360 trajectory → · Compare Zulip vs Document360 →
11. Skedda · velocity 6.3
Skedda opens a developer API — a clear signal it's repositioning as a workplace data platform.
Over the last 30 days Skedda shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zulip's 0, most recently “Build with the Skedda API”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Skedda focuses on workspace management, developer platform and occupancy analytics.
Over the last 30 days Skedda has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
12. Joplin · velocity 6.3
Joplin 3.7 ships AI chat, semantic search, and MCP integration — all off by default, all controllable by the user.
Over the last 30 days Joplin shipped 1 meaningful update vs Zulip's 0, most recently “What's new in Joplin 3.7”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where Zulip leans on governance transition, self hosted chat and end to end encryption, Joplin focuses on note taking, ai integration and privacy.
Over the last 30 days Joplin has been shipping faster than Zulip — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to Zulip?
The top Zulip alternatives we currently track in team collaboration tools are Teable, GitHub, Softr, Tana, Hive, ranked by recent ship velocity.
How is this list of Zulip alternatives ranked?
Alternatives are ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score — release cadence + 30-day spark count + sector-relative ship rate.
Can I compare Zulip directly with one of these alternatives?
Yes — every card has a "Compare with Zulip" link to a side-by-side /compare page.