Microsoft Teams vs Zulip
Microsoft Teams
microsoft.comZulip
zulip.comSide by side
| Figure | Microsoft Teams | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.33/mo | $3.50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 17 | 7 |
| Spec score · Team chat apps | 9.5 (#1) | 9.4 (#3) |
| Spec score · Instant Messaging Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.6 (#9) |
| Spec score · Business Instant Messaging - Enterprise Software | 9.1 (#2) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Spec score · Team Communication Software | 9.1 (#3) | 8.6 (#8) |
| Spec score · Business Instant Messaging - Midmarket Software | 9.2 (#3) | 8.6 (#9) |
| Spec score · Team Collaboration Software | 9.1 (#6) | 8.6 (#12) |
| Spec score · Remote Working software | 9.1 (#6) | 8.6 (#12) |
| Channels | Yes | Channels define the audience for conversations and can be public or private. |
| Founded | 1975 | 2012 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Guest access | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Redmond, Washington, United States | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Integrations | Microsoft 365,SharePoint,OneDrive,Outlook,Exchange,Planner,Forms,Power BI,OneNote,Power Apps,Power Automate,LinkedIn | Zulip lists more than 130 native integrations and hundreds more through Zapier and IFTTT. |
| Message history | unlimited | limited |
| Supported platforms | web,Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android | web,Windows,macOS,Linux,iOS,Android,API |
Plans
Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Teams FreeFree
- Microsoft Teams Essentials$4 a year
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic$7 a year
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot$23.50 a year
- Microsoft Teams Phone StandardPriced on request
- Microsoft Teams Phone StandardPrice not published
- Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go callingPrice not published
- Teams Phone with pay-as-you-go callingPriced on request
- Teams Phone with Calling PlanPrice not published
- Teams Phone with Calling PlanPriced on request
Zulip
- Cloud FreeFree
- Cloud Standard$6.67 a month
- Cloud Plus$10 a month
- Self-hosted FreeFree
- Self-hosted Basic$3.50 a month
- Self-hosted Business$6.67 a month
- Self-hosted EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams brings chat, channels, calls, meetings, and screen sharing together, with guest access and unlimited message history. People can join meetings as guests without a Teams account, and free users can sign in with an email address or phone number without a subscription. Free group meetings and calls last up to 60 minutes; one-to-one calls have no time limit. The free plan lists 100 participants and 5 GB of cloud storage. Teams runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. Its listed integrations include Microsoft 365, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Exchange, Planner, Forms, Power BI, OneNote, Power Apps, Power Automate, and LinkedIn; Teams also has over 250 integrated business apps. Business plans support up to 300 users or people, include encryption for meetings, chats, calls, and files, and can include recordings and transcripts. Business plans list 1 TB per user for Business Basic and 10 GB per user for Teams Essentials. Essentials is $4 a year, billed at $4.00 per user/month, paid yearly; Business Basic is $7 a year, billed at $7.00 per user/month, paid yearly.
Zulip
Zulip is team chat software that organizes conversations in channels and supports guest access. It runs on the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, and also supports an API. Listed integrations include GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, Zoom, Jitsi Meet, Zapier, IFTTT, Sentry, and Zendesk. Zulip offers cloud and self-hosted plans. Cloud Free costs nothing and includes 10,000 messages of search history and 5 GB total file storage. Cloud Standard is $6.67 a month, billed annually, with 5 GB file storage per user. Self-hosted Basic is $3.50 a month, billed monthly. Other options include Cloud Plus, Self-hosted Free, Self-hosted Business, and Self-hosted Enterprise. Cloud Plus and Self-hosted Business have minimum user counts of 10 and 25, respectively. Zulip was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States.