What is the difference between Google Chat and Zulip?

Google Chat is best for Teams already using Google Workspace, while Zulip is best for Open-source communities and teams wanting threaded messaging. Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo and Zulip starts at Free.

Is Google Chat or Zulip cheaper?

Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo. Zulip starts at Free and is free.

Google Chat vs Zulip

Google Chat is team messaging built into Google Workspace with Spaces, threads, and deep Google app integration, while Zulip is open-source team chat with a unique topic-based threading model for organized conversations. The biggest difference up front: Zulip is free, while Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo. Google Chat is built for teams already using google workspace, whereas Zulip targets open-source communities and teams wanting threaded messaging.

At a glance

	Google Chat	Zulip
Best for	Teams already using Google Workspace	Open-source communities and teams wanting threaded messaging
Starting price	$6/user/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Bots	✓	—
File Sharing	✓	—
Google Workspace	✓	—
Markdown	—	✓
Open Source	—	✓
Self-Hosted	—	✓
Spaces	✓	—
Threads	✓	—
Topic Threading	—	✓

Google Chat

Strengths

Seamless integration with Google Workspace
Clean, simple interface
Included with Google Workspace subscription
Good mobile experience

Weaknesses

Limited features compared to Slack
Fewer third-party integrations
Not available as a standalone product
Threading can be confusing

Try Google Chat → Full review

Zulip

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Topic-based threading keeps conversations organized by subject, not just time
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Self-hosting requires Linux admin skills and ongoing server maintenance
Notification overload is a real problem as the number of channels grows

Try Zulip → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Zulip is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Google Chat starts at $6/user/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Google Chat offers Bots, File Sharing and Google Workspace that Zulip lacks. Zulip brings Markdown, Open Source and Self-Hosted that Google Chat does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target any size teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: Zulip is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Google Chat is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Google Chat's biggest strengths are: seamless integration with google workspace. clean, simple interface. Zulip's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. topic-based threading keeps conversations organized by subject, not just time.

Watch out for: With Google Chat, users commonly note that limited features compared to slack. With Zulip, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Google Chat if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: teams already using google workspace
You specifically need Bots and File Sharing
You care about clean, simple interface

Choose Zulip if...

You need a tool built for open-source communities and teams wanting threaded messaging
Budget is a hard constraint — Zulip is free, Google Chat is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Markdown and Open Source
You care about topic-based threading keeps conversations organized by subject, not just time