head to head · open source
Zulip vs agentes-chat
Zulip has 26,224 GitHub stars, 10,589 forks, 2,008 open issues and last shipped today. agentes-chat has 1,354 stars, 236 forks, 150 open issues and last shipped today. Zulip leads on adoption by 1,837% (26,224 vs 1,354 stars). Zulip is written in Python under Apache-2.0; agentes-chat is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Zulip has attracted 40% as many forks as stars, agentes-chat 17%. agentes-chat was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (chat, collaboration), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Zulip | agentes-chat | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 1.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-14 | 2026-11-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 11K | ⑂ 236 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Zulip if
- You weight community size — 26K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick agentes-chat if
- You want the agentes-chat feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and agentes-chat fits your workflow better
About Zulip
Zulip overview Zulip is an open source organized team chat app with unique [topic based threading][why zulip] that combines the best of email and chat to make remote work productive and delightful. Fortune 500 companies, [leading open source projects][rust case study], and thousands of other organizations use Zulip every day. Zulip is the only [modern team chat app][features] that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations. Zulip is built by a distributed community of developers from all around the world, with 99+ people who have each contributed 100+ commits. With over 1,500 contributors merging…
read the full Zulip overview →
About agentes-chat
agentes.chat The open source, self hosted Slack alternative where your team and AI agents work together. Website · Cloud · Self hosting · Features · Discussions Agents join your channels and DMs with a role, an owner and a budget, work where everyone can see, and ask before anything sensitive. They think with Claude, ChatGPT and Codex, Gemini, Grok or any OpenRouter model, use MCP tools, and get a computer and a browser of their own. Self hosting is free and always will be (AGPL 3.0, no license key, no paid tier), or use agentes.chat Cloud, the paid, hosted option: both run this same codebase. Why agentes.chat…
read the full agentes-chat overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zulip or agentes-chat more popular?
Zulip has 26,224 GitHub stars and agentes-chat has 1,354. Zulip has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zulip and agentes-chat free?
Both are open source. Zulip is licensed under Apache-2.0 and agentes-chat under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zulip and agentes-chat?
Zulip is written in Python and agentes-chat in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Zulip or agentes-chat?
Choose Zulip if you want the larger community (26,224 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose agentes-chat if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.