head to head · open source
Zulip vs octo-server
Zulip has 26,171 GitHub stars, 10,537 forks, 2,008 open issues and last shipped yesterday. octo-server has 1,105 stars, 175 forks, 29 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Zulip leads on adoption by 2,268% (26,171 vs 1,105 stars). Zulip is written in Python under Apache-2.0; octo-server is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Zulip has attracted 40% as many forks as stars, octo-server 16%. Zulip 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 | octo-server | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 11K | ⑂ 175 |
| 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 octo-server if
- You want the octo-server feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and octo-server 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 octo-server
OCTO — the open workplace built for humans × AI agents. Let Lobsters (OpenClaw powered digital doubles) do the thinking and doing . You focus on taste . 🏠 OCTO Home · 🚀 Quickstart · 📦 Ecosystem · 🤝 Contributing 🌐 Read in : English · 简体中文 OCTO Server The Go backend at the centre of OCTO — REST + WebSocket APIs, Lobster agent orchestration, and the control plane for WuKongIM. octo server is the heart of the OCTO platform. It exposes REST + WebSocket APIs consumed by octo web and octo admin , orchestrates business logic and Lobster (AI agent) scheduling, and drives the WuKongIM IM core for real time messaging…
read the full octo-server overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zulip or octo-server more popular?
Zulip has 26,171 GitHub stars and octo-server has 1,105. Zulip has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zulip and octo-server free?
Both are open source. Zulip is licensed under Apache-2.0 and octo-server under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zulip and octo-server?
Zulip is written in Python and octo-server in Go. 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 octo-server?
Choose Zulip if you want the larger community (26,171 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose octo-server if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.