head to head · open source
Zulip vs drawnix
Zulip has 25,921 GitHub stars, 10,247 forks, 2,008 open issues and last shipped yesterday. drawnix has 14,721 stars, 1,264 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 10 days ago. Zulip leads on adoption by 76% (25,921 vs 14,721 stars). Zulip is written in Python under Apache-2.0; drawnix is written in TypeScript under MIT. Zulip has attracted 40% as many forks as stars, drawnix 9%. Zulip was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (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 | drawnix | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 26K | ★ 15K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 1.3K |
| 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 drawnix if
- You want the drawnix feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and drawnix fits your workflow better
About Zulip
Zulip is an open source organized team chat application built on topic based threading, aimed at distributed teams that need live and asynchronous conversation in one place, and it is positioned as an open alternative to Slack.
read the full Zulip overview →
About drawnix
Drawnix is a free, MIT licensed, all in one open source whiteboard tool written in TypeScript that combines mind mapping, flowcharts, and freehand drawing on a single infinite canvas, built for individuals and teams who want a self hostable or browser based alternative to commercial whiteboard SaaS.
read the full drawnix overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zulip or drawnix more popular?
Zulip has 25,921 GitHub stars and drawnix has 14,721. Zulip has the larger community by that measure.
Are Zulip and drawnix free?
Both are open source. Zulip is licensed under Apache-2.0 and drawnix under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Zulip and drawnix?
Zulip is written in Python and drawnix 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 drawnix?
Choose Zulip if you want the larger community (25,921 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose drawnix if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.