head to head · open source
Zulip vs drawnix
Zulip has 26,158 GitHub stars, 10,521 forks, 2,008 open issues and last shipped yesterday. drawnix has 15,012 stars, 1,304 forks, 31 open issues and last shipped 2 months ago. Zulip leads on adoption by 74% (26,158 vs 15,012 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 | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-08 |
| Forks | ⑂ 11K | ⑂ 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 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 drawnix
开源白板工具（SaaS），一体化白板，包含思维导图、流程图、自由画等 All in one 白板，思维导图、流程图、自由画等 English README 特性 💯 免费 + 开源 ⚒️ 思维导图、流程图 🖌 画笔 😀 插入图片 🚀 基于插件机制 🖼️ 📃 导出为 PNG, JSON( .drawnix ) 💾 自动保存（浏览器缓存） ⚡ 编辑特性：撤销、重做、复制、粘贴等 🌌 无限画布：缩放、滚动 🎨 主题模式 📱 移动设备适配 📈 支持 mermaid 语法转流程图 ✨ 支持 markdown 文本转思维导图（新支持 🔥🔥🔥） 关于名称 Drawnix ，源于绘画( Draw )与凤凰( Phoenix )的灵感交织。 凤凰象征着生生不息的创造力，而 Draw 代表着人类最原始的表达方式。在这里，每一次创作都是一次艺术的涅槃，每一笔绘画都是灵感的重生。 创意如同凤凰，浴火方能重生，而 Drawnix 要做技术与创意之火的守护者。 Draw Beyond, Rise Above. 与 Plait 画图框架 Drawnix 的定位是一个开箱即用、开源、免费的工具产品，它的底层是 Plait 框架， Plait 是我司开源的一款画图框架，代表着公司在知识库产品(PingCode Wiki)上的重要技术沉淀。 Drawnix
read the full drawnix overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Zulip or drawnix more popular?
Zulip has 26,158 GitHub stars and drawnix has 15,012. 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 (26,158 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose drawnix if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.