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Team chat & collaboration · Alternatives
Zulip is a team chat & collaboration product from Kandra Labs, Cambridge, priced at Free plan with a free plan. We compared 20 alternatives on published price, free plan, platforms and made-in-India support: 20 have a free plan, 3 are built in India.
Quick answer
The closest alternatives to Zulip are Zoho Connect (Free plan), Zoho Cliq (Free · paid from ₹100/user/mo · Professional ₹100/user/month (min 10 users), plus GST), Flock (Free · PRO priced per user · Starter free up to 20 members; PRO price on request), Notion (Free plan) and Slack (Free plan). Zoho Connect is the top-ranked option with a free plan.
Indian support and GST
Zulip is built in United States. 3 alternatives are made in India, where GST, TDS and UPI are usually handled natively and support runs on IST.
Ranked by how closely each product matches Zulip's category, pricing model, platforms and business size, then by rating. Prices exclude GST.
| # | Software | Starting price | Free plan | Platforms | Made in India | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Zulip (current) | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | — |
| 1 |  Zoho Connect | Free plan | Yes | Web | Yes | 4.8/5 | vs Zulip |
| 2 |  Zoho Cliq | Free · paid from ₹100/user/mo · Professional ₹100/user/month (min 10 users), plus GST | Yes | Web | Yes | 4.8/5 | |
| 3 |  Flock | Free · PRO priced per user · Starter free up to 20 members; PRO price on request | Yes | Web | Yes | 4.8/5 | |
| 4 |  Notion | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 5 |  Slack | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 6 |  Microsoft Teams Chat | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 7 |  Element (Matrix) | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 8 |  Mattermost | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 9 |  Rocket.Chat | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 10 |  Google Chat | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 11 |  Confluence | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 12 |  Chanty | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 13 |  Twist | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 14 |  Pumble | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 15 |  Coda | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 16 |  Miro | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 17 |  Mural | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 18 |  Webex Messaging | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.6/5 | |
| 19 |  Nuclino | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 | |
| 20 |  Slite | Free plan | Yes | Web | No | 4.5/5 |
Zoho Corporation · Chennai · Team chat & collaboration · 4.8/5
Intranet and employee community.
Free plan
Free plan available
Compared with Zulip
Key features
Zoho Corporation · Chennai · Team chat & collaboration · 4.8/5
Team chat and collaboration from Zoho.
Free · paid from ₹100/user/mo · Professional ₹100/user/month (min 10 users), plus GST
Free plan available
Compared with Zulip
Key features
Free · PRO priced per user · Starter free up to 20 members; PRO price on request
Free plan available
Compared with Zulip
Key features
Notion Labs · San Francisco · Team chat & collaboration · 4.6/5
All-in-one workspace for notes, docs and wikis.
Free plan
Free plan available
Key features
Free plan
Free plan available
Microsoft · Redmond · Team chat & collaboration · 4.6/5
Team chat in Microsoft 365.
Free plan
Free plan available
Element · London · Team chat & collaboration · 4.6/5
Decentralised secure messaging.
Free plan
Free plan available
Mattermost · Palo Alto · Team chat & collaboration · 4.6/5
Open-source secure collaboration.
Free plan
Free plan available
Free plan
Free plan available
Google · Mountain View · Team chat & collaboration · 4.5/5
Team messaging in Google Workspace.
Free plan
Free plan available
The closest matches to Zulip on App Advisor are Zoho Connect (Free plan), Zoho Cliq (Free · paid from ₹100/user/mo · Professional ₹100/user/month (min 10 users), plus GST), Flock (Free · PRO priced per user · Starter free up to 20 members; PRO price on request). They are ranked by how closely their category, pricing model, platforms and target business size match Zulip, then by rating. The best choice depends on your team size and budget.
Yes. 20 of the 20 alternatives listed have a free plan or are free: Zoho Connect (Free plan), Zoho Cliq (Free · paid from ₹100/user/mo · Professional ₹100/user/month (min 10 users), plus GST), Flock (Free · PRO priced per user · Starter free up to 20 members; PRO price on request). Free plans usually cap users, records or transactions, so check the limits against your monthly volume.
Yes. 3 alternatives are built in India, including Zoho Connect (Free plan), Zoho Cliq (Free · paid from ₹100/user/mo · Professional ₹100/user/month (min 10 users), plus GST), Flock (Free · PRO priced per user · Starter free up to 20 members; PRO price on request). Indian products usually handle GST, TDS and UPI natively and bill in rupees.
Zoho Connect is the closest match to Zulip in our catalogue. Key differences: Built in India (Chennai). Compare them side by side before you book a demo.
Every product listed sits in team chat & collaboration or a category Zulip also covers, and Kandra Labs's own products are excluded. Prices, free plans and platforms come from each vendor's official website. App Advisor does not sell any of this software.
Free shortlist
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