Slack vs Zulip overview
Self-hosted for $4/mo on hetzner CAX11, versus $7-$15/user/mo on Slack.
Side-by-side
| Slack | Zulip overview (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $7-$15/user/mo | $4.13/mo flat (any team size) |
| Hosting | Slack's servers | Your VPS (hetzner CAX11) |
| Data ownership | Slack controls the data | Your disk, your encryption |
| Source code | Closed | Open (Apache-2.0) |
| Customization | API + integrations only | Full source access; modify freely |
| Maintenance burden | Zero | Backups + updates (manual) |
| Health score (ossreplace) | — | 81 / 100 |
Why teams leave Slack
- Free tier hides messages older than 90 days
- Per-seat pricing ($7-15/user/mo) gets expensive past 20 people
- No self-hosting option even on Enterprise Grid
- Storage is capped per workspace
Zulip overview answers this by: Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, and Zulip give the same channels, threads, and integrations on your infra with full message history forever.
The cost math
Assumes 5-person team using Slack at the midpoint price ($11/user/mo).
| Period | Slack | Zulip overview on hetzner | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $55 | $4.13 | $50.87 |
| Yearly | $660 | $49.56 | $610.44 |
| 3 years | $1,980 | $149 | $1,831 |
Deploy Zulip overview now
One-click deploys at the cheapest provider for this workload:
Affiliate disclosure — these links may earn ossreplace a commission at no cost to you.
Common questions
Is Zulip overview a good alternative to Slack?
Zulip overview is an open-source, self-hostable alternative to Slack with an ossreplace health score of 81/100 — a composite of project activity, maturity, community, security, and adoption. It runs on your own hetzner VPS from $4.13/mo with full source access under the Apache-2.0 license, versus Slack's $7–15/user/mo hosted plans.
How much cheaper is Zulip overview than Slack?
A 5-person team pays about $55/mo on Slack. Self-hosting Zulip overview on hetzner CAX11 costs a flat $4.13/mo regardless of team size — roughly $1,831 less over three years (92% lower).
Is Zulip overview hard to self-host?
Zulip overview self-hosts on your own VPS. You handle the install, backups, and updates yourself in exchange for full data ownership and no per-seat fees.
Do you keep control of your data with Zulip overview vs Slack?
Yes. Because Zulip overview runs on your own server, the data lives on your disk under your encryption. With Slack, Slack controls the hosting, storage, and access.