# Calibre Web vs Zulip

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Calibre Web | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 7 in E-book Management | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 18 486 | 26 133 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +255 ✓ | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 2 | 6 ✓ |
| Latest release | 0.6.27 · 8 Aug 2026 | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Fluent | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Zulip scores 82/100 against 78/100 for Calibre Web, so it is the safer default.

Zulip ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for Calibre Web.

If you want the quickest setup, Calibre Web is easier to run; Zulip needs more configuration.

## Details

- [Calibre Web](https://selfhost.directory/project/calibre-web) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/calibre-web.md)
- [Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/project/zulip) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/zulip.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Discourse vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-zulip)
- [Rocket.Chat vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/rocketchat-vs-zulip)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/calibre-web-vs-zulip