cobaltvsZulip
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| cobalt | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 45 in Download Management | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 45 597 | 26 133 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 813 | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 6 |
| Latest release | — | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Svelte | Python |
Which one should you pick?
cobalt scores 83/100 against 82/100 for Zulip, so it is the safer default.
Zulip ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for cobalt.
If you want the quickest setup, cobalt is easier to run; Zulip needs more configuration.
cobalt is growing faster right now (+1 813 stars in 30 days).
cobalt details →Zulip details →