# Kong Gateway vs Zulip

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

| | Kong Gateway | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 44 316 ✓ | 26 133 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +130 | +190 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 6 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 ✓ | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway and Zulip score the same (82/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.

Zulip ships more often: 6 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

## Details

- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.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)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-gateway-vs-zulip