MastodonvsZulip
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Mastodon | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 50 457 | 26 134 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +138 | +191 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 38 | 6 |
| Latest release | v4.4.26 · 1 Oct 2026 | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Ruby | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Mastodon and Zulip score the same (82/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.
Mastodon ships more often: 38 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.
If you want the quickest setup, Zulip is easier to run; Mastodon needs more configuration.
Mastodon details →Zulip details →