# netbird vs Zulip

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

| | netbird | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 30 302 ✓ | 26 133 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +834 ✓ | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 ✓ | 6 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Zulip scores 82/100 against 81/100 for netbird, so it is the safer default.

netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.

netbird is growing faster right now (+834 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [netbird](https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird.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/netbird-vs-zulip