# Observal vs Zulip

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

| | Observal | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 67/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #32 of 209 in AI Agents | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 4 533 | 26 133 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 210 ✓ | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 33 ✓ | 6 |
| Latest release | v1.15.1 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Zulip scores 82/100 against 67/100 for Observal, so it is the safer default.

Observal ships more often: 33 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.

Observal is growing faster right now (+1 210 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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