octo-servervsZulip
Two self-hosted Chat projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| octo-server | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 53/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #37 of 110 in Chat | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 1 101 | 26 131 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +188 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 10 | 6 |
| Latest release | v1.24.0 · 26 Oct 2026 | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Zulip scores 82/100 against 53/100 for octo-server, so it is the safer default.
octo-server ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.
If you want the quickest setup, Zulip is easier to run; octo-server needs more configuration.
Zulip is growing faster right now (+188 stars in 30 days).
octo-server details →Zulip details →All Chat projects →
Swap a project
Keep octo-server, compare it with
Keep Zulip, compare it with