OrcavsZulip
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Orca | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 91/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 209 in AI Agents | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 108 815 | 26 133 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +8 908 | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 6 |
| Latest release | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Orca scores 91/100 against 82/100 for Zulip, so it is the safer default.
Orca ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.
If you want the quickest setup, Orca is easier to run; Zulip needs more configuration.
Orca is growing faster right now (+8 908 stars in 30 days).
Swap a project
Keep Orca, compare it with
Keep Zulip, compare it with