# penpot vs Zulip

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

| | penpot | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 30 in Collaboration | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 61 798 ✓ | 26 133 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 486 ✓ | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 ✓ | 6 |
| Latest release | 2.18.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Clojure | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

penpot scores 84/100 against 82/100 for Zulip, so it is the safer default.

penpot ships more often: 12 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.

If you want the quickest setup, Zulip is easier to run; penpot needs more configuration.

penpot is growing faster right now (+1 486 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [penpot](https://selfhost.directory/project/penpot) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/penpot.md)
- [Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/project/zulip) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/zulip.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/penpot-vs-zulip