SunshinevsZulip
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Sunshine | Zulip | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 22 in Remote Desktop | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 42 746 | 26 134 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 270 | +191 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 86 | 6 |
| Latest release | v2026.1028.122642 · 28 Oct 2026 | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | C | Python |
Which one should you pick?
Sunshine scores 84/100 against 82/100 for Zulip, so it is the safer default.
Sunshine ships more often: 86 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.
If you want the quickest setup, Sunshine is easier to run; Zulip needs more configuration.
Sunshine is growing faster right now (+1 270 stars in 30 days).
Sunshine details →Zulip details →
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