Cloudron makes it easy to run web apps like WordPress, Nextcloud, GitLab on your server. Find out more or install now.


Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Bookmarks
  • Search
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

Cloudron Forum

Apps | Demo | Docs | Install
  1. Cloudron Forum
  2. App Wishlist
  3. Zulip - Powerful open source group chat

Zulip - Powerful open source group chat

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved App Wishlist
81 Posts 29 Posters 19.2k Views 30 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • ? Offline
    ? Offline
    A Former User
    wrote on last edited by A Former User
    #5

    Best not to waste your time, guys!

    4 years ago, it was acquired by Dropbox:-
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulip

    Only a matter of time before it goes proprietary.

    ruihildtR 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • ? A Former User

      Best not to waste your time, guys!

      4 years ago, it was acquired by Dropbox:-
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulip

      Only a matter of time before it goes proprietary.

      ruihildtR Offline
      ruihildtR Offline
      ruihildt
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      @hillside502 said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

      Best not to waste your time, guys!

      4 years ago, it was acquired by Dropbox:-
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulip

      Only a matter of time before it goes proprietary.

      Actually, it's the opposite, when they acquired it, they open sourced it straight away. And since then, they have committed to be completely open source, and not open core, like Mattermost, for example.

      I've recently read on Hacker News they plan to stick to that. (no link here sorry)

      ? 1 Reply Last reply
      1
      • ruihildtR ruihildt

        @hillside502 said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

        Best not to waste your time, guys!

        4 years ago, it was acquired by Dropbox:-
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulip

        Only a matter of time before it goes proprietary.

        Actually, it's the opposite, when they acquired it, they open sourced it straight away. And since then, they have committed to be completely open source, and not open core, like Mattermost, for example.

        I've recently read on Hacker News they plan to stick to that. (no link here sorry)

        ? Offline
        ? Offline
        A Former User
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        @ruihildt
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16863675

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • ? Offline
          ? Offline
          A Former User
          wrote on last edited by A Former User
          #8

          " Zulip is 100% open source software, built by a vibrant community of hundreds of developers from all around the world. With 120,000 words of developer documentation, a high quality code base, and a welcoming community, it’s easy to extend or tweak Zulip.

          Zulip has a significantly larger and more active development community than other modern open source group chat solutions like Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, and matrix.org."
          https://zulipchat.com/

          Interesting integrations:-
          https://zulipchat.com/integrations/

          Positive reviews at:-
          Zulip Reviews
          https://alternativeto.net/software/zulip-chat-server/reviews/

          1 Reply Last reply
          2
          • ruihildtR Offline
            ruihildtR Offline
            ruihildt
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            https://www.reddit.com/user/tabbott

            "Note that Zulip was never developed by Dropbox; they just bought the company and then generously donated the software to the open source community. It is developed primarily by Kandra Labs, an independent company, and our amazing community."

            1 Reply Last reply
            2
            • heliostaticH heliostatic

              This would be great as a more complete alternative to RocketChat.

              jdaviescoatesJ Online
              jdaviescoatesJ Online
              jdaviescoates
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              @heliostatic said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

              This would be great as a more complete alternative to RocketChat.

              I'm loving RocketChat and so I'd love to know more about how Zulip is more complete from your perspective?

              @ruihildt said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

              I'm very much interested, as Rocket Chat and Mattermost lack proper threading.

              I'm intrigued, given RocketChat and Mattermost both do threads, are you able to elaborate on what makes Zulips threading "proper"? πŸ™‚

              Thanks!

              I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

              ruihildtR 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • jdaviescoatesJ jdaviescoates

                @heliostatic said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

                This would be great as a more complete alternative to RocketChat.

                I'm loving RocketChat and so I'd love to know more about how Zulip is more complete from your perspective?

                @ruihildt said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

                I'm very much interested, as Rocket Chat and Mattermost lack proper threading.

                I'm intrigued, given RocketChat and Mattermost both do threads, are you able to elaborate on what makes Zulips threading "proper"? πŸ™‚

                Thanks!

                ruihildtR Offline
                ruihildtR Offline
                ruihildt
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                @jdaviescoates Keep in mind that this was posted 2 years ago.^^

                Zulip has a threading concept which is different (and more similar to replies in email), I would suggest to check their demo or website to see how that works.
                It's less straightforward than threading in slack/mattermost/rocketchat, but once integrated, it's much better for having sub-discussions.

                jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                2
                • ruihildtR ruihildt

                  @jdaviescoates Keep in mind that this was posted 2 years ago.^^

                  Zulip has a threading concept which is different (and more similar to replies in email), I would suggest to check their demo or website to see how that works.
                  It's less straightforward than threading in slack/mattermost/rocketchat, but once integrated, it's much better for having sub-discussions.

                  jdaviescoatesJ Online
                  jdaviescoatesJ Online
                  jdaviescoates
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  @ruihildt ah OK, thanks. Yeah, I think perhaps RocketChat at least didn't do threads at all two years OK! I'll try to play more with Zulip... although I'd have to play more with RocketChat and Mattermost too to compare as I've not really used any of them that much yet! (nor slack fwiw)

                  I use Cloudron with Gandi & Hetzner

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • robiR Offline
                    robiR Offline
                    robi
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    https://github.com/zulip/docker-zulip

                    Conscious tech

                    jdaviescoatesJ 1 Reply Last reply
                    1
                    • ? Offline
                      ? Offline
                      A Former User
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      I would love to see Zulip in here. Imo we need more chat options I think and Zulip is an impressive Slack alternative

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      1
                      • marcusquinnM Offline
                        marcusquinnM Offline
                        marcusquinn
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        So-far on Cloudron I'm finding Mattermost the best of the bunch as a Discord/Slack alternative, and Rocket.Chat a decent tool for website livechat. Element I'm finding a bit too quirky but keeping an open mind.

                        Although, happy to give Zulip a try, would depend on being Slack API compatible to be a real contender IHMO.

                        Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                        Development https://brandlight.org
                        Life https://marcusquinn.com

                        ? robiR 2 Replies Last reply
                        0
                        • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                          So-far on Cloudron I'm finding Mattermost the best of the bunch as a Discord/Slack alternative, and Rocket.Chat a decent tool for website livechat. Element I'm finding a bit too quirky but keeping an open mind.

                          Although, happy to give Zulip a try, would depend on being Slack API compatible to be a real contender IHMO.

                          ? Offline
                          ? Offline
                          A Former User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          @marcusquinn Yeah I find the experience with element a bit... odd. UI stutters often. Issues joining rooms causing me to re-start the app

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                            So-far on Cloudron I'm finding Mattermost the best of the bunch as a Discord/Slack alternative, and Rocket.Chat a decent tool for website livechat. Element I'm finding a bit too quirky but keeping an open mind.

                            Although, happy to give Zulip a try, would depend on being Slack API compatible to be a real contender IHMO.

                            robiR Offline
                            robiR Offline
                            robi
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            @marcusquinn Mattermost feels closest to Slack, but it has huge security issues in a open/public/untrusted setting.

                            For example, anyone can remove & modify channels they're in and thoroughly mess with the intent and integrity of the setup. Only through obscurity do most people not find this.

                            Conscious tech

                            ? 1 Reply Last reply
                            1
                            • robiR robi

                              @marcusquinn Mattermost feels closest to Slack, but it has huge security issues in a open/public/untrusted setting.

                              For example, anyone can remove & modify channels they're in and thoroughly mess with the intent and integrity of the setup. Only through obscurity do most people not find this.

                              ? Offline
                              ? Offline
                              A Former User
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              @robi Yes, mattermost is more useful for private groups or teams.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • marcusquinnM Offline
                                marcusquinnM Offline
                                marcusquinn
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                "One of the many benefits of using @zulip

                                Not having to wake up to your work collaboration tool being owned by Salesforce [dot] com inc

                                #opensource Raising hands"

                                https://twitter.com/mojeek/status/1333542034846740480?s=20

                                Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                                Development https://brandlight.org
                                Life https://marcusquinn.com

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                2
                                • S Offline
                                  S Offline
                                  seeker
                                  wrote on last edited by seeker
                                  #20

                                  Interesting... Labeling substreams with topics seems interesting to me. Tags can get confusing. Having used email, I think people would be able to use topics as they are closer to email subject headings.

                                  A couple of videos about Zulip:

                                  Introduction from a teacher using it with students

                                  CEO of Zulip – Tim Abbott (INTERVIEWED)

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  3
                                  • robiR Offline
                                    robiR Offline
                                    robi
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #21

                                    And it has a dark mode! πŸ˜‹

                                    Conscious tech

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    2
                                    • marcusquinnM Offline
                                      marcusquinnM Offline
                                      marcusquinn
                                      wrote on last edited by marcusquinn
                                      #22

                                      My brief assessment:

                                      • Zulip looks like a more polished UI & Mobile than Mattermost & Element.
                                      • Zulip threads aren't that clever, you can recreate that with sub-channels in any other chat platform, eg:
                                        • #accounts
                                        • #accounts-receivable
                                        • #accounts-payable
                                        • #accounts-etc
                                      • Zulip doesn't offer the Omnichannel features Rocket.chat is strongest at.
                                      • Zulip doesn't have as many integrations as Mattermost.

                                      So, for me, the main reasons for this would be a better Desktop & Mobile UX for private and remote groups.

                                      I don't see it as better than Slack or Discord, other than being FOSS.

                                      I don't see it as better than Rocket.chat, that already has a strong UX on all platforms and Omnichannel.

                                      So, nice option to have, proof is in the daily usage but, like most, I won't get to test much more than that unless it's packaged and in the App Store, so that's one for those choosing what's the best bang for their time on that.

                                      Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                                      Development https://brandlight.org
                                      Life https://marcusquinn.com

                                      avatar1024A 1 Reply Last reply
                                      1
                                      • marcusquinnM marcusquinn

                                        My brief assessment:

                                        • Zulip looks like a more polished UI & Mobile than Mattermost & Element.
                                        • Zulip threads aren't that clever, you can recreate that with sub-channels in any other chat platform, eg:
                                          • #accounts
                                          • #accounts-receivable
                                          • #accounts-payable
                                          • #accounts-etc
                                        • Zulip doesn't offer the Omnichannel features Rocket.chat is strongest at.
                                        • Zulip doesn't have as many integrations as Mattermost.

                                        So, for me, the main reasons for this would be a better Desktop & Mobile UX for private and remote groups.

                                        I don't see it as better than Slack or Discord, other than being FOSS.

                                        I don't see it as better than Rocket.chat, that already has a strong UX on all platforms and Omnichannel.

                                        So, nice option to have, proof is in the daily usage but, like most, I won't get to test much more than that unless it's packaged and in the App Store, so that's one for those choosing what's the best bang for their time on that.

                                        avatar1024A Offline
                                        avatar1024A Offline
                                        avatar1024
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        @marcusquinn said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

                                        Zulip threads aren't that clever, you can recreate that with sub-channels in any other chat platform,

                                        Except that you cannot create sub-channels in Rocket.chat. You could see "Discussions" as sub-channels but they're not in terms of ux, there is no hierarchy displayed. Plus the idea is that Zulip forces to sort each message someone within a topic or as a new topic (like on email) which greatly helps with keeping the whole instance organised.
                                        Channels in Zulip are more like placeholders within which you have topics and not somewhere you type messages, which is a level hierarchy to organise discussion that rocket.chat does not have (you could say that "Teams" in Mattermost are kinda similar in that respect - though the intended purpose is different).

                                        marcusquinnM 1 Reply Last reply
                                        1
                                        • avatar1024A avatar1024

                                          @marcusquinn said in Zulip - Powerful open source group chat:

                                          Zulip threads aren't that clever, you can recreate that with sub-channels in any other chat platform,

                                          Except that you cannot create sub-channels in Rocket.chat. You could see "Discussions" as sub-channels but they're not in terms of ux, there is no hierarchy displayed. Plus the idea is that Zulip forces to sort each message someone within a topic or as a new topic (like on email) which greatly helps with keeping the whole instance organised.
                                          Channels in Zulip are more like placeholders within which you have topics and not somewhere you type messages, which is a level hierarchy to organise discussion that rocket.chat does not have (you could say that "Teams" in Mattermost are kinda similar in that respect - though the intended purpose is different).

                                          marcusquinnM Offline
                                          marcusquinnM Offline
                                          marcusquinn
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          @avatar1024 My suggestion is that you can create sub-channels by naming convention. I already do this with a 100+ channel Discord server I manage, and it works very well with 50+ team members.

                                          I know some people that like threads in Slack, personally I don't, and find it another data-dimension that gets used inconsistently in practice.

                                          Yeah, I like the Teams concept in Mattermost, shame their mobile apps are single-server and somewhat clumsy to finger.

                                          TBH, the most valuable concept I've found in any chat app is the Role-based user permissions in Discord, that make scaling so much easier and faster than individual permissions management.

                                          I get Zulip's sales pitch, I just don't think it's the only way to solve organisation, and I find the variability or user-designed structures can become worse than admin-designed, just the same as forums, where there can be multi-threads and repeat threads if the user doesn't have a priority for organisation.

                                          Either way, be nice to see Zulip on Cloudron, it has my upvote and I'll give it a deeper look if it makes the grade. In the meantime, there's some ideas for organisation with other chat apps for organisation that might help with some of the message burying probs they claim to have the only solution to.

                                          Web Design https://www.evergreen.je
                                          Development https://brandlight.org
                                          Life https://marcusquinn.com

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          1
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • Bookmarks
                                          • Search