Google Workspace is an alternative
to Zulip
$70/mo (Business Starter) vs Zulip Self-hosted Basic at $35/mo for 10 seats ($3.50/seat) — covering 22% of the 9 compared capabilities.
Same job. Compare the fees.
Comparison scenario
Every cheaper-than claim is tied to a defined scenario — never a bare list price.
10 seats, monthly billing · USD · prices as observed on official pricing pages.
Self-hosted Basic plan at $35/mo ($3.50/seat × 10 seats), the cheapest paid plan.
Business Starter: 7 USD/monthly; 9 extra seat(s) × 7 USD.
Zulip costs $35/mo on the Self-hosted Basic plan at 10 seats, monthly billing. Google Workspace costs $70/mo (Business Starter plan), which is not cheaper than Zulip Self-hosted Basic at $35/mo in this scenario.
Capability comparison
Google Workspace covers 22% of the 9 capabilities compared against Zulip. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Google Workspace | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| App integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
| SAML single sign-on | ✗ | ✓ |
| Compliance exports & audit logs | ↑ Business Plus | ✓ |
| Self-hosted deployment | ✗ | ✓ |
| Channels & group messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Threaded conversations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Audio/video calls & screen sharing | ✓ | ◐ |
| Guest & external collaboration | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI search & summaries | ↑ Business Standard | ◐ |
What you give up
Capabilities Zulip has that Google Workspace lacks.
- App integrations — Connect other apps and tools into the chat.Missing from Google Workspace.
- SAML single sign-on — Sign in through your company's SAML single sign-on.Missing from Google Workspace.
- Compliance exports & audit logs — Export message history and audit logs for compliance.Missing from Google Workspace.
- Self-hosted deployment — Run the chat platform on your own infrastructure.Missing from Google Workspace.
- Threaded conversations — Reply within a thread instead of the main channel feed.Missing from Google Workspace.
- Guest & external collaboration — Invite people outside your organization into a conversation.Missing from Google Workspace.
- AI search & summaries — Search and summarize conversations with an AI assistant.Missing from Google Workspace.
Price at your volume
The same comparison recomputed at three sizes. Plan caps change who is cheapest.
| Usage | Zulip | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| 3 seats | $10.50/moSelf-hosted Basic | $21/mocosts moreBusiness Starter |
| 10 seats | $35/moSelf-hosted Basic | $70/mocosts moreBusiness Starter |
| 25 seats | $87.50/moSelf-hosted Basic | $175/mocosts moreBusiness Starter |
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| Business Starter | $7/seat/mo |
| Business Standard | $14/seat/mo |
| Business Plus | $22/seat/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
| Zulip Cloud Free | Free |
| Zulip Cloud Standard | $8/seat/mo |
| Zulip Cloud Plus | $12/seat/mo |
| Self-hosted Free | Free |
| Self-hosted Basic | $3.50/seat/mo |
| Self-hosted Business | $8/seat/mo |
| Self-hosted Enterprise | Contact sales |
Frequently asked
What does Google Workspace lack compared with Zulip?
App integrations, SAML single sign-on, Compliance exports & audit logs, Self-hosted deployment, Threaded conversations, Guest & external collaboration, AI search & summaries — 7 of the 9 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Zulip: 2026-10-28; Google Workspace: 2026-10-26 — on the official pricing pages.
Who switched
Anonymous: no account, no email, no IP stored. Reports are shown once a switch has 3 or more and never change ranking or order — alternatives are computed from prices and capabilities only.
Sources & freshness
- https://zulip.com/plans/ (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-28)
- Google Workspace data last verified 2026-10-26