Zulip is 50% cheaper
than Google Workspace
$35/mo (Self-hosted Basic) vs Google Workspace Business Starter at $70/mo for 10 seats ($7/seat) — covering 67% of the 3 compared capabilities.
Same job. Way less money.
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.
Business Starter plan at $70/mo ($7/seat × 10 seats), the cheapest paid plan.
Self-hosted Basic: 3.5 USD/monthly; 9 extra seat(s) × 3.5 USD.
Google Workspace costs $70/mo on the Business Starter plan at 10 seats, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 0 of them cover at least 75% of the 3 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Zulip covers 67% of the 3 capabilities compared against Google Workspace. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Zulip | Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Channels & group messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio/video calls & screen sharing | ◐ | ✓ |
| Workflow automation | ✗ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Google Workspace has that Zulip lacks.
- Workflow automation — Automate routine steps directly within chat.Missing from Zulip.
Price at your volume
The same comparison recomputed at three sizes. Plan caps change who is cheapest.
| Usage | Google Workspace | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| 3 seats | $21/moBusiness Starter | $10.50/mocheaperSelf-hosted Basic |
| 10 seats | $70/moBusiness Starter | $35/mocheaperSelf-hosted Basic |
| 25 seats | $175/moBusiness Starter | $87.50/mocheaperSelf-hosted Basic |
Plans & pricing, side by side
Advertised prices in USD as observed on the official pricing pages — per-seat and transaction-fee plans are marked.
| 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 |
| Business Starter | $7/seat/mo |
| Business Standard | $14/seat/mo |
| Business Plus | $22/seat/mo |
| Enterprise | Contact sales |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Zulip than Google Workspace?
50% cheaper in our scenario (10 seats, monthly billing): $35/mo on Self-hosted Basic vs $70/mo on Business Starter. That is $420 a year.
What does Zulip lack compared with Google Workspace?
Workflow automation — 1 of the 3 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Google Workspace: 2026-10-26; Zulip: 2026-10-28 — 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://workspace.google.com/pricing.html (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- https://workspace.google.com/pricing (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-26)
- Zulip data last verified 2026-10-28