Zulip is 13% cheaper
than Microsoft Teams
$35/mo (Self-hosted Basic) vs Microsoft Teams Teams Essentials at $40/mo for 10 seats ($4/seat) — covering 83% of the 6 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.
Teams Essentials plan at $40/mo ($4/seat × 10 seats), the cheapest paid plan.
Self-hosted Basic: 3.5 USD/monthly; 9 extra seat(s) × 3.5 USD.
Microsoft Teams costs $40/mo on the Teams Essentials plan at 10 seats, monthly billing. We found 1 assessed alternative that is cheaper in this scenario; 1 of them covers at least 75% of the 6 compared capabilities.
Capability comparison
Zulip covers 83% of the 6 capabilities compared against Microsoft Teams. ✓ native · ◐ via integration · ✗ not found.
| Capability | Zulip | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Channels & group messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio/video calls & screen sharing | ◐ | ✓ |
| Guest & external collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| App integrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Workflow automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| AI search & summaries | ◐ | ✓ |
What you give up
Capabilities Microsoft Teams 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 | Microsoft Teams | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| 3 seats | $12/moTeams Essentials | $10.50/mocheaperSelf-hosted Basic |
| 10 seats | $40/moTeams Essentials | $35/mocheaperSelf-hosted Basic |
| 25 seats | $100/moTeams Essentials | $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 |
| Teams Essentials | $4/seat/mo (billed yearly) |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7/seat/mo (billed yearly) |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | $23.50/seat/mo (billed yearly) |
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Frequently asked
How much cheaper is Zulip than Microsoft Teams?
13% cheaper in our scenario (10 seats, monthly billing): $35/mo on Self-hosted Basic vs $40/mo on Teams Essentials. That is $60 a year.
What does Zulip lack compared with Microsoft Teams?
Workflow automation — 1 of the 6 compared capabilities.
When were these prices checked?
Microsoft Teams: 2026-10-28; 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://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-business-options (official_pricing, checked 2026-10-28)
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free (feature_page, checked 2026-10-03)
- Zulip data last verified 2026-10-28