Team chose Slack after Zulip's learning curve and mobile gaps → Slack
“the learning curve was steep for non-technical members and the mobile app lacked a couple of key features”
One person says they left Zulip; what else pushes users away, and what its category peers report
Friction holds 17 sourced reports about Zulip (zulip.com) from 57 public source threads (as of 2026-10-15); only 1 of them says the author left. This page shows that report, what its users say pushes them away, and the problem profile of Mattermost, Rocket.Chat.
Get started free with your email Open Zulip on Friction
Where Zulip users say they went
Switching reports that name a destination. A count is the number of reports naming it, not a market share: Friction only holds what people say in public.
| Named alternative | Reports naming it | Newest report |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | 2 | 2022 |
The reports of leaving
What pushes people away from Zulip
The most-reported open problems, worst severity first. Each links to the item with its source.
Zulip install script wants a whole server, pushing Docker users into poor docs · Self-hosting & upgrades · Blocks work · 2 people
“it wants to own an entire server and the only supported installation method is this mega-script that clobbers everything”
Zulip web app never loads on an older smartphone · Performance · Blocks work · 2 people
“Zulip never loads on my phone”
Reverse proxy in front of Zulip Docker causes endless HTTPS redirect loop · Self-hosting & upgrades · Blocks work
“It would get stuck in an endless redirect loop trying to redirect https to https”
Zulip communities hide discussion behind a login · Permissions & security · Annoyance · 2 people
“some open source platform hiding their community discussion forum behind a login”
Zulip mobile web lacks web push while its app is weaker · Mobile · Annoyance
“nor does Zulip (particularly painful because their mobile web UI is much better than their app)”
Other team chat tools on Friction, and what their users struggle with
Switching trades one set of problems for another. The same evidence, for each tool Friction covers in this category:
Mattermost
22 reports · 79 source threads · most-discussed area: Reliability & bugs
Rocket.Chat
17 reports · 91 source threads · most-discussed area: Reliability & bugs
- Message search date filters shift with timezone differences
- Node version ranges break NVM-based container setup
- LTS changes were announced with little notice
Zulip vs Rocket.Chat: side by side · Rocket.Chat alternatives
Counts and reports reflect people who post in public (developers and technical buyers are over-represented). A tool with fewer reports is not a better tool; it may only be discussed less. How the data is built.