# Zulip vs Kairso

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kairso at every 3 days against Zulip's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Zulip ships an update monthly, Kairso every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zulip | Kairso |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zulip/id1203036395/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **16** | — |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 41 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kandra Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1194159660) | [Cao Viet Duc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1795842647) |

## What reviewers say

### Zulip

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zulip/id1203036395)

This team chat application allows users to read and respond to messages within their original context, helping maintain focus. It supports teams of all sizes, from small groups to large organizations, and is 100% open-source.

**Highlights:** Contextual message reading and responding, Topic-based organization, Focus maintenance, Supports teams of all sizes, 100% open-source, Cloud or self-hosted options

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Kairso

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kairso/id6785464828)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zulip free?

Zulip is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Kairso free?

Kairso is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Zulip or Kairso have ads?

Neither Zulip nor Kairso shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zulip or Kairso?

Zulip ships an update monthly, and Kairso every 3 days. Most recently, Zulip was updated on November 6, 2026 and Kairso on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*