When comparing WeChat vs Zulip, the Slant community recommends Zulip for most people. In the question“What are the best Skype alternatives?” Zulip is ranked 24th while WeChat is ranked 35th. The most important reason people chose Zulip is:
Instead of rooms or channels Zulip is built around topics. This allows you to have multiple conversations at the same time without conversations interfering with each another. It also allows you to reference conversations without clutter.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Friends can be added by scanning a QR code
WeChat generates a QR code for each user that other can be scanned to add them as a friend.
Pro Can be used as a Walkie Talkie
WeChat has push-to-talk functionality that can be used both one-on-one and in groups.
Pro Large collection of animated stickers
Pro Easy to send voice messages
Users can record a voice message from within the app to then send it to a recipient, who can then play the message from within the app. It is all self contained.
Pro Enables meeting new people
WeChat has a feature that pairs random people for a conversation. It is activated by shaking the phone (requires location sharing to be enabled) and will present a list of people who are doing the same and how far away from you they are.
Another feature for meeting new people is the Friend Radar that will display people in your vicinity that can then be added to your contacts list.
Finally, there is the People Nearby feature which allows you to send and receive greetings from people in your vicinity.
Pro Moments social network is seamlessly incorporated
Pro Flexible creation of chat groups
You can create chat groups for up to 500 people.
Pro Filters for photos
WeChat includes a collections of filters that can be applied to photos to change how they look.
Pro Helps keep track of different conversations
Instead of rooms or channels Zulip is built around topics. This allows you to have multiple conversations at the same time without conversations interfering with each another. It also allows you to reference conversations without clutter.
Pro Free and open source software
Zulip is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 license.
Pro Easy asynchronous conversations
Its threaded model helps people working in different timezone's communicate effectively.
Pro Apps for every platform
Pro Hosted or on-premise
With data export tools so you can migrate.
Pro Intuitive interface
I struggled with Slack, never finding the settings I like to adjust. With Zulip never had such issues.
Cons
Con Notifications get muted after inactivity
New message notifications stop getting pushed if the application isn't opened for some extended period of time (seems to be around a week or so)
Con WeChat complies with China's requirements to hand over data
Con Conversations and chat groups aren't ported to new devices
Messages are stored on each device, so shifting to a new device means losing all the previous conversations, as well as an inability to post in previous chat groups until someone else posts there and you're alerted of a new message.
Con User base outside of China is comparatively small
While WeChat has over 400 million users the majority of them are in China. Adoption in other markets has been slow.
Con No End-to-End Encryption
Not even for private one-to-one messages, let along group chats.
Con Takes some getting used to
As most chat software uses the concept of channels or rooms, getting in the habit of splitting each topic off in a separate category can require some getting used to and discipline.
