Discord recently announced that it will be requiring ID verification to verify the age of its users. A lot of people called it out for what it is: an invasion of privacy and a form of censorship, and understandably so.
If you’re like most people and are looking for an alternative, here are our top picks for the best Discord alternatives available right now.
Matrix
Matrix is a decentralized, open-source communication protocol that supports real-time messaging, voice, and video. Unlike Discord, no single company owns or controls it, and all your data is end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one is snooping on your conversations.
Since it’s an open protocol, it can be accessed through a variety of clients, with Element being the most popular one. This is actually where Matrix’s biggest drawback comes in. Having to choose a client, set up a homeserver, and figure out how everything connects together creates a barrier of entry that the average user just isn’t going to want to deal with.
If you’re just looking for something that works like Discord straight out of the box, Matrix will likely feel more complicated than it needs to be. That said, if you’re somewhat tech-savvy and privacy is a priority for you, Matrix is a solid choice.
Signal
Signal is a privacy-focused messaging app that some people even use as a full replacement for SMS to keep their conversations more secure. It’s already a well-known and widely used app, so getting your friends on it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
The downside is that it’s not really built for community discovery since everything is private and closed off, which means you can’t just browse and join public servers like you would on Discord. That makes it a better fit for staying in touch with existing friends rather than building or joining new communities.
Teamspeak
TeamSpeak is probably the first name that comes to mind for most people when thinking of a Discord alternative, and for good reason — it was the go-to voice chat platform for gamers long before Discord even existed. It’s a tried and tested option with a solid reputation.
The downside, however, is that running a server isn’t free. Beyond the 32-slot free tier for self-hosted servers, you’ll need to pay to accommodate a larger group, which is a barrier that Discord never had.
Stoat
Stoat, previously known as Revolt, is the closest thing to Discord on this list in both look and user experience. Every time Discord has found itself in some controversy over the past few years, Revolt was the name that kept floating around as the go-to alternative. If you want something that feels familiar straight away, this is your best bet.
As for privacy, they claim to be a privacy-first platform, and the code is open sourc,e so anyone can inspect it, but beyond that, we couldn’t find much to go on, so you’ll have to take their word for it. It’s still a growing platform, but it’s one worth keeping an eye on.
Final Words
At the end of the day, none of these options is a perfect one-to-one replacement for Discord, and that’s just the reality of the situation. Each one comes with its own trade-offs, whether that’s a learning curve, a paywall, or a smaller user base.
That said, if privacy is your main concern, any of these is a step in the right direction. The right choice ultimately depends on what you and your friends are looking for.