Voice and text chat apps are widely used around the world, both by gamers and professionals alike as they really help streamline the workflow by allowing all team members to stay connected in real-time. A good chat app can really make a big difference in the collaborative efforts of any team, which is why a ton of people use Discord. However, some find the UI of Discord not-so-professional or the lack of End-to-End encryption concerning. So in order to help you find a great app that you and your team can use, we’ve compiled a list of the best Discord alternatives (free and paid) out there. Check out the following apps and you might find an application that fits your needs perfectly.
Here, we have enlisted apps similar to Discord in terms of functionality and feature set. While we have kept gamers in mind, we have also mentioned some apps which are more enterprise-like but you can use it for creating private communities and instant messaging. To learn about the apps in detail, you can click on the link below.
- Why Use an Alternative to Discord?
While Discord is popular for its neat UI, ease of use, private servers, and gaming-related features, there are some drawbacks too which are usually not talked about. For instance, Discord does not support End-to-End encryption (even for private messages) which is pretty disappointing given that many competitors have implemented E2E long ago.
Why Use an Alternative to Discord?
1. Telegram
Telegram might be seen as a WhatsApp rival, but at the heart of it, the popular messaging service is much more than that. I would say, Telegram competes directly with Discord than WhatsApp. It has tons of features, instant chatting, supports hosting communities (both private and public), public channels, endless customization, and much more.
The best part is that now Telegram supports video calling and it applies to both one-on-one and group calls too. And similar to Discord, you can create bots to manage huge groups, integrate scripts, automate queries, etc. That said, what sets Telegram apart from Discord is the fact that Telegram at least offers optional End-to-End encryption for private messaging.
- Optional E2E support
- Tons of features
- Create public and private channels
- Manage channels with bots
- Free to use
- 2GB upload limit
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web
While Discord is a great app for gamers, it doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption, which means that your conversations aren’t as secure as you might want them to be. In case you’re someone who’s serious about privacy and are looking for the best Discord alternative that offers better privacy, then you should definitely check out Element – a text and voice chat app that offers end-to-end encryption.
Element is primarily meant for team collaborations and as such, it includes a bunch of tools to help you streamline your team’s workflow. Built on the Matrix open communications protocol, Element also allows you to talk to anyone in the Matrix.org ecosystem.
Download Element
Much before Discord was even a thing, a lot of gamers relied on TeamSpeak for their in-game communication needs and quite a few dedicated fans have still stuck around.
Unlike Discord, you’ll need to download the TeamSpeak client to use it on your device as it doesn’t include browser support. While TeamSpeak is free to use on several platforms, you’ll need to pay in order to set up a new server.
Supported Platforms: Windows, Android, macOS, Linux, iOS
4. Slack
If you’re looking for the best Discord alternative for professional use, check out Slack – a team messaging platform that looks a lot like Discord. The service has the same clean and simple user interface as Discord, but it’s geared towards a more professional setting, so you won’t find any gamer-y things.
Top Features
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Overtone is a simple to use Discord alternative that looks and feels a lot like its competitor. Based on Vivox, one of the best integrated voice chat services that are used by popular games like Fortnite, PUBG, League of Legends, etc. Overtone aims to bring exclusive technology directly to gamers around the world.
Supported Platforms: Windows, Web
Price: Free
If you aren’t looking for all the bells and whistles all the aforementioned apps have to offer and just want a simple, familiar service that will get the job done then you should consider using Skype for your in-game communication needs.
It’s worth noting that Skype weighs heavily on system resources, which might have an impact on your gaming experience depending on your system configuration.
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
7. Steam Chat
Another discord alternative you can try is Steam Chat, Valve’s own messaging and voice chat service for gamers which is also a great alternative if you don’t want to use Discord. Steam’s chat feature is free to use and you can create your own groups with friends and talk to them over text or voice chat.
- Best for gamers
- Create groups and chat
- Auto-moderation
- Voice call
- Free to use
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
If you’ve been using Discord for anything other than gaming and require a platform that’s a bit more privacy-oriented then you should give Tox a try. Tox makes use of military-grade encryption, which means that all your conversations on the platform will remain safe from prying eyes.
Download Tox
Microsoft Teams may not be developed for gamers, but people can use it to their advantage. Similar to Discord, you can chat with your teammates in real-time and chalk out a plan. There is now also support for voice and video calls both for individuals and groups.
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Web
Last in our list is Mumble, an open-source VoIP platform which is also designed for great low-latency audio calling. Much like TeamSpeak 3, Mumble requires a standalone client to work and doesn’t include browser support, something that a number of Discord users love about the service.
Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows
Price: Free, Paid plan starts at $7.50 per month for 15 users
Q. What Can I Use Instead of Discord?
You can use Telegram, TeamSpeak3, or Overtone instead of Discord. These apps offer very similar features to Discord with the ability to host communities, chats, voice and video calls, file sharing, and more.
No. There have been no such reports. That said, Discord often takes down servers that incite violence.
In a way, yes. It offers enhanced security and now TeamSpeak has also revamped its client and website with dark mode, channel support, multi-window chat, and more.
Q. Is Mumble Better Than Discord?
I would not pick Mumble over Discord as an overall package, but yes there are certain unique things about Mumble. It’s open-source, has a very low-latency voice chat option, and allows you to create your own private server.
Yes, there have been some cases of hackers making their way to private servers. They spam the server and change the manager-level privileges. Apart from that, there have been many concerning reports about Discord being used to steal account credentials.
Well, that rounds up our list of the best Discord alternatives you can try. As you can tell, there are a number of similar applications in the market, each with their own unique features, that you can use for gaming or in a professional setting.
