Alternatives
Discord alternatives for groups that want chat, voice and more control
Six Discord alternatives compared on privacy, age checks, self-hosting and voice: Stoat, Element, TeamSpeak, Zulip, Slack and Asyncbit, with honest trade-offs.
By the Asyncbit teamReviewed 7 min read
If you want something that feels like Discord, with servers, channels and voice, but open source, Stoat is the closest match. Element, built on the Matrix standard, is the pick if you want end-to-end encrypted text and the option to host it yourself. For voice first, TeamSpeak is the long-running specialist. And if your community argues in threads, Zulip organizes chat by topic so conversations don't get buried.
Slack fits groups that behave like teams. Asyncbit fits a narrower case: friends and small clubs who want group chats and calls next to a social feed, rather than a server full of channels. Each option below is judged on the reasons people give for leaving Discord, with the trade-offs spelled out.
What people look for in a Discord alternative
Age checks
Discord has moved everyone to teen-by-default settings. To change some of them, such as unblurring sensitive media or entering age-restricted channels, an adult may need to confirm their age through age inference, a facial age estimate or an ID check. Discord says most people will never be asked, but some would rather not risk it.
Private text messages
Discord encrypts voice and video calls end to end, but text messages are not end-to-end encrypted; Discord says this lets its safety systems work. If your group shares sensitive things in text, that matters.
Owning the space
A Discord server lives on Discord's infrastructure under Discord's rules. Groups that want to keep their own data, or not depend on one company, look at open-source tools they can self-host.
Conversations that stay findable
Busy channels scroll fast, and a decision made at night can be buried under a hundred messages by morning. Some communities want threads or topics that stay easy to find.
A lighter, voice-first setup
Some gaming groups only ever use the voice channels. They want dependable voice chat without the rest of the app.
The alternatives
1.Stoat
Official siteBest for: A Discord-like experience that is open source
Stoat, previously called Revolt, is the most Discord-like option here: servers, channels, voice chat, file sharing and markdown. It is free and open source, says it runs no ads and does no data mining, and you can use the hosted service or run your own. A public API supports bots and custom clients. Apps cover the web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, so moving a group over feels familiar.
Strengths
- Servers and channels that will feel familiar
- Free and open source, with no ads
- Use the hosted service or self-host
- Public API for bots and custom clients
Trade-offs
- Much smaller than Discord, so fewer ready-made bots and integrations
- Everyone in your group needs a new account and a new habit
2.Element
Official siteBest for: End-to-end encrypted community chat you can self-host
Element is a chat app built on Matrix, an open standard where anyone can run a server and servers connect to each other. Rooms can be grouped into Spaces, which works much like a Discord server holding channels, and conversations are end-to-end encrypted by default. It also does one-to-one and group voice and video calls. Individuals can use the free app; organizations can pay for hosted or self-hosted plans.
Strengths
- End-to-end encryption by default
- Open standard: pick a server or run your own
- Spaces group rooms the way servers group channels
- Bridges and bots are available
Trade-offs
- Encryption means keeping a recovery key safe, which newcomers find fiddly
- Running your own Matrix server takes real admin work
3.TeamSpeak
Official siteBest for: Voice-first gaming groups that want their own server
TeamSpeak is a long-running voice chat tool for gamers, and voice is still the point. It focuses on clear, low-latency audio with automatic microphone volume adjustment. You can run your own server and control permissions, or create one through TeamSpeak's official hosting. Text chat, direct messages and mobile apps for Android and iOS are there too, but the community features are lighter than Discord's.
Strengths
- Voice quality and latency are the main focus
- Self-host with full control over permissions
- Official hosting if you don't want to run a server
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
Trade-offs
- Lighter on community features than Discord
- Running your own server takes setup and upkeep
4.Zulip
Official siteBest for: Communities where conversations need to stay organized
Zulip's difference is threading. Every conversation has a short named topic inside a channel, so several discussions can run in one channel without tangling, and you catch up topic by topic instead of scrolling. It is fully open source and can be self-hosted, or you can use Zulip's cloud. Zulip says free or heavily discounted plans are available for most non-business uses, which covers many hobby and open-source communities.
Strengths
- Topics keep every conversation easy to follow later
- Open source and self-hostable
- Free or discounted cloud plans for most non-business use
Trade-offs
- The topic model takes getting used to for casual chat
- Feels closer to a workplace tool than a hangout
5.Slack
Official siteBest for: Groups that run like a team: projects, volunteers, organizers
Slack is a workplace chat tool, but plenty of volunteer groups and professional communities run on it. Channels, threads and a large app directory make it good at organized, task-focused conversation. The free plan is the catch for communities: at the time of writing it keeps 90 days of message history and limits huddles, Slack's live audio and video, to one-to-one. A large free community loses its archive.
Strengths
- Channels and threads suited to organized work
- Large directory of apps and integrations
- Mature apps that many people already have installed
Trade-offs
- Free plan keeps only recent history (90 days at the time of writing)
- Free huddles are one-to-one only
- Paid plans are priced per user, which adds up for big communities
6.Asyncbit
Best for: Friends and small clubs who want group chat and calls plus a social feed
Asyncbit is not a server-and-channels app, so it is not a like-for-like Discord replacement. It suits groups whose Discord is really a group chat. Group chats hold 3 to 50 people, voice and video calls take up to 8 people with video for up to 4, and a feed, polls and interest clubs sit around them. Messages are encrypted at rest, not end to end.
Strengths
- Group chats with voice messages, replies and reactions
- Calls relay through TURN so they connect on restrictive networks
- Feed, polls and clubs in the same app
- Free, with no ads or paid tiers
Trade-offs
- No servers or channels; group chats top out at 50 people
- Not end-to-end encrypted, and no iOS app
- 1:1 chats need a mutual follow, and clubs have no chat of their own
The options side by side
| Option | Structure | Self-host | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stoat | Servers and channels | Yes | Free |
| Element | Spaces and rooms | Yes, with a Matrix server | Free app; paid plans for organizations |
| TeamSpeak | Voice server with channels | Yes, or official hosting | Depends on how you host |
| Zulip | Channels with named topics | Yes | Free or discounted for most non-business use |
| Slack | Channels and threads | No | Free plan with limits; paid per user |
| Asyncbit | Group chats of 3–50, feed, clubs | No | Free, no ads |
- Stoat
- Structure:Servers and channels
- Self-host:Yes
- Cost:Free
- Element
- Structure:Spaces and rooms
- Self-host:Yes, with a Matrix server
- Cost:Free app; paid plans for organizations
- TeamSpeak
- Structure:Voice server with channels
- Self-host:Yes, or official hosting
- Cost:Depends on how you host
- Zulip
- Structure:Channels with named topics
- Self-host:Yes
- Cost:Free or discounted for most non-business use
- Slack
- Structure:Channels and threads
- Self-host:No
- Cost:Free plan with limits; paid per user
- Asyncbit
- Structure:Group chats of 3–50, feed, clubs
- Self-host:No
- Cost:Free, no ads
Moving a Discord server somewhere else
- 1
Write down what the server does
List the channels people actually use, the roles, the bots you rely on and the rules. Most servers have more channels than they need; move only the active ones.
- 2
Pick one destination and one date
Announce it in your announcements channel and pin it. A vague 'we might move' splits a group; a date gives people something to plan around.
- 3
Keep Discord read-only for a while
Lock posting in the old channels and point to the new home. Stragglers will find the pinned message long after the move.
- 4
Rebuild moderation first
Set up roles, permissions and rules before the crowd arrives. Our guides on keeping a group chat useful and moderating an online community cover the habits that carry over.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the closest alternative to Discord?
- Stoat, previously called Revolt, is the closest in look and structure, with servers, channels and voice chat, and it is open source. Element is the closest if you also want end-to-end encrypted text.
- Are Discord messages end-to-end encrypted?
- Discord encrypts voice and video calls end to end, but text messages are not end-to-end encrypted. If private text is the priority, Element encrypts conversations by default.
- Which Discord alternatives can I host myself?
- Stoat, Element through a Matrix server, TeamSpeak and Zulip can all be self-hosted. Slack and Asyncbit cannot.
- Can Asyncbit replace a Discord server?
- Only for small groups. Asyncbit has group chats of up to 50 people and group calls of up to 8, plus clubs and a feed, but no servers or channels.
Sources
Details about other platforms were checked against their official documentation on . Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us at support@asyncbit.in.
- Discord — official site
- Discord — Safer by default: teen safety and age assurance
- Discord — Meet DAVE: end-to-end encryption for audio and video
- Stoat — official site
- Stoat — updates (history as Revolt)
- Element — features
- Matrix — open standard overview
- TeamSpeak — official site
- Zulip — official site
- Slack — pricing and free plan limits
See it for yourself
Asyncbit is free, with no paid tier and no ads. Everything described here is available from the first day.
Create your free accountRelated comparisons and guides
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