Discord Alternatives for Gaming, Communities and Private Groups

Discord is alive, free and still private. Bloomberg reported a confidential IPO filing on January 6, 2026, but as of November 2026 the company has not listed. The change most users notice is age assurance: since September 22, 2026, accounts are sorted as adult, teen or unconfirmed, and teen accounts get message request inboxes, blurred sensitive images and no access to age-restricted servers. Discord says it stopped manual ID reviews after a 2025 breach at a former support vendor, according to The Next Web's report on the rollout.

The other news is a loss. Guilded closed on December 19, 2025, so it is no longer an option. The seven picks below are grouped by what people leave Discord for: a near copy, better voice, encryption, huge groups or a work tool. Prices are in US dollars.

Prices below are as of November 8, 2026. Our method is on How we review tools.

Quick comparison

Stoat

Stoat looks and behaves the most like Discord of anything here. You get servers, text channels, voice channels, roles and permissions, moderation tools and a public API for bots, and the Stoat homepage promises the app will stay free and open source. Files can be up to 20 MB, the same as Discord's free tier.

The project was called Revolt until a cease and desist forced a new name on October 1, 2025; accounts and servers carried over unchanged. The code is AGPLv3, so a community that wants full control can run its own instance instead of using Stoat's servers.

Best for: Discord servers that want the same layout on an open-source platform.

Pricing:

• Free, no paid tier
• Self-hosting free under AGPLv3

Watch out for:

• The service slowed down in February 2026 when a wave of Discord users signed up, and Engadget reported in June 2026 that screen sharing was still rolling out.
• Its bot and integration ecosystem is a fraction of Discord's, so popular music and moderation bots may not exist.

Official site: Stoat.

TeamSpeak

TeamSpeak was the gamer voice app before Discord existed, and version 6 brings it closer to Discord. The client now adds text chat, direct and group messages, file sharing, 4K screen sharing at 60 fps and one-to-one video calls in beta, with apps for Android and iOS as well as desktop.

The draw is still the voice. Servers can be self-hosted or rented through TeamSpeak Communities, so a clan owns its server instead of sitting on a shared platform. Encryption can be set per server or per channel.

Best for: Competitive gaming groups that want voice on their own server.

Pricing:

• TeamSpeak 6 client: free
• TeamSpeak 6 server beta: free, 32-slot beta licence
• TeamSpeak Communities hosting: free trial, prices not published
• Business and SDK: contact for pricing

Watch out for:

• TeamSpeak calls the version 6 server a beta that is not feature-complete, and TeamSpeak 3 licences cannot move to it.
• TeamSpeak has not released paid TeamSpeak 6 server licences yet, so larger self-hosted servers have no upgrade path.

Official site: TeamSpeak.

Element

Element is the main app for Matrix, an open network where anyone can run a server and still talk to people on other servers. Rooms are end-to-end encrypted by default, which Discord text chat is not, and the same app runs on the web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android.

Matrix also bridges to other networks, including Discord and Telegram, so a community can move in stages. Element is free for personal use, and its Community edition is free to self-host for groups of up to 100 people that are not using it for work.

Best for: Privacy-focused communities and open-source projects.

Pricing:

• Element app: free for personal use
• Community self-hosted: free, AGPL, 1 to 100 users
• Enterprise: priced per seat per month, contact sales

Watch out for:

• Accounts on the free matrix.org server are capped at 10 MB per attachment and 100 MB a day, per the matrix.org homeserver limits.
• Your Matrix ID cannot be changed later, so pick the server and username with care.

Official site: Element.

Telegram

For a crypto project, a fan base or a news community, Telegram scales further than a Discord server. Groups hold up to 200,000 members, channels broadcast to unlimited subscribers, and the Bot API runs everything from moderation to paid sign-ups. In July 2026 Telegram's blog announced Communities, which tie related groups, channels and bots together.

It is free on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux and the web, and the official apps are open source. Telegram Premium adds 4 GB uploads and extras, with a price that varies by country and is lower through @PremiumBot than through the app stores.

Best for: Very large public groups and announcement channels.

Pricing:

• Telegram: free
• Premium: monthly price set by country, shown in the app

Watch out for:

• Groups and normal chats use server-client encryption; only one-to-one Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted, per the Telegram FAQ.
• Users in the EU, UK and Australia must be at least 18 under Telegram's terms, and every account needs a phone number.

Official site: Telegram. Our listing: Telegram.

Mumble

Mumble does one job: very low-latency group voice. It is free and open source, every connection is encrypted, and public and private key authentication is on by default. Positional audio lets players in supported games hear teammates from where they stand on the map.

Anyone can run a server at no licence cost, which is why it remains popular with simulation and tactical shooter groups. The next release series, 1.6, is in release-candidate testing and is the first to ship pre-built binaries for Apple silicon Macs.

Best for: Groups that only need voice and want to run it themselves.

Pricing:

• Client and server: free and open source
• Hosting: your own machine or a paid third-party host

Watch out for:

• It has no video, screen sharing or Discord-style text channels, so you need a second app for chat.
• Mumble 1.6.1001 is still a release candidate, so the newest features are not in a stable build yet.

Official site: Mumble.

Signal

Some people use Discord mainly as a group chat with friends, and for that Signal is the private choice. Every message, call and group chat is end-to-end encrypted, the nonprofit behind it runs no ads, and groups can hold up to 1,000 members with invite links and admin controls.

Group calls and reusable call links make a standing hangout easy. Backups are free for text and the last 45 days of media; the paid tier is $1.99 a month for 100 GB.

Best for: Friend groups that care more about privacy than servers and bots.

Pricing:

• Signal: free
• Secure Backups paid tier: $1.99 a month for 100 GB

Watch out for:

• You still need a phone number to sign up; usernames, added in February 2024, only hide it from others, per Signal's username announcement.
• There are no channels, roles or bots, so it cannot replace a public server.

Official site: Signal. Our listing: Signal.

Slack

Many developer, founder and industry communities run on Slack rather than Discord because members already have it open for work. Channels, threads, huddles and Workflow Builder cover most community needs, and Slack Connect links a community to partner companies.

The free plan is the catch. Slack Free shows only the last 90 days of messages and limits huddles to two people. Pro costs $7.25 per user a month billed yearly or $8.75 monthly, which adds up fast for a large community.

Best for: Professional communities whose members already use Slack at work.

Pricing:

• Free: 90 days of history, up to 10 apps
• Pro: $7.25 per user a month billed yearly, $8.75 monthly
• Business+: $15 yearly, $18 monthly

Watch out for:

• Per-member pricing makes paid Slack expensive for a community of hundreds.
• There are no always-on voice channels; huddles have to be started, and on Free they are one to one.

Official site: Slack.

How to choose

When to stay with Discord

Stay on Discord if your community depends on its bots, Server Discovery, game integrations or the habit of hopping into a voice channel. Adults whose accounts were sorted automatically see no change from the age checks, and the free tier still covers unlimited members. If you run a work team on Discord and want something more formal, our Slack alternatives guide covers business chat apps.

Frequently asked questions