In this article, we look at privacy-friendly open-source(new window) alternatives to Discord, the wildly popular text, voice, and video chat platform used by over 153 million (primarily) gamers each month. This popularity is due to Discord’s “gamer aesthetic” design choices, clever use of gaming references, and its rock-solid, high-quality, low-latency handling of group chats.
Discord’s support for a wide array of bots, custom emojis, GIFs, and public and private channels (which can be easily administered using customizable roles) has fostered numerous large and enthusiastic online communities. Although many of these communities are focused on video gaming (easily outnumbering Steam’s 132 million(new window) monthly active users), Discord has also become the chat platform of choice for a wide range of hobbies.
However, there are good reasons to prefer an alternative group chat option. In this article, we’ll discuss why you might want to use a Discord alternative and also look at the following secure, private, and open-source messaging and VoIP apps like Discord.
- Why use a Discord alternative?
- Matrix / Element
- Mumble
- Jitsi Meet
- Telegram
- Mattermost
- Jami
- Tox
- What is the best Discord alternative for you?
Why use a Discord alternative?
Discord is closed source
Discord is proprietary, closed-source software. This means there is no way to independently verify(new window) how secure it is or guarantee it’s not doing something it shouldn’t. At Proton, we believe open-source is one of the best indicators that an app can be trusted, as anyone can examine the code to ensure the app is secure.
Discord text chats aren’t E2EE
End-to-end encryption (new window)(E2EE) ensures that only you and the person you send a message to can read it. Discord recently announced that all voice and video calls(new window) on the platform will be end-to-end encrypted, which is a very welcome move. However, Discord can always access your text chats.
Discord targets you with personalized ads
Discord is a commercial operation that offers its service to make money. While some of its income derives from its premium ad-free Nitro(new window) subscription service, a very large portion comes from advertising — either directly through allowing advertisers to integrate sponsored content into users’ channels or indirectly through game partnerships and band collaborations.
Crucially, much like Google(new window) and Meta (Facebook), Discord collects a great deal of personal information that it uses to target you with personalized ads. As its privacy policy(new window) explains:
“We also collect information automatically from you when you use Discord. This includes:
- Information about your device. We collect information about the device you are using to access the services. For example, this includes information like your IP address, operating system information, browser information, and information about your device settings, such as your microphone and/or camera.
- Information about your use of the apps or websites. For example, we collect log and event information related to how and when you use our services (such as the pages, servers, and channels you visit, the activities you engage in, the features you use, and the surfaces or embedded content you interact with).
- Other information that we collect automatically. When you take certain actions on other sites, we may receive information about you. For example, when we advertise for Discord on third party platforms, if you click on the ad, we may receive information about which ad you saw and on which platform. Similarly, we may also receive certain information when you click on a referral link, such as which website you came from”.
Discord is a hotbed for online scams
Perhaps inevitably, the popularity of Discord has attracted a wave(new window) of scammers(new window) keen to separate users from their money. This problem can be at least partially addressed by making your Discord channels private(new window), but an even better solution may be to move to a completely different and more private platform.
Open-source Discord alternatives
There are plenty of group chat apps out there that make good Discord replacements. However, at Proton, we always recommend using open-source options, as these provide the best guarantee that the software is secure and trustworthy. This is why Proton makes all our apps open source(new window). In addition to this, none of the Discord alternatives discussed below spy on your browsing to deliver targeted ads.
Below, we look at some great open-source apps that respect your privacy and can replace Discord. Please note, however, that this is not intended to be an exhaustive list, as there are many more good options out there than we can cover in this article.
Matrix / Element
Pros
- Free
- Server federation
- “Bridges” for interoperability with other apps
- E2EE text chat
- Requires no phone number or email to sign up
- Apps for all major platforms (Element)
Cons
- Questions over Matrix server network reliability
- Not fully audited
Matrix is a decentralized communications network built on the idea of federation. You can set up your own server using the Matrix communications protocol(new window) or connect to Matrix servers that others have set up. This federated network has received the support of Edward Snowden(new window) but remains controversial due to the potentially unreliable, ad-hoc, peer-to-peer nature of federated services.
Matrix servers are interoperable, so any user of any Matrix client(new window) can communicate with any other Matrix user. Element is the most popular Matrix client, but Matrix “bridges” allow you to communicate with the users of other popular messaging platforms, such as Signal, Slack, or even Discord(new window)!
Matrix uses the Olm implementation of the Double Ratchet algorithm(new window), with Megolm used for group communications. All Element apps, plus the Matrix protocol itself, are open source but haven’t been formally audited. However, Olm and Megolm have been audited(new window).
Element is the most popular Matrix client. You don’t need to share your email or phone number to register with it, although you can add them to make contact matching easier. By default, messages are hosted on a large public server run by Matrix, but you can connect to any Matrix server or set one up yourself in seconds.
All text chats are end-to-end encrypted by default. Voice and video calls use Jitsi, which provides (optional) end-to-end encryption for up to 50 participants.
Mumble
Pros
- Self-hosted (so you have complete control)
- Free (although you may need to pay for server hosting)
- Great in-game audio with positional sound (in supported games)
- A useful in-game overlay
- Bots
- Recognize friends across Mumble servers
- Apps for all major platforms (mobile apps via third parties)
Cons
- Self-hosted (requires time and technical chops to set and maintain)
- No E2EE
- No video chat
- The interface is quite basic
Mumble is an open-source, low-latency, high-quality voice chat software known for its low bandwidth usage and minimal audio delay. Designed specifically with gaming in mind, Mumble offers an in-game overlay that shows the time and your frame rate(new window) (FPS). It also offers positional audio (in supported games), so you can hear where other players are located in-game. A number of bot plugins are also available to play music, assist with admin tasks, and more.
Mumble servers are self-hosted. This is great in terms of giving you complete control over data and security, and Mumble provides an extensive permissions system that allows you to configure complex scenarios (the example Mumble gives is separating two groups, but the leaders can talk to both groups). The downside of self-hosting is that you need time and technical know-how to set up and maintain a Mumble server.
There’s no support for end-to-end encryption, although messages are encrypted in transit using TLS(new window) and will be secured at rest using whatever full-disk encryption software is running on the server (if any). But as instances are self-hosted, this may not be a major concern if you trust the person running the host server.
Interestingly for a self-hosted solution, Mumble allows you to recognize friends across different servers that run the Mumble software, even when they are hosted by completely different people.
Jitsi Meet
Pros
- Open source
- Free
- Works in your browser
- E2EE for up to 50 participants
- Can be self-hosted
Cons
- Meeting hosts must sign in with their Gmail, Facebook, or GitHub account
- Didn’t work properly for us on Firefox
Jitsi Meet is a free and open-source video chat platform that also supports text chat. As such, it makes a great Discord replacement. Although available as an app for iPhones, iPads, Android devices (including on F-Droid), and on the desktop (as an Electron app), its most notable feature is the ability to hold video calls directly in your browser without the need to install anything.
To start a chat, simply go to the website, initiate a session, and share the meeting link with your contacts. By default, the platform creates unique, random names for each meeting room to prevent unwanted guests from zoombombing(new window) your discussions. You can pick a custom name for your meeting and secure it with a password for an extra layer of protection.
Jitsi supports E2EE for group calls with up to 50 participants. However, in our tests, the video and audio only worked correctly when all participants used Chrome-based browsers (not Firefox).
Until August 2023, Jitsi supported anonymous conference hosting. However, in response to abuses of the platform (such as the broadcasting of CSAM during video conferences), all meetings must now have a moderator who must sign in with their Gmail, Facebook, or GitHub account. If this concerns you, you can always self-host your own Jitsi instance.
Telegram
Pros
- Free
- Channels for broadcasting messages
- Bots for managing groups
- Polls, stickers, sharing live location, identity management
- E2EE one-to-one text, voice, and video chat (Secret Chats)
- Apps for all major platforms
Cons
- Encryption concerns
- Only Secret Chats are E2EE
- Group chats (text or voice) are not E2EE
- Collects lots of metadata
- Requires a valid phone number to sign up
- Headquartered in the UAE, which is not known for human rights or privacy from the government (despite having some strong privacy laws(new window))
Much like Discord, Telegram is a wildly popular chat, voice, and video communications platform that supports public channels that any number of other users can subscribe to, polls, stickers, sharing live locations in chats, and an online authorization and identity management system for those who need to prove their identity. As with Discord, you can use bots to assist with managing groups and channels.
One-to-one text, voice, and video chats can be end-to-end encrypted using the open-source in-house MTProto 2.0(new window) encryption protocol (which has been formally verified(new window)), but this is not enabled by default. Discord refugees should also be aware that group chats and channels cannot be end-to-end encrypted.
Another issue is that Telegram may collect a great deal of metadata(new window) from users: “We may collect metadata such as your IP address, devices and Telegram apps you’ve used, history of username changes, etc.”
For maximum privacy when using Telegram, you should access the service in a browser (rather than use its apps), sign up using a hide-my-email alias(new window), a strong password, and 2FA(new window), and use a VPN(new window) to protect your IP address. Ideally, you should also hide your phone number from Telegram, but while possible(new window), this isn’t easy.
Mattermost
Pros
- Self-hosted (so you have complete control)
- Free for up to 50 users (but server hosting fees may apply)
- Apps for all major platforms
Cons
- Self-hosted (requires time and technical chops to set and maintain)
- Group voice and video calls require third-party integrations
If you’ve ever used Slack or Microsoft Teams for work, you’ll feel instantly at home with Mattermost, an open-source, self-hosted messaging platform designed for team collaboration and communication.
Although designed for business use, Mattermost’s focus on collaboration across multiple channels makes it a great Discord replacement. Natively, voice or video calls are only available for one-to-one chats, but Mattermost supports third-party integrations like Jitsi, Zoom, or other conferencing tools to allow group voice and video chats.
Mattermost does not offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for messages by default. Instead, it provides(new window) encryption in transit (TLS, or the experimental Gossip protocol) and encryption at rest using the host server’s encryption solution.
However, if you’re using Mattermost in a non-business context (such as a private Discord alternative), you’ll almost certainly be self-hosting. So if you trust whoever is hosting the Mattermost instance, the lack of E2EE may not be a concern. If it is, third-party E2EE plugins are available.
Jami
Pros
- Free
- Decentralized (P2P)
- E2EE for unlimited participants (including video chat)
- Great support for video calls
Cons
- Requires downloading an app
- VPN needed for better privacy
- P2P networks can be unstable
Like Matrix, Jami is a distributed, free, and open-source (FOSS) communications platform that doesn’t require centralized servers or third-party hosting. It doesn’t ask for any personal information or show ads.
Although known primarily for its E2EE video chat capabilities(new window) (with group chats that can involve an unlimited number of participants), Jitsi also supports E2EE text and voice-only chat. All participants must download the Jami app, which is available for all major platforms (including on F-Droid and even for Android TV).
Because there’s no centralized server, there’s no one to collect or store your metadata. However, as a peer-to-peer based technology that connects directly to other peers on the network, other Jami users you connect to can see your IP address. If this concerns you, you can hide it using a VPN.
Tox
Pros
- Free
- Decentralized (P2P)
- E2EE text, voice, video, and file sharing
Cons
- VPN needed for better privacy
- P2P networks can be unstable
Tox is an open-source, peer-to-peer (P2P) communication platform developed as a response to concerns over privacy in communication. It aims to offer a completely decentralized and secure alternative to popular messaging apps.
However, with full support for E2EE group text messaging, voice, video calls, and file sharing, it also makes a great Discord replacement. Thanks to its P2P nature, Tox doesn’t apply a limit to the number of participants for voice or video calls, but factors such as the bandwidth and device performance of each participant will dramatically affect the call’s quality. In practice, Tox performs best with small groups for voice or video calls. Group calls with around 5-10 participants usually run smoothly, but trying to scale up to much larger groups can lead to performance issues due to the P2P nature.
For its end-to-end encryption, Tox uses respected cryptographic primitives — curve25519(new window) for its key exchanges, xsalsa20(new window) for symmetric encryption, and poly1305(new window) for MAC authentication. It’s worth noting these are the same algorithms used by WireGuard and ChaCha20(new window).
As with all P2P solutions, other Tox users can see your real IP address unless you hide it with a VPN.
[Protect your Privacy with Proton VPN]
What is the best Discord alternative for you?
With the exception of Telegram, the above options are self-hosted or decentralized solutions that don’t require things like an email address or phone number. And because the software is open-source, you shouldn’t need to worry about it spying on you.
The biggest issue with most of them is that their existing user bases are tiny compared to Discord — only Telegram rivals Discord in terms of its reach.
However, even ignoring its current political woes(new window), Telegram is plagued by a number of problems, including the lack of any E2EE for group chats and extensive metadata collection, making it questionable whether it’s a more privacy-friendly choice than Discord.
Learn more about whether Tegram is safe(new window)
The other Discord alternatives discussed here are more suited to migrating your private Discord channels, so that you can chat with your existing community on a more secure and privacy-friendly platform.
For this, Matrix / Element is probably the closest drop-in replacement for Discord, although Mumble’s razor-like focus on gaming is very attractive if you primarily want to voice chat with friends in-game. But Jitsi, Jami, Mattermost, and Tox are also very good privacy-focused options, so your choice really comes down to personal preference.
