10 Discord alternatives for effective communication

Sara Ana Cemazar
September 12, 2023
·
min read

Among numerous communication tools, Discord has established itself as a go-to platform for many communities — especially for gamers and content creators.

But as we step into an era where data security holds an insurmountable weightage, the 'one-size-fits-all' approach of Discord doesn’t work. In fact, it emerges as a pressing concern for senior leaders in IT Infrastructure, security, and enterprise governance spheres.

It raises several important questions, making it important for CIOs and COOs to look for Discord alternatives, such as: 

  • Does Discord foster a framework robust enough to withstand the demands of a stringent corporate environment?
  • Can it pledge an unwavering commitment to data security, an absolute imperative in today’s business dynamics?
  • Is it tailored to facilitate nuanced discussions adhering to the hierarchical communication protocols in enterprises?

That's exactly what we are going to discuss in this comprehensive blog that explores why you need a worthy Discord alternative, highlighting the top choices available today.

Why is Discord great?

Discord has unequivocally revolutionized gaming communication, with 154 million active users and a mammoth registration of over 560 million users as of January 2023. 

On top of that, 14% of gamers in the United States watch live streams on Discord.

The platform’s allure lies in its user-friendly interface, which facilitates easy communication through voice, video, and text. Gamers flock to this chat, video, and voice platform for the convenience of creating community servers, where they can forge more immersive connections with fellow enthusiasts globally. 

Discord servers hosting events see a user participation rate of over 82%. Moreover, Discord offers a centralized hub for all gaming-related communications.

Why Discord alternative?

While it reigns supreme in the gaming sphere, Discord undeniably falls short in meeting the stringent demands of workplace communication and collaboration. In fact, Discord is often a part of the shadow IT suite of apps that aren't approved by the company's IT department.

Its architecture is not inherently built to support the myriad of use cases that a corporate environment necessitates. Moreover, when it comes to privacy and security features, it doesn't quite hit the mark. For example, Discord is not GDPR-compliant.

Discord also finds itself lacking in terms of integration options—a drawback that can:

  • Stifle seamless workflow
  • And hinder optimized productivity

It is these gaps that make the pursuit of Discord alternatives a necessity for enterprises.

10 best alternatives to Discord for work and gaming

As we focus on the corporate landscape, it is pivotal to identify platforms that understand the needs of secure workplace communication

Let's venture into the specifics of the best Discord alternatives for group chat and gaming.

1. Rocket.Chat

Discord alternative

Rocket.Chat is one of the most secure messaging apps for the workplace. With features such as end-to-end encryption and on-premise hosting, it makes the best Discord alternative for security-conscious teams.

Various messaging formats as well as video conferencing make Rocket.Chat an ideal instant messaging platform for work.

What makes Rocket.Chat a great alternative to Discord?

  • Built for the workplace: Rocket.Chat's communication features like conversations organized in threads, one-to-one chats, discussions, and groups make it more easy to achieve efficient communication in the workplace
  • Advanced security options: On-premise deployment, LDAP methods, SSO, E2E encryption and more make Rocket.Chat an extremely secure communication tool
  • Granular user controls: more than 180 custom user roles help large workspaces with extreme compliance needs to minimize the risk of data exposure
  • Customization options: since it's an open source messaging platform, Rocket.Chat is highly customizable, flexible, and scalable
  • Integrations: with more than 150 integrations in the marketplace, you can include Rocket.Chat in your existing workflow and engage in secure video conferencing
  • Customer and partner communication: interoperability and omnichannel capabilities enable you to talk to parties who use other communication tools on their ends

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2. Slack

Discord alternative

While Discord has been largely associated with gaming communities, Slack prominently positions itself as a go-to chat for enterprise businesses. Its primary focus is on facilitating seamless communications with a range of productivity tools and integrations at its disposal.

What makes Slack a suitable Discord alternative?

  • Organization and Productivity: Slack facilitates more organized conversations and lets users segregate discussions into different channels. It allows users even privately to save posts for future reference.
  • Customization: Slack offers superior customization options compared to Discord. This allows users to organize their sidebar using folders, enhancing the user experience.
  • File Sharing: Slack has an upper hand in file sharing—it offers up to 5GB of free storage overall with no restrictions on individual file size. It thus caters to business needs more efficiently compared to Discord, which limits file uploads to 8MB on the free version.
  • Integration: Slack boasts thousands of integrations with essential business tools like Google Drive, Zoom, and Twitter.
  • Security and Control: Slack is a secure cloud collaboration tool. It grants them greater control over the workspace and includes access to Direct Message logs in a paid setup.
  • Text Chat: Slack has a more polished approach to text chat. It is designed with work efficiency in mind with an intuitive text formatting system. It has a special feature where you can easily view all the mentions and reactions to your posts in one place.

3. Flock

Discord alternative

Flock competes directly with Discord in providing fast and reliable communication solutions for professional settings. With simple project management features included, this team chat makes alignment on critical tasks easy.

Why is Flock a Better Discord Alternative?

  • Professional Focus: It is designed with business communications in mind and fosters a professional environment for teams to collaborate efficiently.
  • Real-Time Communication: Flock ensures real-time interaction, which is perfect for agile teams needing to make quick decisions.
  • Mobile Apps: The mobile apps allow users to carry their work on the go.
  • Calendar Integration: Flock integrates seamlessly with calendars to help teams stay on top of their schedules and enhance productivity.
  • Secure Communication: It offers a secure channel for communication. It ensures that sensitive business information remains protected.
  • Customer Support: Flock has been reported to have timely and helpful customer support, aiding in smooth business operations.

4. Chanty

Discord alternative

As you are seeking a reliable Discord alternative for seamless team communication, Chanty can be a strong contender. Designed for distributed workplaces, Chanty is a popular work chat solution, highly-rated on most review sites.

Why is Chanty a better Discord alternative?

  • Business-focused Features: Designed with businesses in mind, Chanty facilitates both private and group conversations. It ensures productive communications within teams of all business segments. In contrast, Discord is primarily targeted at the gaming community.
  • Teambook Menu: This feature stands tall, allowing users to organize messages, files, and links efficiently. This is a streamlined approach to keeping teams organized, which Discord lacks.
  • Integration with Third-Party Apps: Chanty promotes elevated productivity levels through easy integration with third-party applications.
  • Pricing and Packages: While both platforms offer free versions, they have different approaches to their premium packages. Chanty has devised a business plan that costs $3 per user per month. In contrast, Discord adopts a gamer-centric pricing strategy, which might not align well with all business needs. 
  • File Sharing & Management: Chanty excels in file sharing and management, with ratings indicating a 10% advantage over Discord, aiding in smoother business operations.

5. Wire

Discord alternative

Wire emerges as a sturdy Discord alternative specially designed for secure corporate communications as per European privacy laws. It ensures end-to-end encryption for messaging, file-sharing, voice calls, and video conferences.

Why is Wire a better Discord alternative?

  • End-to-end Encryption: All messages, calls, and files are secured with end-to-end encryption, ensuring utmost privacy. Discord lacks end-to-end encryption, which potentially makes your data vulnerable.
  • Compliance with European Privacy Laws: Wire follows strict adherence to GDPR and other European privacy laws. It assures users of legal protection in terms of data privacy. Discord has been scrutinized for its data privacy policies—particularly in terms of sharing data with third parties.
  • Business-Oriented Features: Wire offers valuable features like secure guest rooms for external parties, making it a viable option for corporate communications. Discord might lack some advanced business functionalities as it is specifically designed for gaming.
  • Ad-free Experience: Wire also promises an ad-free experience to ensure that the focus remains on communication rather than dealing with intrusive advertisements. Though not laden with ads, Discord doesn't explicitly guarantee an ad-free environment.
  • No Data Selling: Wire firmly commits to not selling user data to any third parties—it fosters a secure communication environment. Discord faced backlash for its data management policies and its monetizing of user data.

When it comes to gaming, efficient communication is a key feature. Finding the right platform to chat, strategize, and share moments with your fellow gamers can elevate a user’s gaming experience to the next level. 

Several alternatives offer unique features and streamlined services for gaming enthusiasts. Let's delve into some of the best Discord alternatives to take your gaming communications to a whole new dimension.

6. Steam chat

Steam Chat offers a seamless messaging service crafted with gamers in mind. Just like Discord, it facilitates voice and text channels where users can join one voice channel at a time. 

The ease of setting up group chats through unique URLs and establishing roles with varied permissions, including adding or removing individuals, managing server data, and implementing chat restrictions, offers a tailored and secure gaming chat environment.

Top features of Steam Chat:

  • Unique URL Sharing: It facilitates group chats swiftly by sharing unique URLs with potential participants.
  • Role-Based Permissions: Steam Chat lets you define roles clearly, allocating different permissions to maintain a well-structured and managed server.
  • Multi-Platform Support: Whether you are on Windows, macOS, or Linux, Steam Chat has got you covered.

7. Mumble

If you prioritize security and high-quality voice chat while gaming, Mumble might just be the Discord alternative for you. As an open-source platform, it boasts low latency and high-quality voice chat features. And this is exactly what sets it apart in the competitive market.

However, it comes with a steeper learning curve, lacking browser support — a feature cherished by Discord enthusiasts. But for those willing to forego browser convenience, Mumble offers encrypted chats for enhanced privacy and an authentication feature that keeps unwanted guests out of your online chat rooms.

Top features of Mumble:

  • Chat Encryption: A haven for privacy enthusiasts, offering encrypted communications to secure your chats.
  • Authentication Feature: Say goodbye to unwanted intrusions with an authentication process that keeps your chat rooms exclusive.
  • High-Quality Voice Chat: Enjoy an immersive sound experience with high-quality voice chat and positional sound features.
  • Wide Platform Support: Catering to users across Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows, it ensures no gamer is left behind.

8. Band

Band is more than just a group chat tool. It cultivates a rich environment for gamers, resembling a social network. Users can fabricate chat groups with ease, integrate their friends into the network, and even organize game nights through the handy integrated calendar feature. 

Its plethora of advanced functionalities, including file sharing, live streaming capabilities, and in-chat polls, is what sets it apart.

Top features of Band:

  • Group Chat: It helps foster community and coordination through easy-to-set-up chat groups.
  • Polling: You can engage your group with interactive polls to make collective decisions smoothly.
  • Live Streaming: Band lets you share your gaming milestones live with your friends and community.
  • Custom Privacy Settings: It ensures a safe environment with tailored privacy settings, including features to protect younger users.
  • Enhanced User Profiles: Band creates custom profiles to share your gaming persona with the world.

9. TeamSpeak

When it comes to VoIP communication for online gaming, TeamSpeak stands tall as a reliable Discord alternative. This platform is known for delivering crystal-clear sound quality. Besides, it guarantees military-grade security that enables a lag-free performance with a track record of unparalleled reliability in the market.

Top features of Teamspeak:

  • Lag-Free Communication: Experience seamless conversations with features like automatic microphone volume adjustment, background noise reduction, and echo cancellation.
  • Military-Grade Security: Rest assured with integrated top-notch security, ensuring a safe communication platform.
  • User Autonomy: Take charge with customizable settings, allowing you to control who can talk and join channels.
  • Personalization and Add-Ons: Tailor your experience with over 100 add-ons, skins, and voice packs.
  • Cloud-Based Service: Enjoy the ease of synchronizing your preferences across devices, making your gaming communications hassle-free.

10. Pinch

Pinch emerges as a dedicated voice chat platform crafted with mobile gamers at its core. It provides an intuitive space for players to connect with friends and strategize for winning gaming sessions. Its background operation feature ensures you can stay in a call while immersively playing popular titles such as Wild Rift, Brawl Stars, and Minecraft without a hitch.

Designed by the gamers, for the gamers, Pinch promises an uncompromised voice chat quality, bringing essential features to the table, like initiating party calls without exiting your current game.

Top features of Pinch:

  • Seamless Multitasking: You can chat with your friends while playing, thanks to Pinch working efficiently in the background.
  • Instant Party Calls: It allows you to easily hop into party calls and join your friends in the gaming session without leaving your game.
  • Alerts on Friends’ Activity: Pinch sends notifications to alert you when your friends come online and start playing a game.

Choose the right Discord alternative for your team

The choice of a tool alternative to Discord depends on whether you're looking a workplace communication solution or another gaming chat.

In any case, we've got you covered with both lists above!

If you're looking for a workplace chat that complies with most important regulations in your industry and helps you ensure your sensitive business data, reach out to our team at Rocket.Chat for a quick showaround.

Frequently asked questions about <anything>

Discord alternatives

What is the best alternative to Discord for work?

What voice and chat gaming alternatives are there besides Discord?

Are there more secure Discord alternatives?

Why is Rocket.Chat better than Discord?

Sara is an SEO Strategist at Rocket.Chat. She is passionate about topics around digital transformation, workplace experience, open source, and data privacy and security.
Sara Ana Cemazar
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