Discord has recently come under fire for its new safety protocols. Effectively, the platform is set to require facial or ID scans for age verification. Initially limited to the UK, this verification has now become mandatory globally, creating dismay among the Discord community.
Because the platform has been prone to major leaks in the past, many have now begun turning against it. Even with Discord being the platform of choice for millions of gamers and other users, many are now seeking alternatives that can do everything that Discord does without the hassle of forced face ID verification.
In fact, some have even called upon Valve to make an alternative to the platform. Although this may not happen any time soon, here’s a list of a few options you can check out in the meantime.
Steam Chat
Believe it or not, Steam chat itself can actually do a lot of what gamers look for in Discord. Specifically, the platform offers essential features like group chats, voice calls, and more.
Much like Discord, Steam chat can even be used to stream content to your friends, but this requires some messing with the application to achieve. This is Steam’s primary limitation in this regard since it isn’t always the most efficient at performing these tasks.
Moreover, Steam doesn’t retain messages beyond two weeks, making it somewhat unsuitable for long-term conversations. Still, Valve has your gaming needs covered if you’re looking to move away from Discord following the recent verification rules put in place.
Teamspeak
Teamspeak has been around for a while, and those invested in gaming have likely heard of this platform at one point or another.
The platform has always been solid for communication when playing games on its own, but following its most recent revamp, Teamspeak can be considered a decent alternative to Discord. In fact, the platform has even made the most of the recent controversy on Twitter in an attempt to gain everyone’s attention.
Teamspeak prides itself on the audio quality during conversations, making it one of the best options available today in this regard. Similar to Discord, Teamspeak allows users to host and join servers to form entire communities.
Where things get a little complicated is when the server hosting comes into question, since Teamspeak requires a monthly payment to run private servers, and this payment depends on the size of the servers. Technically, it’s possible to self-host a server for free, but the process isn’t immediately intuitive.
Also, Teamspeak is limited in the fact that it doesn’t let you use text chat without being connected to a voice channel. Still, for those looking to partner with a few gaming buddies and hop on their favorite games, Teamspeak can be a viable replacement for Discord.
Stoat (Formerly Known As Revolt)
This is one platform that has been slowly gaining popularity amid Discord’s recent controversies. Generally, Stoat offers a very similar user experience to Discord, even mirroring many of the same functionalities.
Sever hosting, bots, voice calls, chats, large communities in channels, you name it, and Stoat probably has it. Even the interface is similar to that of Discord, so you’ll feel right at home coming from the platform. This makes it reliable for anybody looking to leave Discord for good, but there is one caveat that needs to be addressed.
You can’t host a private server for free. Like Teamspeak, Stoat requires a small monthly payment for private servers, but you can always rely on the platform’s own servers. Anyhow, if you’re an avid Discord user, then this might just be the platform for you.
Matrix
Unlike the other platforms listed above, Matrix is more open and freedom-oriented, but this comes with a learning curve.
Matrix itself just serves as a protocol that connects the many servers people use at any given moment. For a simpler experience, you can install a client from the official website, and Matrix even hosts its own server for newcomers to get started with.
The best part about Matrix is that it gets better the deeper you go into the ecosystem. One caveat is that there are privacy concerns regarding Matrix, even with it being open source, unlike some of the other competitors.
Still, for those willing to go in-depth regarding server hosting and customizability, Matrix can be a replacement for Discord since the Element client (recommended as the default) features all the usuals that users want from this type of communication platform.
Signal and Telegram
Signal is yet another alternative that can replace Discord. Although the platform doesn’t necessarily cater to gamers, it is great for individuals who value privacy above all else.
The usuals, including group chats, text messages, video and audio calls, etc., are all included in the Signal package. This platform also offers encrypted messaging as part of its commitment to privacy and security.
The one caveat with Signal is that it isn’t nearly as extensive when it comes to the groups themselves. Also, Signal requires a phone number to function, which may be a deal-breaker for many people. The same is the case for Telegram since it can’t be used without a phone number.
Telegram doesn’t immediately come to mind when thinking of a communication platform, but it does cover all the basics fairly well. Encrypted messages are also part of Telegram’s overall appeal, but many remain skeptical about the platform as a whole.
Xbox App
This one is a bit of an outlier, but the Xbox application on PC can do the basics of communication fairly well, including voice calls, chats, groups, and more. It also features communities to engage with people based on similar interests in games, etc.
Unfortunately, the Xbox app does not feature extensive sub-categories within its groups like Discord for specific channels and mini-communities. This makes it limited as an alternative, but still viable for those looking to stick to the basics.
Since Microsoft is constantly working on making the Xbox experience on Windows better, there’s a chance these features could also make it to the application as time goes on.
