Discord tried to expand age verification globally without clear legal requirements and, in the process, leaked around 70,000 government ID photos. As a result, users started looking for the best Discord alternatives to avoid future privacy nightmares.
Now, there’s no catch-all replacement, but Stoat is the closest to Discord-style UI and feel. Telegram is great for large group chats and casual coordination, and Jitsi Meet offers private calls without an account. Meanwhile, Microsoft Teams and Google Chat cover your workplace and school collaboration needs.
These are a good starting point, though we’ll cover more Discord alternatives for gaming, chatting, privacy, work, and school below.
Whether you’re jumping ship to bypass age verification and data mining, or just looking for low-latency voice chat and stable screen sharing without shelling out for Nitro, these are the best Discord alternatives for gaming right now.
TIP: Use a gaming VPN to lower ping and stabilize your connection, hide your IP on self-hosted servers, avoid DDoS attacks, or get around ID verification when it rolls out in your area.
GameVox keeps things simple with lightweight voice chat, overlays, 1080p screen-sharing, and positional audio that works well in things like FiveM and Arma 3. Here’s why I recommend it:
TeamSpeak is still going strong two decades in, thanks to its lower latency and high-quality voice chat. It also (finally) got screen share in 2025, closing one of the biggest feature gaps between it and Discord.
Here’s why it’s worth checking out:
If—like me—you groan every time you have to get used to a new app, Stoat is the only Discord alternative you’ll need. Besides the nearly identical layout, Stoat also includes some Nitro-style perks without a subscription. Try Stoat for:
Note: Stoat is based in the UK so it has to comply with the Online Safety Act and similar regulations in other jurisdictions. Unlike Discord’s worldwide rollout, however, it only verifies ages where legally required.
Mumble is a free, open-source alternative to Discord that has great voice quality and low latency. If you don’t care for any bells and whistles and just need straightforward voice chat during a match, this one’s for you. Also includes:
You don’t really need a Discord alternative if you mainly game through Steam. From group chats with separate text and voice channels to voice calls with echo/noise cancellation, chat roles and permissions, everything is built right into the app.
The only thing missing is screen-sharing. Steam Broadcasting is limited to gameplay. Otherwise, I let my Discord friends know they can find me on Steam if I ever see an age verification pop-up.
Discord expanded well beyond its original gaming days. If you just want a new place for your group chat, voice rooms, or community spaces without having to hand over your ID, here are some options to try out.
Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app built around large group chats, channels, and fast syncing across devices. It supports both private messaging (“Secret Chats”) and community spaces that can scale to very large audiences.
Here’s what to expect:
Also read: 7 common Telegram scams (and how to avoid them)
WhatsApp focuses on free and private communication with built-in end-to-end encryption, phone number-based accounts and simple group messaging. It’s fairly straightforward:
Related: How to recognize and avoid WhatsApp scams
Viber combines messaging and calling with a strong focus on international communication and group spaces. The Viber Out subscription lets you call landlines and mobile numbers even if they don’t have the app installed. It’s worth using for:
Geneva is a group communication app designed around organized “rooms” that combine chat, events, and discussion threads in one place. It’s a bit more dense than your typical Discord server, thanks to features like:
Here are some of the most private Discord alternatives, whether you want encrypted chats, to reduce your digital footprint, or a self-hosted setup you control yourself.
Tox is a peer-to-peer messaging and voice platform with no central servers or account system, and secured with end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Users connect directly using a Tox ID, and can text, get into audio/video calls (including group audio), or screen-share and transfer files.
Its only real issues are the lack of an iOS app and the fact Tox doesn’t hide your IP when connecting with someone else. This is easily solved by connecting to a VPN first, and only sharing your Tox ID with trusted contacts.
Signal is a private, encrypted messaging app with minimal data collection. It runs on central servers but keeps content end-to-end encrypted, so not even Signal can access your messages or calls.
A few features worth noting:
Jitsi Meet is a free and open-source video conferencing platform that runs in the browser or through self-hosted instances. You don’t even need an account to chat, share your screen, or join audio and video calls. Some key features:
If you need team chat, meetings, file sharing, and project collaboration in a more work-focused setup, these Discord alternatives cover everything from enterprise messaging to self-hosted communication.
Teams is built for workplaces that already rely on Microsoft 365. It brings chat, meetings, file sharing, and document collaboration together in one place, which makes it a natural fit for companies already using Outlook, Word, Excel, and SharePoint.
Here are some things it does well:
Slack is a team chat app centered on channels, integrations, and searchable conversations. It works well for teams that want quick communication and a lot of connected tools around it. Try out Slack if you prefer:
Rocket.Chat gives teams an open-source chat platform they can host themselves or use through a managed setup. It’s a solid choice for companies that want more control over their communication infrastructure. Some useful features include:
Mattermost is an open-source collaboration platform built for technical teams and organizations that want self-hosted communication. It leans toward security, internal control, and workflow integration. A few highlights:
Part of Google Workspace, Google Chat is a simple team messaging tool that integrates directly with Gmail, Drive, Docs, and Meet. It works well for teams that already operate inside Google’s ecosystem.
That said, one of the risks of Google Chat is the lack of end-to-end encryption, so we don’t recommend sharing sensitive data through the service.
Zoho Cliq is a team chat platform built for companies that already use Zoho apps or want chat plus automation in one place. It combines messaging, calls, and workflow tools without spreading everything across separate apps.
Choose Cliq if you want:
Wire offers secure communication for teams that need encrypted messaging, calls, and file sharing across devices. It’s commonly used in environments with stricter privacy and compliance requirements, such as healthcare organizations handling patient data, financial companies dealing with sensitive customer info, and so on.
Core features include:
These Discord alternatives help with class communication, group projects, and teacher coordination:
If you’re looking for the closest experience to Discord, the best free alternatives are GameVox and Stoat. The first lets you import your server channels, emojis, soundboard, and more, while the latter has essentially the same UI with some Nitro-like customization features thrown in for free.
Some Discord alternatives with screen sharing include GameVox and TeamSpeak if you want something gaming-focused. You can also try Tox, WhatsApp, Viber, or Jitsi Meet for private and end-to-end encrypted chats.
Meanwhile, Telegram and Geneva work well if you prefer more community-oriented options. Naturally, most of the work options listed here include screen sharing as well.
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