Discord AlternativesOnly Self-Hosted apps categorised as Instant Messengers

Discord is not available as a self-hosted solution but there are plenty of alternatives for power users and business that want to host a solution on-premise. The best Self-Hosted Instant Messenger alternative is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Matrix. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Discord and 19 are Instant Messengers available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted Instant Messenger alternatives to Discord are Wire, Mattermost, SimpleX Chat and Mirotalk.

filter to find the best alternatives

Discord alternatives are mainly Instant Messengers, but if you're looking for Group Chat Apps or Video Calling Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, iPhone, Open Source, Self-Hosted, Chrome OS, EU and Screen Sharing. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Discord.
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Alternatives list

  1. Element icon

    Element

     779 likes

    Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

    302 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    Video calls for desktop and mobile
     
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    17
    Comments about Element as an Alternative to Discord
    Top Positive Comment
    kaspian
    6

    Much better, no censorship, decentralized and End to end encryped!

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    37

    Voice features are just lacking too far behind or practically non existent compared to discord. No channels, no audio wizards setup or even basic settings like volume control or open mic threshold settings, no push to talk. It's very very barebones. If it were to have Mumbe's voice features instead of Jitsi's it would be a discord killer.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Martin N.
    Positive
    0

    Decentralized, not dependent on a company.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 17 comments
    Element icon
    Element icon
    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Element is Privacy focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
  2. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     387 likes

    Matrix defines a set of open APIs for decentralised communication, suitable for securely publishing, persisting and subscribing to data over a global open federation of servers with no single point of control.

    166 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
    Main Page
     
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    3
    Comments about Matrix as an Alternative to Discord
    somegirlfromit
    Negative
    7

    Matrix.org is a transport protocol. Discord is chat software. Matrix is no more software than Discord is a protocol.

    brickelt963-altto
    Positive
    0

    The advantage of Element for me is that it's open source. I really appreciate the fact that it's a flexible solution that isn't polluted by foreign investment and the profit rationale that is becoming increasingly prevalent in Discord. Especially since I've seen documentaries showing financial relations with Chinese companies already well known for their government ties. It's like creating a Discord ‘server’ with rooms from lots of different places ^^.

    luananeder
    Positive
    0

    The protocol has the potential to be a good Discord alternative.

    Issue is the clients are almost all awful, which makes the UX horrible. So not a feasible alternative, at least not until a good app appears.

    Matrix icon
    Matrix icon
    • Matrix is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Matrix is Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
  4. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     267 likes

    Zulip is the only modern team chat app that is designed for both live and asynchronous conversations. Zulip topics create a separate space for each discussion, so different conversations will never get in each other's way.

    221 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Comments about Zulip as an Alternative to Discord
    Top Positive Comment
    Geobomatic
    1

    Zulip approach instant messaging in an innovative way, a hybrid between pure IM and old fashioned forum. It helps keeping the messages organized and not jumble around many discussion in the same flow

    Nakul Verma
    Positive
    1

    Zulip is a very good free and open source software that helps people to conversation to each other on random and some important topics separately. A usercan see who is online or ofline at the real time that is awesome.

    jvoight
    Positive
    1

    I like Zulip because it treats conversation structure as first-class, not an afterthought. The topic model forces messages to live somewhere stable. When you come back after a day—or a week—you can read what matters without wading through a firehose.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 13 comments
    Zulip icon
    Zulip icon
    • Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Zulip is Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  5. Ad
  6. Wire icon

    Wire

     314 likes

    Wire is the most secure collaboration platform featuring messenger, voice, video, conference calls, file-sharing, and external collaboration –all protected by the most secure end-to-end-encryption.

    282 Wire alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Wire screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Wire as an Alternative to Discord
    luananeder
    Negative
    1

    Does not seem to have anything similar to discord’s ‘servers’

    Wire icon
    Wire icon
    • Wire is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Wire is Security-focused and Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  7. Mattermost icon

    Mattermost

     253 likes

    Mattermost is a secure, open source platform for communication, collaboration, and workflow orchestration across tools and teams.

    130 Mattermost alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • JavaScript
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    Mattermost screenshot 1
     
  8. SimpleX Chat icon

    SimpleX Chat

     92 likes

    SimpleX - the most private and secure chat and applications platform - now with double ratchet E2E encryption! Built on Haskell with Love and Coffee.

    69 SimpleX Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    SimpleX Chat screenshot 1
     
  12. Nerimity icon

    Nerimity

     10 likes

    Nerimity is an open-source, community-first chat platform built to deliver an elegant, powerful, and feature-rich experience.

    27 Nerimity alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    Profile Interface [PC - 2025]
     
  13. Virola Messenger icon

    Virola Messenger

     4 likes

    Secure self-hosted platform unites private and group messaging, voice and video meetings, meeting recording, file transfer, issue tracking, screen sharing, remote control, and flexible permissions for on-premises collaboration in both corporate and personal use cases.

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Self-Hosted
    Virola Messenger screenshot 1
     
  14. ONCE Campfire icon

    ONCE Campfire

     Like

    Campfire is an installable, self-hosted group chat system. Easily invite people. Make rooms. @mentions, DMs, and mobile support. The basics done right. And since you get the code and host it yourself, you can customize it however you’d like for your own use.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • DigitalOcean
    • Self-Hosted
    • Amazon Web Services
    • Docker
    ONCE Campfire screenshot 1
     
  15. Databag icon

    Databag

     3 likes

    A tiny self-hosted federated messenger for the decentralized web.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Browser Screenshot
     
12 of 19 Discord alternatives