The Best Open Source Discord AlternativesTop Group Chat Apps & Instant Messengers like Discord

The best open source alternative to Discord is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Mumble. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Discord and loads of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Discord are Signal, Zulip, Matrix and Jami.

filter to find the best alternatives

Discord alternatives are mainly Group Chat Apps, but if you're looking for Video Calling Apps or Instant Messengers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Online, Open Source, iPhone, EU, Self-Hosted, Self-Hosted + Open Source and Chrome OS. 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

     791 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.

    313 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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    19
    Element vs Discord Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    kaspian
    7

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    39

    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.
    masonb
    Positive
    0

    The E2E encryption is nice, don't lose your keys or your boned for login. Also use a 'virtual audio cable' such as VBCABLE to loop audio from the browser output to the mic input on element to be able to stream video with buds

    3 of 19 comments
    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Element is Privacy focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
  2. Mumble icon

    Mumble

     485 likes

    Free, open source voice chat featuring low-latency, high quality audio, secure encrypted communication, self-hosting options, in-game overlays, positional audio, scripting support, low resource usage, and robust user permission controls for gaming and collaboration.

    58 Mumble alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Client (Mumble 1.3.0)
     
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    14
    Mumble vs Discord Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    scottfrost
    5

    Mumble doesn't support screen sharing, which is a critical feature of Discord

    Top Negative Comment
    Julien Beauvais
    5

    Mumble are for real time communication not differed and persistent chat like Discord.

    RioMcCloud
    Positive
    0

    If you use Discord to chat with friends through voice, and not for the community chat features (channels with persistent text and multimedia), Mumble is the best option, even without screen sharing or video support: it's free software, very lightweight, and self-hosted - you're in control, not a money-greedy company. You can compensate for these two missing resources in other ways.

    3 of 14 comments
    • Mumble is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mumble is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  4. Stoat Chat icon

    Stoat Chat

     124 likes

    Instant messaging platform supporting text and voice channels, live video calls, secure screen sharing, private group chats, customizable permissions, moderation tools, bot integration, privacy-focused design, open-source development, and cross-platform use.

    58 Stoat Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Rust
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Stoat Chat screenshot 1
     
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    12
    Stoat Chat vs Discord Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Gruak
    8

    Revolt has much better privacy policy, is open source, and therefore much more trustworthy.

    Top Negative Comment
    Wizzrimp
    -1

    cant make a damn invite link

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

    Looks and feels like Discord to use, plus being FOSS

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 12 comments
    • Stoat Chat is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Stoat Chat is Privacy focused, Lightweight and CustomizableDiscord is not according to our users
  5. Signal icon

    Signal

     1378 likes

    An open-source messaging app emphasizing privacy with encrypted communication. Share texts, calls, photos, and videos without ads or trackers, available across major platforms. Developed by Signal Technology Foundation and praised globally for security measures.

    221 Signal alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Ubuntu
    • Debian
    Signal screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Signal vs Discord Comments
    Raygen
    Negative
    0

    chat app. Not call / videocall communities app.

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

    Zulip

     268 likes

    Threaded group conversations combine live and asynchronous messaging, separating topics for organized collaboration, supporting open-source, cloud, and self-hosted deployments, secure communication with encryption, and multi-platform access for diverse teams.

    229 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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    14
    Zulip vs Discord Comments
    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

    Top Negative Comment
    Raygen
    0

    Business oriented, Slack alternative not Discord alternative. No native voice calls, no native video calls , no screensharing, no bots or gamery customizations, etc...

    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.

    3 of 14 comments
    • Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Zulip is Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  7. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     393 likes

    Open standard protocol enabling decentralized, encrypted instant messaging, VoIP signaling, IoT device connectivity, and persistent data management across federated servers without central control or single points of failure, bridging communication platforms.

    172 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
    Matrix vs Discord Comments
    somegirlfromit
    Negative
    8

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

    luananeder
    Positive
    1

    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.

    brickelt963-altto
    Positive
    -1

    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 ^^.

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

    Jami

     239 likes

    Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement

    164 Jami alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Jami video conference OS X
     
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    1
    Jami vs Discord Comments
    RemovedUser
    Positive
    8

    Decentralized, end-to-end encrypted, and ironically works better than other services that I have used. I'm not sure if it has group calls, though.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Jami is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jami is Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  10. Jitsi Meet icon

    Jitsi Meet

     289 likes

    Go ahead, video chat with the whole team. In fact, invite everyone you know. Jitsi Meet is a fully encrypted, 100% open source video conferencing solution that you can use all day, every day, for free.

    153 Jitsi Meet alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Apple Watch
    • F-Droid
    Jitsi Meet screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Jitsi Meet vs Discord Comments
    brickelt963-altto
    Positive
    0

    Jitsi is a great videoconferencing software, the only thing that's a shame is the connection is only possible either via Google or Github (Microsoft). It's not even possible to create an account directly on Jitsi. Fortunately I go through Framatalk (from Framasoft). At least I know where my data is.

    • Jitsi Meet is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jitsi Meet is Security-focused, Privacy focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
  11. Element X icon

    Element X

     43 likes

    It is the brand new, and fastest ever, Matrix client. It is for personal and community use, and will support enterprise functionality later this year.

    111 Element X alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Element X screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Element X vs Discord Comments
    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
    Negative
    0

    Does not even supports Matrix’s “Spaces”, so not similar at all to Discord and its “servers”.

    • Element X is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Element X is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  12. RetroShare icon

    RetroShare

     163 likes

    Open source, decentralized platform enabling encrypted chat, secure voice and video calls, anonymous file sharing with swarming, censorship-resistant forums, channels, link sharing, and offline messaging. Uses OpenPGP and OpenSSL for robust privacy and security.

    141 RetroShare alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • OpenPGP
    Network tab with contact list and broadcast subtab open. The subtab shows text and image sent by one contact to all connected contacts.
     
  13. Rocket.Chat icon

    Rocket.Chat

     160 likes

    Open-source chat server supporting real-time group, direct, and private messaging, video calls, file sharing, helpdesk chat, API integrations, desktop notifications, emojis, LDAP authentication, cross-platform apps, and customizable extensions for teams.

    145 Rocket.Chat alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    Rocket.Chat screenshot 1
     
  14. Fluxer icon

    Fluxer

     18 likes

    Free and open-source instant messaging and VoIP platform with private DMs, group chats, markdown, file sharing, video calls, screen sharing, moderation tools, quick search, custom emojis, CSS themes, AGPLv3 self-hosting, and multi-device access.

    9 Fluxer alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Fluxer screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Fluxer vs Discord Comments
    Oli-6253
    Positive
    1

    only open-source app that has almost all the features of Discord

    • Fluxer is Freemium and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Fluxer is Privacy focused and CustomizableDiscord is not according to our users
12 of 63 Discord alternatives