Self-Hosted Discord Alternatives

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 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 loads of them are available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted alternatives to Discord are Jitsi Meet, Zulip, Mattermost and Chatto.

filter to find the best alternatives

Most Discord alternatives are Group Chat Apps, but you can also narrow the list to Video Calling Apps or Team Collaboration Tools. Other popular filters are Online, iPhone, Chrome OS, Open Source and Self-Hosted. You can also filter for EU-based alternatives if you prefer software from the European Union.

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Discord alternatives page was last updated Oct 1, 2026

Element
843 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.
357 Element alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Video Calling
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
Snapcraft
Matrix.org
Flathub
F-Droid
Cloudron
OpenAPK
United Kingdom
+3
Good alternative?Is Element a good alternative to Discord?

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22comments
Element vs Discord Comments
Top Positive Comment by kaspian · Dec 29, 2022
Much better, no censorship, decentralized and End to end encryped!
Top Negative Comment by Guest · Jan 21, 2020
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.
Positive comment by MrLegit · Oct 1, 2026
Element is more privacy focussed
3 of 22 comments
Element is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Element is an Instant Messenger Discord is a Group Chat App
Element is Decentralized, Privacy focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
Matrix
419 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.
200 Matrix alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Group Chat
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
WebRTC
Python
JavaScript
Go (Programming Language)
Cloudron
Java
Perl
United Kingdom
Good alternative?Is Matrix a good alternative to Discord?

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6comments
Matrix vs Discord Comments
Top Positive Comment by luananeder · Apr 26, 2024
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.
Top Negative Comment by somegirlfromit · Dec 1, 2022
Matrix.org is a transport protocol. Discord is chat software. Matrix is no more software than Discord is a protocol.
Positive comment by LittleBit · Sep 24, 2026
Matrix, while a protocol not an app itself, is a great replacement for Discord depending on the client. See Element or Cinny for good Matrix clients.
3 of 6 comments
Matrix is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Matrix is an Instant Messenger Discord is a Group Chat App
Matrix is Decentralized, Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
Mumble
495 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.
77 Mumble alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Encrypted Chat
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
iPhone
BSD
iPad
Self-Hosted
Snapcraft
Flathub
PortableApps.com
Haiku
Germany
EU
+8
Good alternative?Is Mumble a good alternative to Discord?

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16comments
Mumble vs Discord Comments
Top Positive Comment by scottfrost · Jul 14, 2025
Mumble doesn't support screen sharing, which is a critical feature of Discord
Top Negative Comment by Julien Beauvais · May 27, 2018
Mumble are for real time communication not differed and persistent chat like Discord.
Negative comment by LittleBit · Sep 24, 2026
Mumble is a painfully simple voice chat app, similar to older apps like TeamSpeak or Ventrilo. It doesn't feature the text channels or video features Discord users want.
3 of 16 comments
Mumble is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Mumble is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
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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...

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Jitsi Meet
293 likes
Open-source video conferencing platform with encryption by default, up to 75 participants, live group chat, HD audio, screen and document sharing, Etherpad editing, mobile and browser support, custom deployment options, privacy-first features, and community-driven development.
179 Jitsi Meet alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Group Chat
Origin
United States
Platforms
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
Apple Watch
F-Droid
United States
Good alternative?Is Jitsi Meet a good alternative to Discord?

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2comments
Jitsi Meet vs Discord Comments
Positive comment by brickelt963-altto · Feb 21, 2026
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.
Negative comment by LittleBit · Sep 24, 2026
Jitsi was made to host short video meetings, not a large persistent community space. The Matrix protocol does implement Jitsi as a method of voice/video communication however.
2 of 2 comments
Jitsi Meet is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Jitsi Meet is a Video Calling Discord is a Group Chat App
Jitsi Meet is Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
Zulip
276 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.
253 Zulip alternatives
Cost / License
Free Personal
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Instant Messenger
Group Chat
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
BSD
iPad
Self-Hosted
F-Droid
United States
+4
Good alternative?Is Zulip a good alternative to Discord?

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16comments
Zulip vs Discord Comments
Top Positive Comment by Geobomatic · Oct 31, 2025
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 by Raygen · Feb 16, 2026
Business oriented, Slack alternative not Discord alternative. No native voice calls, no native video calls , no screensharing, no bots or gamery customizations, etc...
Negative comment by LittleBit · Sep 24, 2026
Zulip is used by some community-focused tech projects like Radicle and FUTO to host their main community spaces, but it's designed more for enterprise collaboration.
3 of 16 comments
Zulip is Free Personal and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Zulip is an Instant Messenger Discord is a Group Chat App
Zulip is Privacy focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
Mattermost
256 likes
Self-hosted collaboration platform featuring chat, workflow automation, voice and video calling, screen sharing, AI capabilities, broad third-party integration support, cross-platform apps, compatibility with Slack imports, and flexible deployment options for secure team communication.
154 Mattermost alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Team Collaboration
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Self-Hosted
JavaScript
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Go (Programming Language)
Cloudron
United States
+1
Good alternative?Is Mattermost a good alternative to Discord?

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1comment
Mattermost vs Discord Comments
Negative comment by coffee415 · Apr 7, 2026
Mattermost is an unsuitable alternative to Discord because it is another business/enterprise collaboration chat app.
1 of 1 comments
Mattermost is Paid and ProprietaryDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Mattermost is LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
Chatto
14 likes
Free, open source group chat solution supporting channels, file uploads, voice and video calls with screen sharing, granular roles and permissions, strong encryption, no tracking, plugin extensibility, GraphQL and NATS APIs, and private, secure deployment.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Encrypted Chat
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Self-Hosted
Germany
EU
Good alternative?Is Chatto a good alternative to Discord?

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1comment
Chatto vs Discord Comments
Positive comment by LittleBit · Sep 24, 2026
If you're technical and want to host your own server, then Chatto is great for you. If you're not technical, look for something else. If one of your friends has a Chatto server, the data is in your friend's hands. It has most of the features a Discord user would expect. If you're not technical and you aren't joining someone else's server, then look for something else.
1 of 1 comments
Chatto is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Chatto is a Video Calling Discord is a Group Chat App
Chatto is Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
Armada
14 likes
Open-source, end-to-end encrypted chat supporting decentralized, serverless communities and Concord. Features self-hosting, cryptographic login, encrypted text channels, threads, live voice and video rooms, compatibility with Nostr and other protocols, custom emojis, and GIFs.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Instant Messenger
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Self-Hosted
United States
+1
Good alternative?Is Armada a good alternative to Discord?

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2comments
Armada vs Discord Comments
Positive comment by wolvenspectre · Sep 23, 2026
Drop in replacement that has all the key features I need so far.
Positive comment by LittleBit · Sep 24, 2026
The best alternative to Discord on the decentralized, private, and anonymous fronts. Decentralized through relays on the Nostr network (you can even host your own copy of the Armada frontend because it's open-source), private with encrypted community and direct messaging powered by the Concord Protocol and NIP-17, and anonymous with Nostr cryptographic accounts. You can even sync your Discord server in real time to an Armada community, so everyone can chat.
2 of 2 comments
Armada is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Armada is a Video Calling Discord is a Group Chat App
Armada is Privacy focused, Decentralized, Customizable and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
Rocket.Chat
163 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.
169 Rocket.Chat alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source (MIT)
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Instant Messenger
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
iPad
Self-Hosted
Cloudron
United States
+5
Good alternative?Is Rocket.Chat a good alternative to Discord?
Spacebar
26 likes
Open source group chat, voice, and video platform with self-hostable private servers, Discord compatibility, extensible plugin and theme system, end-to-end encryption, support for multiple instances, and community-driven development offering high flexibility.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Video Calling
Origin
International
Platforms
Linux
Online
Self-Hosted
Global
Good alternative?Is Spacebar a good alternative to Discord?

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1comment
Spacebar vs Discord Comments
Comment by Wizzrimp · Nov 6, 2024
Still in development, it wont let me make a new "guild" or add friends
1 of 1 comments
Spacebar is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
Spacebar is Privacy focused and DecentralizedDiscord is not according to our users
Buzz
6 likes
Buzz is a self-hostable workspace where humans and AI agents share the same rooms.
64 Buzz alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application typeApplication types
Group Chat
Video Calling
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
Docker
AppImage
iPhone
United States
+1
Good alternative?Is Buzz a good alternative to Discord?
Movim
56 likes
Decentralized social and blog platform based on XMPP, enabling self-hosting, cross-network chat, video calls, and group collaboration. Users control and migrate their data, communicate across various networks, and access services from any node while preserving privacy and open-source principles.
116 Movim alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (AGPL-3.0)
Application typeApplication types
Video Calling
Social Network
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
France
EU
+6
Good alternative?Is Movim a good alternative to Discord?

12 of 51 Discord alternatives

Self-Hosted Discord Alternatives

Alternatives list

Element

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Matrix

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Mumble

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Jitsi Meet

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Zulip

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Mattermost

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Chatto

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Armada

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Rocket.Chat

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Spacebar

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Buzz

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Movim

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