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 Mumble. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Discord and many 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 Zulip, Wire, Mattermost and SimpleX Chat.

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, 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

     776 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 type

    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
    148
    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.

    3 of 17 comments
    Element icon
    Element icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Element is a great Discord alternative.

    • 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

     480 likes

    Mumble was the first and is the most successful and wide spread free and open source software for VoIP. It was the first VoIP software to provide low-latency audio suitable for gaming, and at the same time was a pioneer in high audio quality.

    50 Mumble alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Haiku
    Mumble 1.2.3 Release Candidate – some users in different channels
     
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    12
    143
    Comments about Mumble as an Alternative to Discord
    Top Positive Comment
    scottfrost
    2

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Julien Beauvais
    2

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

    Guest
    Positive
    5

    The audio quality is great and has less latency than Discord. The server is self-hosted so there is more flexibility as well. But that's the only expect that is better than Discord. Discord has much more functionality like video calling, rich text server chat, etc.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 12 comments
    Mumble icon
    Mumble icon

    • Most users think Mumble is a great Discord alternative.

    • Mumble is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Mumble is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  4. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     384 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 type

    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
    38
    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

    • Most users think Matrix is a great Discord alternative.

    • Matrix is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Matrix is Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightDiscord is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Virola Messenger icon
    Virola Messenger

    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...

    https://virola.io
    Learn More
  6. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     266 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.

    222 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
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    12
    43
    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

    jvoight
    Positive
    0

    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.

    samia_
    Positive
    0

    A place within the channel where you can have conversations organized by topic.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 12 comments
    Zulip icon
    Zulip icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Zulip is a great Discord alternative.

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

    Wire

     313 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 type

    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
    33
    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

    • Most users think Wire is a great Discord alternative.

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

    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
     
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    26
  10. SimpleX Chat icon

    SimpleX Chat

     90 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 type

    Platforms

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

    Spacebar

     23 likes

    Spacebar a free open source self-hostable chat, voice and video discord-compatible platform.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    Spacebar screenshot 1
     
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    1
    8
    Comments about Spacebar as an Alternative to Discord
    Wizzrimp
    0

    Still in development, it wont let me make a new "guild" or add friends

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Spacebar icon
    Spacebar icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Spacebar is a great Discord alternative.

    • Spacebar is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Spacebar is Privacy focusedDiscord is not according to our users
  13. Briefing icon

    Briefing

     29 likes

    The preservation of privacy is the main driver for this project. Secure technologies, such as WebRTC, are used to establish a direct connection between the participants. The website that provides the web application and mediates the communication stores as little data as...

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • npm
    Briefing screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about Briefing as an Alternative to Discord
    FunnyMeatball
    Negative
    3

    Awesome instant video meetings, but misplaced in this list as an "alternative", as this has absolutely no similarities to discord and doesn't serve the same use-case.

    RemovedUser
    Negative
    3

    it's a app that only supports video calls and is not in any way similar to discord

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Briefing icon
    Briefing icon
    • Briefing is Free and Open SourceDiscord is Freemium and Proprietary
  14. Strafe Chat icon

    Strafe Chat

     6 likes

    StrafeChat is a web application focused on no censorship. We believe that people with any belief, opinion, or view should be able to communicate with each other freely.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    A channel in strafe chat
     
  15. Flotilla Chat icon

    Flotilla Chat

     6 likes

    Experience a new way to connect with your people online. Join an existing community space or launch your very own branded platform tailored to your audience.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • iPhone
    • Android
    • Self-Hosted
    Customize your space, set access controls, and announce updates.
     
12 of 37 Discord alternatives