Discord Alternatives
Discord
I have always had an uneasy feeling using Discord and with good reason. In the beginning when I first used Discord
way back in 2016 I really did hope something more open would come along and we wouldn't be stuck wondering how they
can afford to run such a program, what were they doing with our data.
Well as you know nothing has managed to topple Discord from being the most used and now mostly default instant
messaging and VoIP platform for internet users. If you are willing to forgo or simply have no need for some of its
features such as the channels for messaging or the ability to screen share well enough you can watch shows with
friends. Then there are options which I will be discussing further down.
Discord is technically spyware
This is true but really its not much more true than other applications (especially Microsoft apps). Discord collects
everything you do inside and sometimes outside of the application. Lets break down that statement, Discord can see
all of your messages regardless of whether they are direct messages (Including drafts), voice messages or in a
server. Discord also by default does collect the data that they gather from monitoring your system to be able to
display your current activities and to connect to friends games and listen to music together.
There are ways to limit discord privacy invasion of your system such as using flatpak if you are on Linux, you could
also disable those features and trust Discord isn't still looking anyway. You can also run the web app and use
either braves shields or ublock origin on Firefox to block any trackers.
Discord uses electron
So first of all let me explain what electron is, why they and so many developers love it and why its awful for the
end user (you and I).
Electron is a full instance of chromium (the same thing chrome is based on) that allows developers to write
applications with javascript, HTML and CSS (essentially what web pages are made from) to create desktop
applications. Electron is cross-platform and therefore allows developers to build one application instead of
multiple for every operating system.
It is not great for the end user as its rather hungry on ram. Discord currently running on my system is using just
over half a GB of ram and its doing nothing. So you can see how being in an active call and playing games isn't a
match made in heaven. I was going to mention here that the version they use is a few years old but it does look like
that won't be true soon. However you still can not screen share with audio on Linux and that's assuming you are
using
X11, if you're rocking wayland you just get a blank screen. This can be sort of fixed using another application
called
discord-screenaudio, I would just advise you don't use your main account.
Let's talk alternatives
I am always on the hunt for something better and in this hunt I have came across many alternatives to discord but if
what you want is a discord clone just more up to date, more open and free then you are mostly out of luck, at least
at the time of writing this. I prefer free and open source software where ever possible and am a huge advocate for
privacy being a basic human right so I am not a fan of trading one proprietary software for another. My list will
not include Gilded as I have not tried it and it's proprietary, it looks good at a glance on paper so if what you
are
looking for a direct swap then I would check it out.
Matrix
The Matrix protocol other than sounding cool as hell is an open source decentralised communication protocol. That
was a very wordy sentence, what it means in simple terms is it's a protocol kinda the same as email is a protocol.
Decentralised means that there isn't one big name with all the power, it is instead in the hands of the people and
the many.
Matrix is secure and open source so anyone can make an application and use Matrix, because of this there are many
applications for it. Element is the most recommended as it's the most full featured and is able to be installed on
any
operating system, it also has a web app. It is made by the creators of Matrix. Element is slow in places and to the
best of my knowledge and experience doesn't yet handle screen sharing with audio.
https://matrix.org/try-matrix
Tox
Keeping with our decentralised protocols we have Tox. Tox is more of an instant messenger than forum like platform
Discord is becoming, it has groups, voice/video calls, screen sharing and what I personally use it for; File sharing
as unlike other platforms it has no limit on file sizes. This all comes wrapped in a lovely encrypted bow,
everything you do with Tox is encrypted using open-source libraries. The only people who can see your conversations
are the people you're talking with. As with our last entry Tox has a few options when it comes to applications and
is available across all operating systems.
https://tox.chat/index.html
Revolt
Revolt is still in active development and feels promising, it lacks some of the features of Discord such as screen
sharing but if all you are looking for is a place to chill with friends then it has you covered. It is by far the
most customisable chat app I have seen in a while. There are a ton of themes to choose from, you even can make your
own which is something that I love to see and wish it was in more apps. Revolt is available on all operating systems
and has a web client.
https://revolt.chat
Honourable Mentions
These are not necessarily free or open source but deserve a mention and aren't really as feature packed as Discord
but that isn't always a bad thing.
TeamSpeak
This to me feels like the OG, its the one where I started interacting on voice with the internet. There are many
public servers you can browse but if you want a space of your own you will need to host one, usually servers online
that offer VoIP are very cheap. It features direct messaging, unlimited file transfers and doesn't sell your data
(sad that I'd consider that a feature these days). The major benefits with using Teamspeak is that its super light,
decentralised and is encrypted with military grade AES-based encryption. As with everything on the list it is
available on all operating systems.
https://www.teamspeak.com
Steam Chat
If you are gamer and already use steam this is a great alternative and is my backup whenever Discord has issues. You
can have group voice calls, use broadcast for streaming games, create groups to have your own little forum and
Discord like server within the group chat. Available on all operating systems and has a web app.
https://steamcommunity.com/chat
Signal
Signal is secure end to end encrypted instant messaging application powered by the open source signal protocol, it
has no ads or trackers and is completely funded by grants and donations. It is encrypted by default so no need to
turn it on, supports group chats and is available on all operating systems.
https://signal.org
Telegram
Telegram is an open source end to end encrypted instant messaging application. It supports groups and channels (a
tool for broadcasting messages to large audiences). Available for all operating systems.
https://telegram.org
In Conclusion
There are a lot of options out there but no one app is currently a 1:1 replacement for Discord, there are a few that
are very promising such as Element and Revolt. I may still yearn for an earlier time on the internet where all we
needed
was a forum and an app like Teamspeak but both the internet and I have gotten more mature. My priorities these days
need things like a decent screen sharing experience and easy to use and navigate systems for my community.
My setup is Discord (flatpak to limit where it can access), discord-screenaudio (for screen sharing on Linux), A
steam community as a backup and qTox for unlimited file transfers. My hope is Revolt will soon be able to match
discord or Element steps up its game or a mix of the two in a new app. One thing is for sure though, if there are
any new developments I will be sure to write about them.
https://github.com/maltejur/discord-screenaudio
