8 Discord Alternatives That Are Great For Both Gamers And Professionals
In the era of modern gaming, communication is hugely important and will likely only become more vital. After all, gamers are now regularly playing online and are often teaming up with their friends across multiple platforms. This means that they cannot always rely on a system's in-built voice chat or friends lists as they generally aren't shared, meaning those on Xbox can't necessarily easily contact those playing on PlayStation — that is unless they use a VoIP service such as Discord.
The social platform, which first launched in 2015, has established itself as the most popular service for gamers, so much so that it has now been directly integrated into consoles such as the Xbox Series X|S. Discord allows users to voice chat with dozens of others over the internet, send instant messages, and organize servers for communities. In recent years, it has also evolved into a great tool for professionals for workplace communication within organizations.
Of course, just because Discord is among the best-known and most popular voice and text chat services on the web doesn't mean it is the only option. There are plenty of impressive alternatives out there for gamers and workers that have their own unique strengths that help them stand out from Discord.
RaidCall
RaidCall is a VoIP service that has been around a lot longer than Discord, having originally launched way back in 2010. Initially attracting a wider audience, most gamers migrated over to Discord as it gained popularity, but that doesn't mean that RaidCall isn't worth trying out for those who find Discord a little bit feature-heavy. Lacking traditional instant messaging and file sharing, it is almost exclusively used as a voice chat tool that allows multiple users to talk to each other, with only limited text chat options. This makes it useful to those who might not be as computer savvy and who only want or need to communicate verbally.
The lack of features is actually a design choice that has been made to make RaidCall lightweight, fast, and easy to use. The software comes with a simple interface that makes it clear what each function does and is less likely to confuse players. It can also be used on almost any device regardless of age because it requires so little memory and processing power, something that also makes it a good choice to have running in the background where it can allow games or other programs to take up more resources.
Perhaps best of all, though, is RaidCall's ability to allow huge numbers of people to be in a voice chat at the same time. The service supports up to 10,000 users in channels, all of whom can participate in conversations at the same time.
Slack
Like Discord, Slack has been at the forefront of online communications for some time now. However, it has usually had a much heavier focus on professionals than gamers, with many workplaces using it as the go-to choice for employees to keep in contact quickly and efficiently. In many respects, Slack can be considered an upgraded form of email that gives workers the opportunity to talk to each other and organize projects in a far better manner than would previously have been possible.
Where Slack really stands out from Discord is in its instant messaging. Sending text messages through the service is a far better experience, from its more user-friendly interface to its ability to save posts and quickly see mentions or pinned posts. Slack even has easy-to-see options for formatting, such as for links or using bold or italics in messages, as well as the ability to send large files and save posts. These are all things that Discord either lacks or makes it difficult to access for regular users.
Slack also has a whole raft of official integrations that make it incredibly easy to link it with other software that both gamers and professionals may want to use. These range from email services such as Outlook or Gmail as well as Google Docs, Zoom, and Twitter. Anyone who wants to link up all of their sites and services into one package would certainly benefit from Slack in this regard.
Chanty
A team collaboration tool that is used by organizations such as NASA and Nike to boost productivity, Chanty has made a name for itself through its focus on security and privacy. Communications are kept secure through end-to-end encryption and files are stored safely, important features for anyone who wants to keep discussions private or ensure sensitive information is kept secret. The software can also be integrated natively with a variety of other services like Google Drive and Asana.
One of the best features of Chanty is its task management system, which essentially allows users to assign each other set tasks. This can be particularly useful in workspaces or for those who are gaming in a more dedicated manner with each player having their own specific roles to carry out. The task management tools also allow users to create to-do lists and track all tasks across the platform as well as set priorities.
The free version of Chanty is limited and users will want to upgrade if they are regularly messaging more than 10 people as part of their team. Fortunately, the premium version has a low price that won't break the bank, especially compared to many of its rivals, and should only cost a couple of bucks per person.
TeamSpeak
Unlike many other VoIP apps that target themselves at a wide array of audiences, TeamSpeak has been specifically designed for use by gamers. Among the most customizable options available today, it offers the ability to use a wide array of plugins and to suit almost every aspect of it to your own personal needs. This includes a deep permissions system and a mobile app so you can keep up to date with everything while on the move.
Of course, the most important feature of a VoIP for gamers is the quality of the sound. Audio quality in TeamSpeak is far higher than in Discord and even maintains this standard when being used by a large number of people in the same group at the same time. Using echo cancellation and noise reduction systems can help to improve the sound of those using even the cheapest setups. The service also comes with surround sound and position audio for many games, giving users the ability to know the direction of teammates through sound alone.
Combined with the very low latency and the fact that it uses very little memory, TeamSpeak may be the best option for those who are looking for a lightweight and efficient VoIP — especially if the main concern is simply to chat online rather than use more features. Throw in the privacy features, such as end-to-end encryption and that TeamSpeak doesn't have access to any voice or text data, and that makes it a good choice for those who are also concerned about their private information.
Element
Element has always been more skewed towards businesses and organizations, making it a better fit for professionals than gamers when it comes to communication. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't have something to offer both sets of users. Previously known as Riot, it is an open-source program that is one of the more recent entrants in the market. Its open nature gives users plenty of scope to customize the experience, build bots, or integrate it with other software.
Despite being a free service, Element still packs plenty of features, such as the ability to use in-app translations as well as face IDs and PINs for secure logins. It can also work just as well with a small team as it can with a group made up of hundreds or even thousands of users. Additionally, the communications system excels when it comes to sharing files and hosting both video and voice calls.
Like Discord, it offers users the option to access it via a web browser or through a dedicated app that is available for PCs and mobile devices. Its use of the Matrix protocol also means that it can easily be integrated with many other services, including Twitter, Slack, IRC, and Telegram to make it even more versatile as a messaging app. With a strong emphasis on security and privacy, Element supports end-to-end encryption and is open-source, meaning that everyone is free to look at its code and search it for any vulnerabilities or potential problems.
Steam Chat
After years of stagnation in terms of its in-built communication tool, Valve finally made Steam Chat available to its users in 2018. This upgraded version of the interface includes a lot of new features and updates to make it more comparable to Discord and other VoIP services in terms of what it allows players to do. In fact, Valve seems to have borrowed quite a few elements from Discord, including its general layout and user interface, so it shouldn't even cause too much confusion for those who decide to switch to Steam Chat.
Due to the fact that Steam Chat directly integrates with the most popular platform on PC, it has a range of additional integration options with Steam, including the ability to interact with game invitations, better in-game overlays, and access to already established groups and communities. Valve has even added support for extensive filter settings, giving administrators for particular groups the ability to ban certain words and phrases.
The main advantage that Discord has over Steam Chat is that the VoIP service is a standalone piece of software that can be installed or used on a variety of devices. These can range from mobile devices and PC to consoles like PlayStation and Xbox. Meanwhile, Steam Chat is only available on platforms that support Steam — principally Windows, Mac, and Linux. But for those who are gaming only with those on PC, it offers a quality alternative that gets rid of the need for any additional software.
Tox
Out of all the Discord alternatives available, Tox is probably the best choice when it comes to security and privacy. Any person or group that is conscious about keeping their data safe will at least want to try it out. The messaging service utilizes end-to-end encryption to make sure that only those in a conversation can actually see the content. Meanwhile, the fact that it uses peer-to-peer networks ensures there's no central server that can be hacked or raided to steal data. This system has the added benefit of keeping the service online more reliably as it depends on the entire user base rather than just a few servers.
Tox is nowhere near as feature-rich or customizable as Discord but it does offer everything gamers need at a basic level. This includes instant messaging, voice and video calls, and the ability to create groups. Users can even share their screens with others and send files without any limits to size. Another element that makes Tox so appealing is the way that it is free to download and use, with the developers promising never to include advertising or premium features. That makes it a tempting prospect for those who don't want to have to pay to get access to new features or updates.
Mumble
One of the main reasons that Discord has become the de facto option for gamers is because it offers low latency quality voice chat. Another piece of software that does exactly that is Mumble, and it might even do it better than Discord. In terms of audio quality, Mumble is one of the best performers on the market and can provide high-quality voice chat that is often said to be better than what is available through Discord. Meanwhile, the Opus codec used for audio provides extremely low latency to ensure that each user can hear what everyone else is saying with as little delay as possible. Its echo cancellation technology helps to remove any echo from audio and provides clearer sound regardless of the quality of the microphone being used.
Mumble also comes with a variety of small features that really improve its usefulness, such as positional audio so that it is possible to determine the location of a player from the way the audio is fed through other players' headphones. It also supports self-hosted servers so that users don't have to rely on Mumble remaining online and can keep all of their data and information secure on their own hardware. End-to-end encryption also adds a further layer of security, something that Discord doesn't offer. Although this adds a layer of complexity compared to the user-friendly offerings from other VoIP services, it does provide extra flexibility in terms of server management.