Discord review
Voice, video and text hangouts for communities and friends
- Discord Inc.
- Free + paid plans
- iPhone & iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web
Does it deserve #5?
The verdict
Discord is the best free home for an online community. Servers mix text channels, drop-in voice rooms and screen sharing, and voice quality is excellent. Voice and video calls are now end-to-end encrypted, but text messages are not, and Discord moderates content on its servers. Nitro adds perks you can easily skip. Pick it for gaming groups, hobby communities and study servers, not for work.
- Drop-in voice channels
- Screen sharing and Go Live
- Roles, permissions and bots
- Encrypted voice and video calls
Score breakdown
Overall = features 30% · design 20% · speed 20% · value 15% · privacy 15%. Why these weights?
What we like
- Excellent free voice chat with low latency
- Flexible servers with roles, bots and permissions
- Nearly everything important is free
What could be better
- Text messages are not end-to-end encrypted
- Busy servers can get noisy and hard to follow
Gamers, hobby groups and online communities that want voice and text in one place
you want a quiet, work-focused tool or private encrypted text chats
Questions about Discord
Is Discord free?
Yes, servers, voice, video and screen sharing are all free. Nitro is an optional subscription for perks like higher-quality streaming, bigger uploads and custom emoji everywhere.
Is Discord encrypted?
Voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted by default, except in stage channels. Text messages are not, so Discord can access them for moderation.
What are the best alternatives to Discord?
The closest alternatives are Slack, Telegram and Signal. See all of them ranked on our Discord alternatives page.
Where does Discord rank?
Discord ranks #5 of 8 in our Messaging & Calls ranking, with an overall score of 8.5 out of 10.