WhatsApp is the better app overall, scoring 9.0 to 8.5. WhatsApp wins on 5 of the 5 scores, Discord on 0.
Anyone who wants one free app to reach family, friends and local businesses
Gamers, hobby groups and online communities that want voice and text in one place
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Discord | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Messaging & Calls | Messaging & Calls |
| Category rank | #2 of 8 | #5 of 8 |
| Developer | Meta | Discord Inc. |
| Pricing | Free | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Strengths and weaknesses
WhatsApp
- Almost everyone you know is already on it
- Messages and calls are encrypted by default
- Reliable on weak connections and older phones
- Meta collects metadata like who you talk to and when
- Ads and promoted channels now appear in the Updates tab
WhatsApp is the messenger most of your contacts already use, and that alone makes it hard to beat. Chats and calls are end-to-end encrypted, the apps are fast and reliable, and communities, channels and business chats cover nearly everything. The catch is Meta: it collects metadata, and the Updates tab now shows ads. Use it for everyday chats and keep Signal for anything sensitive.
Full WhatsApp review
Discord
- Excellent free voice chat with low latency
- Flexible servers with roles, bots and permissions
- Nearly everything important is free
- Text messages are not end-to-end encrypted
- Busy servers can get noisy and hard to follow
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.
Full Discord review
