2020’s Best Alternatives to Discord

Recently, there has been an emphasis on Discord alternatives. Especially voice and text chat. We can thank companies who do remote work and teleworkers for this. With the emphasis of team chats, however, a lot of platforms have been forgetting the purpose of team chat software. That is effective efficiency.

Discord is one of those platforms that to a certain extent forgot. Discord is known for its all-in-one voice and text chat. Originally marketed towards gamers, Discord has seen an increased outreach to other fields- one of which is competing with Slack.

Due to Discord’s massive popularity, there has been a tremendous amount of formed communities. Because of this, the noise-to-signal ratio is incredibly high. With a high noise-to-signal ratio, distractions can happen and important information can get buried among the chatter.

While we still believe that Discord is, in fact, an amazing communication tool, we also know Discord is not the best utilization for team chat software.

And because of this, we realized that there is a market for team chats that are more simple, easy-to-use, and versatile.

That is why we made AirSend. AirSend is a perfect team chat app that not only allows you to have seamless conversations, but also to share/organize files, tracks your to-do’s, and keep notes.

Though we like to think we are the best, we also take the time to acknowledge our competitors who also deliver. Here is a list of our seven best alternatives to Discord:

1. AirSend
2. Mumble
3. TeamSpeak 
4. Flock
5. Skype
6. Element
7. Tox
8. Chanty
9. Jami
10. Overtone

In this blog post, we will discuss specific features and functions, pricing tiers, and the pros and cons of each platform. Without further ado, let’s dive into the ten best alternatives to Discord. 

AirSend

Of course, AirSend is at the top of the list. It would be weird if we didn’t believe that our product was the best alternative to Discord.

One of the selling points to AirSend is its seamless communication. This feature is designed to make your life easier. We do that by allowing you to switch from channel to channel without ever having to leave your current tab.

Having seamless conversations also allows you and your clients to continuously stay in the loop. Though Discord offers the same feature, the complex UI design makes it hard for users to navigate between servers-to-channels and channel-to-channel. 

Pros to AirSend

As said before, AirSend allows for easy seamless communication. Further, unlike Discord, AirSend carries built-in task management and a built-in wiki.

With Discord, you have to make a separate “about” channel in your server that represents the wiki. 

AirSend removes abstractions of servers by eliminating the barriers. If you are starting from point A, you now can go to point C without having the confusion of context switching.

AirSend also enables public communities, moderator functionality, and built-in calling. Best of all, AirSend is currently free!

Cons to AirSend

AirSend is currently releasing updates and improving bug fixes. From the user perspective, this is a good and bad thing. Good because there will be new updates and features to the platform, but bad because there are still developments and bug fixes that need to be taken care of.

Mumble

The cool thing about Mumble is that it is an open-source VoIP platform (Voice over Internet Protocol). They are also great for low latency, high-quality voice chats. However, the selling point to Mumble is its security. 

Pricing

Mumble is set up as a subscription service. The way Mumble charges are on the number of slots (users) you have.

To give a general overview of pricing we will include the minimum number of slots and their pricing.

For the minimum of 15 slots: 

• 1 month: $7.50
• 3 months 10% off: $20.25
• 6 months 20% off: $36.00
• 12 months 40% off: $54.00
• 24 months 50% off: $90.00

For more on their pricing plan, click here. 

Pros to Mumble

As said before, the great alternative to Discord that Mumble has is security. Mumble offers encryption of chats and an authentication feature, which prevents random people from dropping into your chat room.

Finally, Mumble only uses 20 kbps of your bandwidth to function normally.

Having these security functions are great for businesses and/or clients who routinely deal with sensitive information.

Cons to Mumble

The main negative of Mumble is that they do not include browser support. This also makes the user experience a little difficult to maneuver through.

Lastly, Discord is free, whereas Mumble is not. When trying to figure out which platform is best for you, it is best to ask yourself how much does security mean to you. If security is a priority when looking for team chat software, then Mumble may be the better option. 

TeamSpeak

When it comes to online gaming, TeamSpeak is the number one choice for VoIP communications. Based on our research of recent case studies, TeamSpeak also carries lag-free communication, military-grade security, and customizations. 

Pricing

TeamSpeak’s prices are broken down by the number of users joining. Below is a picture of the latest prices they are offering.

Pros to TeamSpeak

Aside from the benefits already mentioned, TeamSpeak also offers unlimited file transfers, unlimited sub-channels, hosting your own private servers, and advanced permission controls.

These features would be great for those who are looking for a team chat that offers top-notch security, user/owner control, and offline functionality.

Cons to TeamSpeak

While TeamSpeak is certainly great and a strong alternative to Discord, the prices are a bit hard to swallow.

Further, TeamSpeak offers features that are targeted more towards gamers than professional team chat software.

This is not to say that TeamSpeak could help with business team chats, but with the somewhat complex UI, it would be a hard buy.

Great features, but it may be more than what the average team chats for business needs.

Flock

Flock is one of the more promising team chat software. Flock is incredibly easy to use, and with integrations from Google Suite, and a built-in shared to-do list, productivity seems promising.

They also carry other features, such as guest accounts, one-way announcement channels, and a five-column interface. They also support video and audio calls. 

Pricing

With Flock, there are three pricing plans: 

1. Free
   • Unlimited messaging
   • 10,000 searchable messages
   • 10 public channels
   • 5GB total per team
   • Single team admin
   • 1-1 Video calls
2. Pro Plan: $4.50 monthly
   • Unlimited search history and messaging
   • Unlimited private and public channels
   • 10 GB per team member
   • Multiple team admins
   • Group video calls
   • Screen sharing 
   • 24/7 priority support
3. Enterprise Plan: $8 monthly
   • Includes everything plus 20 GB per team member

Pros to Flock

While the features seem promising, there is still room for improvement. In an alternative to Discord, it is great. You have available built-in tools, such as app integration, polls, to-do lists, the ability to create public and private channels, reminders, and many more.

Cons to Flock

With recent reviews and case studies, a major con to Flock is its five-column interface. Having a busy interface can make users feel overwhelmed.

Much like Discord, having a complex UI design can leave the user experience lacking.

Furthermore, specific features designed for team collaboration is nice, but some of them feel unnecessary. 

Skype

Skype is a great alternative to Discord if all you are looking for is a simple audio and video chat software. Skype also has a built-in screen share feature. With basic functionalities, Skype is incredibly easy to use.

Pricing

Skype bases its pricing on calls. Especially international calls. While the text platform is free to use, to make international calls requires payment. For calls only in the U.S., it is $2.99 monthly. In India, it is $7.99 monthly with 800 minutes. 

Pros to Skype

Again, with the basic functions of audio, video, and text communication, Skype is great for team chats.

Unlike Discord, their simple UI design allows for easy usability.

If you are looking for something simple that is also supported on various platforms, Skype may be a good choice for you.

Cons to Skype

Though Skype is easy to use and it is also free, there are limited capabilities. With Discord, you can go further with its features, such as customization, and making specific channels oriented to productivity.

If you are looking for a team chat platform to do more, such as channel organization, Discord may be the better option.

Element

Though Discord is a great team chat app, it doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption. In other words, if you are an accounting business that handles sensitive information routinely, Element may be the better option for secure messaging.

Element has the capability to build bridges with users who use other team chat apps. They are currently running on Web, iOS, and Android.

Pricing

IT’S FREE! Riot.im is currently free, with future plans to have paid, hosted accounts

Pros to Element

Element also supports text and voice chats. Additionally, with Element, you can archive your files, like messages, quick drag-and-drop for fast sharing, and join or drop ongoing calls in a room without disturbing others. Most importantly you can connect to other team chat software.

Cons to Element

Element lacks other tools needed to make a successful team chat software. While the feature of building bridges to other team chat software is certainly a game-changer, Element lacks the ability to have integrated and/or built-in task management and built-in notes. Alternatively, Discord supports integrations. 

Tox

Tox is a great alternative to Discord if you have been doing things other than gaming. Tox features encryptions and is fairly easy to use. Additionally, Tox supports text, voice, and video chat. They also support screen sharing. Like Discord, Tox also has file sharing.

Pros to Tox

One of the main selling points to Tox is that it has zero central servers. The entirety of Tox’s network is comprised of the users. This also means no server outages that could disrupt workflow. Tox is also free

Cons to Tox

Because Tox is fairly new, there may be some bugs leftover. Further, Tox’s UI is lacking compared to Discord. 

Chanty

Chanty is a collaboration tool made for everyone. Chanty’s easy-to-use design is a result of the balance of features and usability. Though Chanty may not be suitable for gamers, it is a great Discord alternative for teamwork collaboration. 

Pricing

Chanty has two pricing plans. Free and Business. 

Free Plan:

• Public/private channels
• One-to-one audio calls
• Voice messages
• Task management
• Community support
• Up to 10 team members
• 20 GB file storage per team

Business Plan: $3 user/month

• Unlimited group audio calls
• One-to-one video calls
• Group video calls
• Screen sharing
• Roles and permissions
• Community support
• Guest users
• 20 GB file storage per member

Pros to Chanty

Chanty provides features that are great for teamwork collaboration. Such features include:

• Task management
• Teambook
• Pin messages
• Kanban board view
• Integrations
  • MailChimp
  • Trello
  • Dropbox
  • OneDrive
  • Google Drive
  • Gitlab

As mentioned before, Chanty is great for teamwork collaboration. As a Discord alternative, users have an increase in productivity and workflow. 

Cons to Chanty

To have great team collaborations, you need to buy the business plan. If your company heavily relies on conferencing, and you also have a limited budget, Chanty may not be a suitable platform for you.

Jami

Jami is a voice, video, and chat communication platform. One of its strong points is that the platform is an open-source platform. This means that users can customize the platform to fit their needs best. Jami is also free. 

Pros to Jami

Jami is: 

• Ad-free
• Compatible
• Fast
• Autonomous
• Anonymous
• Private

All messages sent through Jami are encrypted. The platform is also compatible with Linux, Android, macOS, Windows, and iOS. Jami is also autonomous in that “users who are on the same local network can communicate with Jami even if they are disconnected from the internet,” (Jami homepage). Finally, no personal information is required when signing up for an account. 

Cons to Jami

Jami is a great Discord alternative in that it is highly secured, which makes it great for starting communities. However, it lacks collaborative features, such as customizing roles and permissions and using Teambook. If you are looking for an all-in-one inclusive platform that provides everything, Jami may not be the option. 

Overtone

Overtone is the most similar Discord platform. Overtone is similar in design and usability to Discord. The difference is that Overtone does not feature servers. According to its website, “Overtone is not just another voice and text chat service. It puts games and gamers where they are meant to be- together.”

The platform works because Overtone delivers communities that are specially catered to what games you like. Users can join communities through the games they like. Joining communities allows users to interact with new players in communities and games- and even start their own private party. 

Pricing

Overtone is currently free.

Pros to Overtone

Overtone shows much promise as a Discord alternative for gamers. With plenty of communities for users to join, it is easy to make new friends. Finally, with Overtone, users can privately hang out with smaller groups of people from their team.

Overtone is not a collaborative platform, and it is not meant to be a collaborative platform. Their market is gamers. However, we included Overtone in the Discord alternatives list for workers looking to join the ideal community platform after a long workday.

Cons to Overtone

Overtone has many lags and lacks many features. This is to be expected for a recently launched platform. Finally, many bug issues prevent the app from functioning.

Results

As you can see, each platform carries its pros and cons. It is all a matter of what you feel would be the perfect team chat software.

Our goal with AirSend is to do less with more. Our mission is to be the #1 team chat tool.  We want to deliver a team chat platform that allows you to take care of all your business needs in one place. A platform that delivers maximum productivity.

We use AirSend as our digital workspace for our marketing team. Even though AirSend is our product, we sincerely believe that AirSend can help your team too. Give us a try and let us know what you think! 

AirSend is a versatile digital workspace to share files, send messages, and complete tasks. See how AirSend can help you.