Discord is launching required ID-verification for all adult users in March. This is after they had a data leak in October where 70,000 users’ ID photos may have been exposed to hackers.
The cherry on top? Discord is currently testing Persona to verify IDs – which is a company backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Peter Thiel is a co-founder of Palantir, a huge surveillance company that partners with ICE – just last week they entered into a $1 billion purchasing agreement with them. There are also concerns Palantir is working with the federal government to build individualized profiles of people by combining government data across multiple agencies. Thiel also appears over 2,200 times in the Epstein files and had meetings with him after Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
UPDATE 3/6/26: Discord has announced that they are postponing their global ID requirements from March to the second half of 2026, and have ended their partnership with Persona. But as the amazing YK Hong has said – do not go back to tech companies that partner with surveillance companies, even if they end said partnerships.
If you don’t want to submit your ID or otherwise complete age-verification on Discord, you will not be able to access:
Age-restricted content (18+), sensitive content will be blurred or hidden without being able to remove it or turn it off, you cannot access direct messages from people you don’t know, you will see warning prompts for friend requests from users you don’t know, and you can’t speak on stage in servers.
Discord says that for the majority of adult users, they will be able to confirm your age group using the information they already have and their age prediction software. I’m not sure how well this will work or what information they already have that they’re using to confirm a user’s age.
Want to show the world you’re voting with your dollar? Get Cut Off the Spigot merch at CutOffTheSpigot.com/Shop.
Get 20% off your entire order if you get a paid subscription before March 31st!
Depending on how you use Discord, there are a few different options for alternatives.
If you use Discord to connect to groups/communities:
I think the Fediverse could be a good option for this, but will cover it in a separate article in the future.
Communities: More similar to Facebook Groups than Discord’s chat-focused setup, however if you’re looking for a community-based alternative that isn’t venture capital backed or owned by billionaires, Communities should work for you. You can learn more about Communities in my Social Media alternatives post.
The Details: Communities is working towards a multi-stake cooperative once it is out of its initial startup/Beta phase.
Functionality: You can set up public, private, or hidden groups and subgroups within groups that can act like channels on Discord.
What’s missing: Chat functionality, screensharing
Privacy: Communities does not share your info with any third-parties like advertisers, unless its necessary to Communities’ operations.
Available On: iOS, Android, Web
If you use Discord mainly to chat with friends:
Signal: Open Source, end-to-end encrypted messaging app. I think Signal is generally the gold standard of widely-used secure messaging apps (WhatsApp is owned by Meta). I use Signal for some things and I’ve never had any issues, though I do wish they had more organizational features like channels within chats.
The Details: Signal is owned by the Signal Foundation, a non-profit organization that’s funded by the people who use it, not advertising or investors. While they don’t have a public diversity policy, three out of their five board members are women which is pretty refreshing for a tech organization. Signal Foundation does not have a profile on OpenSecrets, though if you search and see “Signal Group”, that is for a lobbying firm, not the chat app.
Functionality: Chat (including emoji reactions, stickers, some formatted text), Voice & Video calls. You can screenshare when using their desktop version.
What’s missing: There’s no servers/communities or channels like in Discord, so if you want to connect with a group of friends it may work but for larger communities the Signal infrastructure isn’t currently set up to handle that effectively. Limited searchability and no post-pinning available within chats, and limited moderation tools for admins within group chats.
Privacy: Proton and Mozilla both have deep-dives on Signal’s privacy and overall recommend it as a decent if not good option. Signal does run partly on AWS, which board member Meredith Whittaker discusses why here.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux), iOS, Android
Most similar to the full Discord experience:
These options are seeing a huge influx of new users since Discord made the announcement, so bear with them as they scale up capacity.
Stoat (formerly known as Revolt): If you don’t need screensharing, Stoat seems to be the best alternative to Discord for everything else. I like that they aren’t backed by venture capital, so are less likely to implement policies that users dislike, but that also means that bringing on new features like screensharing may take some time.
The Details: Owned by the founder, Pawel Makles. Stoat does not have a profile on OpenSecrets nor a public diversity policy, which is common for small companies with less than 25 employees.
Functionality: Stoat looks and feels like Discord, with free themes & customizations, servers, and voice chats are available. If you’re technically inclined, you can also migrate your Discord history to Stoat.
What’s missing: Screensharing, though they are working on it.
Privacy: You can set up self-hosting with Stoat to be more private. Stoat is based in the UK, and the UK’s Online Safety Act is what is driving Discord to adopt age-verification in order to be compliant, leading some to be concerned Stoat could employ similar practices. However, that is a chance with any UK-based company, and I don’t think it’s worthwhile to avoid them for a policy that’s not confirmed by the company.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac, & Linux), iOS, Android
UPDATE 3/11/26: Adding in Fluxer after so many people recommended it!
Fluxer: Free & open source, with options to upgrade to a Plutonium subscription for users who want higher limits. Fluxer is a two-person operation right now, so similar to Stoat it may take some time for new features and there may be bugs/slowness as they scale up capacity.
The Details: Founded and owned by Hampus Kraft in Sweden. Right now they only have one employee beyond Hampus, so they don’t have a public diversity policy.
Functionality: Fluxer has a lot of the same core functionality as Discord, including screensharing! If you’re interested, Fluxer has a detailed step-by-step of how it was built and why they chose certain partners within their setup.
What’s missing: No mobile app versions yet, but based on their roadmap, that’s the #1 feature they’re prioritizing to build.
Privacy: You can self-host on Fluxer, and unlike Stoat it’s based out of Sweden so would have less of a conflict with UK age verification laws.
Available On: Web, Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux)
TeamSpeak: If you’re using Discord as a gamer, TeamSpeak is a decent option though it doesn’t have offline chat features.
The Details: Owned by TeamSpeak Systems Inc, which is privately held without venture capital backing. Notably, they include defense contractors Northrup Grunman and Rockwell Collins on their B2B site’s About page (something I don’t love). TeamSpeak does not have a profile on OpenSecrets nor a public diversity policy.
Functionality: TeamSpeak is great for voice/video calls and screensharing.
What’s missing: Their text chat seems to be fairly lacking, with no offline chat option.
Privacy: Decentralized setup, you can host your own private server. They also claim to have military-grade encryption (TS3, AES-based). However, if you don’t have your own private server you may need to pay to rent one from TeamSpeak.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac & Linux), iOS, Android
If you are technically-inclined and want open-source and/or decentralized options:
Matrix: There isn’t a Matrix app/program you can download, you need to install a client and then choose a server. But if you are comfortable with this and want similar chat functionality to Discord, it’s a good option. It also has screensharing capability, but this tends to be buggy and/or slow.
The Details: Founded by Amandine Le Pape & Matthew Hodgson and owned by The Matrix.org Foundation, a non-profit UK Community Interest Company. Matrix has a small team of contracted (vs. full-time employed) professionals, so they don’t have a diversity policy. Matrix does not have a profile on OpenSecrets.
Functionality: You can create servers and channels similar to Discord. View a full feature comparison list to Discord here.
What’s missing: Screenshare/camera can be buggy, and in general people comment on the overall slowness of Matrix. Game-streaming, voice channels, custom emoji, push to talk are features Matrix does not have yet.
Privacy: Matrix is set up as an open-source federated option, meaning it’s decentralized, and you can self-host.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac, & Linux), iOS, Android through the Element client (other clients are also available)
Mumble: Great option for high-quality voice calls/chat, but doesn’t have screensharing or video calls.
The Details: Mumble is a free, open-source project built by volunteers. Mumble does not have a profile on OpenSecrets. They don’t have any employees, so they don’t have a diversity policy.
Functionality: Mumble focuses on high-quality voice chat features, and has text chat capabilities.
What’s missing: No screensharing or video calls.
Privacy: Decentralized, meaning you need to host your own server to run it.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux). There is an iOS app but it hasn’t been updated since 2017, and there is an unofficial third-party Android app.
Spacebar: Open source reimplementation and extension of Discord’s client-server API, but no screensharing or voice/video features.
The Details: As far as I can tell, it’s run by volunteers, and as such, does not have a diversity policy for employees. Spacebar does not have a profile on OpenSecrets.
Functionality: Spacebar supports existing Discord bots, clients, & applications. They are working towards fully replicating all of Discord’s features, but for now they have chat & messaging.
What’s missing: Voice/video, screensharing, full list here
Privacy: Spacebar is completely decentralized, meaning you have to have your own server to run it.
Available On: Depends on the client you have set up, but if you use Fermi it’s only available via the web.
Steam: I don’t love their lobbying spend, especially considering Steam acts more like Apple or Amazon with independent game developers than a fair partner.
The Details: Owned by the Valve Corporation, which is privately held. Gabe Newell, one of the co-founders of Valve, is estimated to own at least half the company. Valve Corporation spent $620K on lobbying from 2023-2025 on issues related to the Open App Markets Act. Valve Corporation does not have a public diversity policy.
Functionality: Steam chat (text or voice), supports videos, tweets & GIFs. Screensharing is available, & you can also stream your gameplay with friends.
What’s Missing: Steam chat is more for friends and small groups versus participating in larger communities.
Privacy: Steam uses Opus encoding for voice chats, you can see more on their privacy policy here.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac, & Linux), iOS, Android
Root: This is the option that’s most similar to Discord, but their privacy policy is very concerning (see below) though they have said they are working to adjust it. I would hold off on switching over to Root until their privacy policy is updated sufficiently.
The Details: Privately owned and backed by venture capital. Root does not have a profile on OpenSecrets nor a public diversity policy.
Functionality: Very similar to Discord with servers, channels, voice/video calls, screensharing, and similar admin roles & permissions. Can use their template import features to migrate your server from Discord with the main channels and descriptions, though it does not transfer over messages.
What’s missing: 60fps streaming, events, no native bot or app support, other smaller features.
Privacy: The current version of their Privacy Policy notes that Root collects “the personal information and content of communications that you disclose through the Service. This may include messages, pictures and files shared between users and within communities. We may also collect voice, video or screensharing “calls” between users and within communities.” This is pretty concerning, although Root has noted that they’ve heard the complaints and are working to adjust their policy. UPDATE 3/6/26: It looks like Root has updated their privacy policy now, but the fact that they had these terms in place at all originally is still concerning.
Available On: Desktop (Windows, Mac, & Linux), iOS, Android
UPDATE 3/11/26: Added in Telegram.
Telegram: Do not recommend because the founder/owner is crazy and it has investments from major capital firms like BlackRock. Telegram also faces issues spreading right-wing propaganda, the CEO was arrested in France in 2024 for being complicit in illegal activities on Telegram (child sexual abuse material, money laundering).
The Details: Owned privately by the founders, brothers Pavel & Nikolai Durov and based out of the UAE. Telegram is funded through venture capital firms Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners (an offshoot of the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi), Manta Ray Ventures, BlackRock, and others.
Rocket.Chat: It’s open-source, but I don’t love that they focus so much on government contracts, especially with US military branches.
Zulip: Open-source and self-hosting options, though their free accounts are limited. Feels like this is more of a Slack alternative for companies and organizations than every day individuals.
Mattermost: Mattermost seems to be focused on working more with government and military institutions than every day people based on their website.
Discourse: Built for tech organizations, not individuals.
Over the coming weeks I’ll be diving in on internet provider alternatives, hair care brands, and more!
Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, BlueSky or UpScrolled for recap videos, and subscribe for the latest & greatest every Friday. Thanks for reading <3
Get 20% off your entire order if you get a paid subscription before March 31st!
