I can totally feel the pushback against Discord's new age verification system — requiring users to upload video selfies and government IDs for a company that was already adding Nitro subscriptions and ads is exactly why people are looking elsewhere. One of their third-party ID providers even got hacked in late 2025, potentially exposing around 70,000 user documents! If you want the same Discord look without any of it, Stoat (formerly Revolt) has an app that looks identical with just the numbers removed and supports text, voice, video, screen sharing, custom themes, roles, and is available on web plus Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS — and they can even host your server if you don't want to self-host.
If you prefer something more robust and decentralized, Element is built on the Matrix protocol so it's end-to-end encrypted and interoperable with any other Matrix app; it includes text, voice, video, screen sharing, file sharing, and location sharing on mobile, plus a full theme engine (no default custom emojis though), and runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Each has its own angle — Stoat is the most immediately familiar Discord clone while Element gets stronger long-term support from being Matrix-backed, but the real challenge is getting your group to migrate since everyone's already habituated to Discord. Either way, hosting your own server removes the privacy headache entirely because you control the data and never have a mandatory verification system collecting anyone's ID — which I'd do in a heartbeat for my inner circle.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2193599/open-source-Discord-alternatives-what-Stoat-and-Element-actually-fix/
If you prefer something more robust and decentralized, Element is built on the Matrix protocol so it's end-to-end encrypted and interoperable with any other Matrix app; it includes text, voice, video, screen sharing, file sharing, and location sharing on mobile, plus a full theme engine (no default custom emojis though), and runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Each has its own angle — Stoat is the most immediately familiar Discord clone while Element gets stronger long-term support from being Matrix-backed, but the real challenge is getting your group to migrate since everyone's already habituated to Discord. Either way, hosting your own server removes the privacy headache entirely because you control the data and never have a mandatory verification system collecting anyone's ID — which I'd do in a heartbeat for my inner circle.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2193599/open-source-Discord-alternatives-what-Stoat-and-Element-actually-fix/