The 10 Best Discord Alternatives in 2026 (Privacy Ranked)

Why people search for Discord alternatives

Discord dominates the group chat space with over 200 million monthly active users. But a growing number of those users are looking for alternatives. The reasons are consistent: no end-to-end encryption, extensive data collection, content scanning of DMs, and increasing monetization that prioritizes revenue over user experience.

Whether you are a privacy-conscious individual, a community leader, or a team looking for secure collaboration, here are the 10 best Discord alternatives in 2026, ranked by privacy and encryption strength.

How we ranked these alternatives

We evaluated each platform on five criteria:

1. Encryption: is it end-to-end? Is it on by default?
2. Privacy practices: data collection, metadata exposure, logging
3. Community features: rooms, channels, roles, voice, video
4. Usability: how easy is it to set up and use?
5. Free tier: what can you do without paying?

1. Cloak Chat: best overall for privacy + features

Cloak Chat is the only platform that combines Signal Protocol end-to-end encryption with a full Discord-style feature set. Rooms, text and voice channels, roles with 30+ granular permissions, encrypted video calls and screen sharing, custom emoji, message reactions, and an encrypted file vault. All built on zero-knowledge architecture where the server never sees your plaintext data.

• Encryption: Signal Protocol + AES-256-GCM, always on
• Voice/video: E2EE via WebRTC Insertable Streams
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, web
• Free tier: 2 rooms, 1GB vault, P2P video
• Best for: anyone who wants Discord features with real encryption

2. Signal: best for simple encrypted messaging

Signal remains the gold standard for one-on-one and small group encrypted messaging. The Signal Protocol is the most trusted E2EE standard in the industry. But Signal is a messenger, not a community platform. No servers, no rooms, no roles, no screen sharing, no file management.

• Encryption: Signal Protocol, always on
• Community features: group chats only (no servers/rooms)
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
• Best for: private one-on-one messaging on mobile

3. Element (Matrix): best for self-hosting and decentralization

Element is the most popular client for the Matrix protocol. It offers decentralized, federatable messaging with optional end-to-end encryption. Spaces organize rooms into server-like structures. The learning curve is steeper than Discord, and encryption is not always on by default for group rooms.

• Encryption: Olm/Megolm, optional per room
• Community features: Spaces, rooms, basic power levels
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web
• Best for: technical users who want self-hosted, federated chat

4. Revolt: best open-source Discord clone

Revolt is an open-source chat platform designed to look and feel exactly like Discord. Servers, channels, roles, and a familiar UI. It is self-hostable and does not collect as much data as Discord. However, it does not currently offer end-to-end encryption for messages or calls.

• Encryption: TLS only (no E2EE)
• Community features: servers, channels, roles, bots
• Platforms: web, desktop (Electron), mobile (beta)
• Best for: open-source enthusiasts who want a Discord UI without Discord

5. Guilded: best for gaming communities

Guilded (now owned by Roblox) offers rich community features targeted at gaming groups: tournament brackets, scheduling, streaming, and comprehensive server management. It has more built-in tools than Discord for organized gaming. No end-to-end encryption.

• Encryption: TLS only (no E2EE)
• Community features: extensive (tournaments, scheduling, streaming)
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
• Best for: gaming communities that need organizational tools

6. Wire: best for enterprise teams

Wire offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice, and video calls aimed at business collaboration. Clean interface, good security, and compliance certifications. However, it collects more metadata than Signal or Cloak Chat, and community features are limited compared to Discord-style platforms.

• Encryption: Proteus protocol (MLS migration underway), E2EE by default
• Community features: groups, but no servers/channels/roles
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web
• Best for: business teams needing encrypted collaboration

7. Rocket.Chat: best for enterprise self-hosting

Rocket.Chat is an open-source team communication platform with extensive self-hosting options. Channels, direct messages, video conferencing, and a plugin ecosystem. E2EE is available but optional and limited to specific conversations. Most commonly used as a Slack alternative rather than a Discord alternative.

• Encryption: optional E2EE for DMs and private channels
• Community features: channels, teams, threads, video
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web
• Best for: enterprises wanting self-hosted Slack-style chat

8. Telegram: most popular but least private

Telegram has a massive user base and feature-rich group chats with up to 200,000 members. But regular chats and all group chats are not end-to-end encrypted. Only "Secret Chats" (1:1 only) use E2EE. Telegram stores messages in plaintext on their servers by default. It uses a custom encryption protocol (MTProto) that has been criticized by cryptographers.

• Encryption: MTProto, E2EE only in Secret Chats (1:1)
• Community features: groups, channels, bots, stickers
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, web
• Best for: large public communities where privacy is not a priority

9. Keybase: encrypted but abandoned

Keybase offered encrypted chat, teams, and file sharing with strong cryptographic identity verification. It was acquired by Zoom in 2020 and has been effectively abandoned since, with no significant updates, declining user base, and uncertain future. Still functional but not recommended for new communities.

• Encryption: NaCl-based, E2EE by default
• Community features: teams, channels, file sharing
• Status: abandoned (no updates since 2020)

10. SimpleX Chat: best for anonymity

SimpleX Chat is unique in that it does not require any user identifier (no phone number, no email, no username). It uses a novel protocol that avoids persistent identifiers entirely. Excellent for anonymity but limited in community features. No servers, rooms, or roles.

• Encryption: Double Ratchet, E2EE by default
• Community features: groups only (no servers/channels)
• Platforms: iOS, Android, Linux, macOS
• Best for: maximum anonymity in messaging

Full comparison table

The bottom line

If you want the closest thing to Discord with real encryption, Cloak Chat is the answer. It is the only platform that combines end-to-end encrypted rooms, roles, voice channels, video calls, screen sharing, and file sharing under zero-knowledge architecture. No compromises on features, no compromises on privacy.

Ready to switch? Download Cloak Chat for free and start your first encrypted room in minutes. Or read our detailed Discord vs Cloak comparison for a deeper dive.