Why Cloak Is the Best Private Discord Alternative in 2026

Why people are looking for a Discord alternative

Discord has become the go-to platform for communities, gaming groups, and friend circles. It has rooms (servers), roles, voice channels, video calls, screen sharing, bots, and a polished interface. But there is one thing Discord does not have: end-to-end encryption.

Every message you send on Discord passes through their servers in plaintext. Discord can read your messages. Their automated systems scan them. And their privacy policy makes it clear: your data is collected, processed, and used for advertising and analytics.

For many people, that trade-off is not worth it. If you care about privacy, you need a secure Discord alternative that delivers the same features without compromising your data.

What makes a good Discord alternative?

A true private Discord alternative needs to check every box that Discord does, and then add encryption on top. Here is what to look for:

• End-to-end encryption: messages, calls, and files should be encrypted on your device before they touch the network
• Rooms and channels: text and voice channels organized into servers, just like Discord
• Roles and permissions: granular access control for community management
• Video calls and screen sharing: encrypted, not just for audio but for every video frame
• File sharing: with encryption and permission controls
• Zero-knowledge architecture: the server should never have access to your plaintext data

Enter Cloak: encrypted Discord, without the trade-offs

Cloak was built from the ground up as the private chat platform that Discord should have been. It uses the Signal Protocol for key exchange and AES-256-GCM for message encryption, the same cryptographic standards trusted by security researchers worldwide.

Here is what Cloak offers that Discord does not:

• Every message is encrypted on your device before it leaves. The server only stores ciphertext.
• Voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted using WebRTC Insertable Streams. Every audio and video frame is encrypted before transmission.
• Files are encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM and stored in your personal encrypted vault with per-file permission controls.
• Zero-knowledge architecture: even Cloak's own servers cannot read your messages, files, or call content.

Feature comparison: Cloak vs Discord

How Cloak's encryption works

Cloak does not use a single encryption method. It layers multiple cryptographic protocols to protect every aspect of your communication:

1. Signal Protocol handles key exchange between users using Curve25519 key pairs and the Double Ratchet Algorithm
2. AES-256-GCM encrypts every message with a unique random initialization vector, so identical messages produce different ciphertext
3. Per-conversation keys: each DM and each room has its own unique encryption key
4. WebRTC Insertable Streams encrypt voice and video frame by frame before transmission
5. HTTP/3 WebTransport over TLS 1.3 secures all data in transit

All of this happens on your device. The server never sees plaintext. Learn more on our security deep dive.

Pricing

Cloak offers a free tier with 2 rooms, 1GB encrypted vault storage, and P2P video calls. Paid plans start at $6.99/month and unlock more rooms, larger file uploads, server-relayed streaming, and expanded vault storage. Every plan uses the same end-to-end encryption.

See all plans on our pricing page.

Getting started

Cloak is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You can also use it at app.cloak.chat. Download it, create an account, and start chatting with real privacy: no compromises, no data collection, no ads.

If you have been searching for a private Discord alternative, an encrypted messaging app with rooms and roles, or simply a secure chat app that does not sell your data, Cloak is what you have been looking for.

Related reading

• Is Discord Encrypted? What You Need to Know
• The 10 Best Discord Alternatives in 2026
• Signal vs Cloak: When Encryption Meets Full-Featured Chat