Alternatives · Team Chat
Discord alternatives
Discord compared with 7 alternatives: Slack, Element, Zulip, Rocket.Chat, Microsoft Teams and 2 more.
Discord has a free plan. Paid plans start at $2.99 per month. 6 of the 7 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
7 tools · Listings checked up to Oct 6, 2026 · Where the facts come from
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| DiscordThis tool | Free plan · from $2.99/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Slack | Free plan · from $7.25/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Element | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Zulip | Free plan · from $3.50/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Rocket.Chat | Free plan | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Microsoft Teams | Free plan · from $4.00/mo | Yes | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Gather | Free trial · from $12/mo | Trial only | Web, macOS, Windows, Browser extension |
| Tandem | Free plan · from $64/mo | Yes | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension |
How each one differs from Discord
- Free plan · from $7.25/mo
Slack
Channel-based team messaging with huddles, workflows and AI
- Slack starts at $7.25 per user / month, billed annually. Discord starts at $2.99 per month.
- Slack also covers workflow automation and documents.
Suits: Teams that want conversations organized by channel rather than email threads
- Free plan
Element
End-to-end encrypted chat and calls on the Matrix standard
- Element is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
Suits: Governments and regulated organizations that self-host encrypted chat
- Free plan · from $3.50/mo
Zulip
Open-source team chat that organizes channels by topic
- Zulip starts at $3.50 per user / month self-hosted (billed monthly); Cloud from $6.67 billed annually. Discord starts at $2.99 per month.
- Zulip is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Discord also covers video calls.
Suits: Distributed teams that prefer asynchronous, topic-organized conversations
- Free plan
Rocket.Chat
Open-source, self-managed chat for security-focused teams
- Rocket.Chat is open source, self-hostable and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Discord also covers video calls.
Suits: Organizations that must host chat themselves for data sovereignty
- Free plan · from $4.00/mo
Microsoft Teams
Chat, video meetings and calling tied into Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Teams starts at $4.00 per user / month, paid yearly. Discord starts at $2.99 per month.
- Only Discord lists a Linux app.
- Microsoft Teams also covers transcription, noise cancellation and whiteboard.
Suits: Organizations that already pay for Microsoft 365
- Free trial · from $12/mo
Gather
Virtual office with presence, meetings and chat for remote teams
- Gather starts at $12 per member / month, billed yearly. Discord starts at $2.99 per month.
- Discord has a free plan. Gather does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Gather lists a browser extension.
- Only Discord lists Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Gather also covers meeting notes, transcription and whiteboard.
Suits: Remote teams that want quick conversations without scheduling a call
- Free plan · from $64/mo
Tandem
Virtual office with one-click calls and shared-cursor screen sharing
- Tandem starts at $64 per month for a 10-member team, or $599 billed yearly. Discord starts at $2.99 per month.
- Only Tandem lists a browser extension.
- Only Discord lists a web app.
- Discord also covers team chat and file sharing.
Suits: Remote teams that prefer quick spoken conversations to scheduled meetings
Limits worth knowing in Discord
- The paid plans are personal Nitro subscriptions; the site lists no per-seat business plan or admin tier for companies.
- Uploads are capped at 50 MB on Nitro Basic and 1 GB on Nitro, and HD streaming needs Nitro.
- Discord says Nitro prices vary by country and plan, so the US prices listed here may not match what the app shows elsewhere.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Discord?
The alternatives to Discord in this directory are Slack, Element, Zulip, Rocket.Chat, Microsoft Teams, Gather and Tandem. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Discord.
Is there a free alternative to Discord?
Yes. Slack, Element, Zulip, Rocket.Chat, Microsoft Teams and Tandem have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Is there an open-source alternative to Discord?
Element, Zulip and Rocket.Chat are described as open source on their own sites.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Oct 6, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.