# Discord vs Stoat (2026)

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified October 23, 2026.

> **Verdict:** Choose Discord if you want the biggest ecosystem: persistent voice channels, video and screen sharing, deep gaming integrations, and a large third-party bot library, free with optional Nitro from $2.99/month. Choose Stoat, formerly Revolt, if you want a Discord-style chat app that is open source under AGPL-3.0, self-hostable, and gives every user custom emoji and animated avatars with no subscription. The deciding factor is ecosystem versus control: Discord has the bots and integrations, while Stoat lets you run your own instance.

**Choose Discord if:** Your community depends on third-party bots for moderation and automation, where Discord's ecosystem is far larger; You play games together and want rich presence, direct game invites, and low-latency streaming; You want video calls and screen sharing on the free tier, with HD streaming on Nitro at $9.99/month; You need large file uploads: 50MB on Nitro Basic ($2.99/month) or 500MB on Nitro ($9.99/month)

**Choose Stoat if:** You want open-source code under AGPL-3.0, covering the backend and every official client; You want to self-host your community's chat with the published Docker Compose configuration; You want custom emoji and animated avatars for every member without paying for a subscription; You want a chat app with a low learning curve rating and no paid tiers to explain to members

## At a glance

|  | Discord | Stoat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing | Free tier · paid from $2.99/mo | Free |
| License | Freemium | Open source |
| Best for | gaming and hobbyist communities that want an always-on voice hangout with unlimited free members, rather than a scheduled-meeting or formal workplace chat tool | running a gaming or hobby community server on an open-source Discord alternative without paying for perks like custom emoji or larger uploads |
| Ratings | Capterra 4.6/5 (540 reviews) | — |

## Feature comparison

| Feature | Discord | Stoat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | Yes (unlimited servers, members, and message history) | Yes (servers, text and voice channels, custom emoji, animated avatars) |
| Paid tiers | Yes (Nitro Basic $2.99/mo, Nitro $9.99/mo) | No (no subscription tier found) |
| Platforms | Yes (web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, plus console) | Yes (web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android) |
| Open source | No (closed source) | Yes (AGPL-3.0, backend and all official clients) |
| Self-hosting | No | Yes (Docker Compose; needs MongoDB, Redis, MinIO, RabbitMQ) |
| Voice channels | Yes (persistent channels anyone can drop into) | Yes (voice channels in every server) |
| Video and screen sharing | Yes (free; HD streaming on Nitro ($9.99/mo)) | Unknown |
| Custom emoji | Partial (custom emoji anywhere needs Nitro Basic ($2.99/mo)) | Yes (free for every user) |
| Animated avatars and custom profiles | Partial (custom profiles on Nitro ($9.99/mo)) | Yes (animated avatars free for every user) |
| File uploads | Yes (8MB free (25MB boosted), 50MB Basic, 500MB Nitro) | Unknown |
| Bots and integrations | Yes (large third-party bot ecosystem) | Partial (far smaller bot and integration ecosystem) |
| Gaming integrations | Yes (rich presence, direct game invites, low-latency streaming) | Unknown |
| Business controls (SSO, compliance, auditing) | No (reviewers note no SSO, compliance controls, or admin auditing) | Partial (self-hosting gives full data control; SSO not listed) |
| Privacy defaults | Partial (anyone with a username can try to find or message users) | Yes (built as a privacy-respecting alternative) |
| Learning curve | Partial (moderate) | Yes (low) |
| External rating (Capterra) | Yes (4.6/5 from 540 reviews) | Unknown |

## Discord vs Stoat (Revolt) pricing: which costs less?

Stoat, formerly Revolt, costs less because it is entirely free with no subscription tier found, while Discord is free to use but charges $2.99/month for Nitro Basic and $9.99/month for Nitro to unlock custom emoji, bigger uploads, and HD streaming.

Discord's free tier is generous: unlimited servers, members, and message history, plus voice, video, and screen sharing, with 8MB file uploads (25MB on boosted servers). Nitro Basic raises uploads to 50MB and allows custom emoji anywhere. Nitro raises uploads to 500MB and adds HD streaming, 2 server boosts, and Xbox Game Pass Starter Edition. Stoat gives custom emoji and animated avatars to every user for free. The tradeoff is funding: with no paid tier, Stoat has no confirmed roadmap for large-scale hosted infrastructure beyond community and donation support.

## Can you self-host Discord or Stoat?

Stoat can be self-hosted using its published Docker Compose configuration under the AGPL-3.0 license, while Discord is a closed-source hosted service.

Self-hosting Stoat is not light: the setup runs MongoDB, Redis, MinIO, and RabbitMQ alongside the Rust backend. In exchange, a team or community gets full control of its data. Discord runs every server on its own platform, where moderation depends on volunteer admins and third-party bots, and reviewers note that Discord lacks SSO, compliance controls, and admin auditing.

## Which has more features, Discord or Stoat?

Discord documents more features and a far larger ecosystem, listing video calls, screen sharing, a soundboard, deep gaming integrations, and many third-party bots, while the Stoat listing covers servers, text and voice channels, roles, custom emoji, and animated avatars.

Discord's persistent voice channels let members drop in without scheduling a call, and its gaming integrations show what friends are playing and allow direct game invites. Stoat's bot and integration ecosystem is far smaller, which matters for communities that automate moderation. Stoat's rebrand from Revolt also means older revolt.chat links and revoltchat GitHub references point to a superseded name, which can confuse new members.

## Which is easier to use, Discord or Stoat?

Stoat carries a low learning curve rating against Discord's moderate rating, and Discord reviewers note that Nitro pricing, server boosts, and file limits can confuse new users.

## Strengths and weaknesses

### Discord

- Pro: Free tier has unlimited servers, members, and message history with no time-limited voice calls.
- Pro: Persistent voice channels let people join and leave communication casually, without scheduling.
- Pro: Deep gaming integrations (rich presence, direct game invites, low-latency streaming).
- Pro: Highly customizable via roles, permissions, and a large ecosystem of third-party bots.
- Con: Not designed for professional/business communication; lacks the compliance, SSO, and formal admin auditing of workplace chat tools.
- Con: Server moderation quality varies widely since it depends on volunteer admins and bots rather than built-in enterprise controls.
- Con: Nitro pricing and perks (server boosts, file limits) can be confusing to new users trying to understand what's actually included.
- Con: Anyone with a username can attempt to message or find users by default, raising privacy concerns some reviewers flag.

### Stoat

- Pro: Free and open source (AGPL-3.0), with no ads and no paid tier.
- Pro: Custom emoji, 20 MB uploads, animated avatars and profile banners are free for everyone.
- Pro: Self-hostable with an official Docker Compose setup for communities that want their own instance.
- Pro: Desktop apps for Windows, macOS and Linux (AppImage, DEB, RPM and Flatpak) plus a web app.
- Pro: Group DMs hold up to 50 members, and bots work in them.
- Con: Much smaller bot and integration ecosystem than Discord.
- Con: The Android app is in early access and there is no native iOS app; iPhone and iPad users install the web app.
- Con: Self-hosting runs more than a dozen containers, including MongoDB, RabbitMQ, LiveKit and S3-compatible storage.
- Con: Parts of the stack still carry the Revolt name (the Android package chat.revolt, revolt-* Rust crates, a Revolt.toml config), which confuses developers after the 2025 rename.

## Which fits your use case?

| Use case | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gaming group that plays together most nights | Discord | Discord adds rich presence, direct game invites, and low-latency streaming to persistent voice channels; the Stoat listing has no gaming integrations. |
| Open-source project that wants its chat on open-source software | Stoat | Stoat's backend and every official client are AGPL-3.0, and the project can run its own instance; Discord is closed source. |
| Large community that relies on moderation bots | Discord | Discord moderation leans on a large third-party bot ecosystem, while Stoat's bot and integration ecosystem is far smaller. |
| Friend group that wants custom emoji without paying | Stoat | Stoat gives custom emoji and animated avatars to every user free, while Discord gates custom emoji anywhere behind Nitro Basic at $2.99/month. |
| Organization that must keep chat data on its own servers | Stoat | Stoat self-hosts through a published Docker Compose configuration; Discord offers no self-hosted option. |

## Migration FAQ

### Should I use Discord or Revolt?

Use Discord if you want the largest bot ecosystem, video and screen sharing, and gaming integrations. Use Stoat, the new name for Revolt, if you want an open-source AGPL-3.0 chat app you can self-host, with free custom emoji and animated avatars.

### Is Discord cheaper than Revolt?

No — Discord is free to use but sells Nitro Basic at $2.99/month and Nitro at $9.99/month, while Stoat, formerly Revolt, has no paid tier at all. Stoat gives custom emoji and animated avatars free to every user.

### Can Revolt replace Discord?

Yes for communities that need servers, text and voice channels, roles, and custom emoji, and Stoat, formerly Revolt, adds self-hosting. Stoat is a weaker fit for communities that depend on Discord's large third-party bot ecosystem or its gaming integrations.

### Is Revolt the same as Stoat?

Yes — Revolt rebranded to Stoat, revolt.chat now redirects to stoat.chat, and the GitHub organization moved from revoltchat to stoatchat. The product is the same open-source, AGPL-3.0 Discord alternative.

### Is Stoat open source?

Yes — Stoat's Rust backend and every official client are open source under AGPL-3.0. Discord is closed source.

## Neither a match?

- 4 alternatives to Discord: https://findalternative.to/discord
- 3 alternatives to Stoat: https://findalternative.to/revolt

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Markdown mirror of https://findalternative.to/compare/discord-vs-revolt — findalternative.to, honestly ranked software alternatives. AI info: https://findalternative.to/ai