Discord — Voice, video, and text chat built around persistent communities, from gaming servers to hobbyist groups and small teams.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
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Discord in 20 seconds
Best for: gaming and hobbyist communities wanting an always-on voice hangout with unlimited free members
Pricing: Free with unlimited servers and members; Nitro Basic from $2.99/month; Nitro from $9.99/month.
- Discord's free tier includes unlimited servers, members, and message history.
- Discord Nitro starts at $2.99/month (Basic) and $9.99/month (Nitro), which adds HD streaming, server boosts, and Xbox Game Pass.
- Discord holds a 4.6/5 rating from 540 reviews on Capterra.
- Discord is available on web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- Discord shows friends' current game activity and lets users join sessions directly for supported games.
Limitations: Lacks enterprise compliance, SSO, and formal admin auditing found in workplace chat tools like Slack or Teams.; Moderation depends on volunteer server admins and third-party bots rather than built-in enterprise controls.; Not designed for structured business workflows; best suited to informal, always-on community chat.
Top alternatives: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Guilded, Mattermost, Rocket.Chat — full list
What is Discord?
Discord is a group chat platform built around "servers" — persistent, invite-only spaces that combine voice channels, video calls, text channels, and threads. Users can drop into a voice channel without scheduling a call, similar to walking into a room, and switch between PC, phone, and console without losing context. Each server can host multiple channels for different topics, roles and permissions for moderation, custom emoji and stickers, a soundboard, and screen sharing for watching video or playing games together. For supported games, Discord shows what friends are currently playing and lets users join directly. The free tier has no cap on server members, message history, or voice-channel time; the optional Nitro subscription adds larger file uploads, HD video, custom app themes, and "server boosts" that unlock perks like more emoji slots and higher audio quality for an entire server. Discord is used heavily by gaming communities, open-source and developer projects, content-creator fan communities, and some small teams that prefer its informal, always-on voice culture over structured business chat tools.
Discord is a group communication platform organized around persistent "servers" that mix voice channels, video calls, and threaded text chat, originally built for gamers and now used by hobbyist communities, creators, and some small teams. Anyone can create a free server with unlimited members, unlimited message history, and always-on voice channels; the paid Nitro tier starts at $2.99/month for custom emoji and larger file uploads, with the $9.99/month tier adding HD streaming, server boosts, and Xbox Game Pass access. It holds a 4.6/5 rating from 540 reviews on Capterra. Discord is best for real-time community hangout spaces rather than structured business communication, where reviewers note it lacks the compliance and formal channel-permission features of workplace tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Standout feature: Persistent voice channels that anyone in a server can drop into without scheduling a call or sending an invite link, combined with a free tier that has no cap on members or message history.
Biggest weakness: Discord is not built for business use: reviewers note it lacks enterprise features like SSO/compliance controls, granular admin auditing, and threaded formal workflows that tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams provide, and server moderation still depends heavily on volunteer admins and third-party bots.
Pros
- Free tier has unlimited servers, members, and message history with no time-limited voice calls.
- Persistent voice channels let people join and leave communication casually, without scheduling.
- Deep gaming integrations (rich presence, direct game invites, low-latency streaming).
- Highly customizable via roles, permissions, and a large ecosystem of third-party bots.
Cons
- Not designed for professional/business communication; lacks the compliance, SSO, and formal admin auditing of workplace chat tools.
- Server moderation quality varies widely since it depends on volunteer admins and bots rather than built-in enterprise controls.
- Nitro pricing and perks (server boosts, file limits) can be confusing to new users trying to understand what's actually included.
- Anyone with a username can attempt to message or find users by default, raising privacy concerns some reviewers flag.
Discord pricing
Free tier · paid from $2.99/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Unlimited servers, members, and message history; voice, video, and text channels; screen sharing; standard emoji and 8MB (or 25MB boosted) file uploads. |
| Nitro Basic | $2.99/mo | Custom emoji anywhere, 50MB file uploads, custom app icons, Nitro profile badge, access to the Nitro Rewards program. |
| Nitro | $9.99/mo | All Basic features plus 500MB file uploads, HD video streaming, custom profiles, custom app themes and video backgrounds, Super Reactions, 2 server boosts, 3 friend passes, and Xbox Game Pass (Starter Edition). |
What reviewers say
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