A Discordant View: 3 Alternatives to Discord and how we got here...

Source: Dev.to

Disclaimer
While all attempts have been made to make this piece as factual as possible, by necessity there is some opinion involved. These opinions are mine and mine alone and don’t represent anyone else’s. As always, please do your own homework. I have tried, where possible, to provide links to the sources that form the basis of my opinions. Please use your judgment.

What is the background? (or how did we get here?)

In a press release dated February 9 2026, Discord announced that it was moving to a “teen‑by‑default” global setting. To gain access to fully “unshackled” features, users would need to complete one or more of the following:

• Automatic determination of a person to be an adult (the exact method is unclear)
• A face scan
• Submission of government‑issued ID

According to the press release, the scans are performed on‑device and the information is deleted once verification is complete.

The concern

The problem, in my mind, is two‑fold:

1. Data‑breach history – Discord has had historical problems with data breaches. Requiring biometric or ID data seems to fly in the face of any “privacy‑first” stance the company claims to champion.
2. Third‑party involvement – There are questions about which third parties Discord has selected to perform this effort. An article points to possible ties with a company linked to Palantir and Peter Thiel, raising concerns that the move could be more about surveillance than protection. While Discord must comply with the laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates (see here), proactive compliance seems questionable, especially when third‑party handlers have ties to ICE and other U.S. surveillance initiatives.

Why does this matter?

• Adult verification for users over 13 – Historically, users only needed to prove age when accessing adult‑content areas. Requiring verification for all users puts them at risk of exposing sensitive personal information to unknown parties.
• U.S. privacy protections – The United States lacks the comprehensive data‑protection framework of the European Union. Some states (e.g., California) have stronger statutes, but they are not identical to GDPR.
• Limited legal recourse – If Discord or a third‑party handler fails to protect your data, you may have little recourse. The Discord Terms of Service include an arbitration clause that waives the right to a class‑action lawsuit (see “Settling Disputes between you and Discord”). Courts have historically upheld such clauses (e.g., Smith v. Spizzirri, 2024).
• Potential government overreach – If Discord shares verified data with government agencies without a warrant—e.g., via administrative subpoenas (as reported by The New York Times)—users could be “doxxed” for political, religious, or other protected reasons. Past incidents show that governments sometimes bypass proper legal processes.

Bottom line: Continuing to use Discord may expose you to data‑collection practices that could be abused by the company or third parties. Whoever controls the hardware ultimately controls the data, and Discord’s track record raises trust concerns.

What is the solution?

For brevity, I’ll cover three alternatives. Many other options exist (e.g., Teamspeak), but I’ve limited the discussion to three because “less is more” when offering choices. The three options are Stoat, Matrix, and IRC.

What is Stoat?

Revolt, now known as Stoat, is a chat application available for any desktop operating system, with mobile apps for iOS and Android. It appears to be based in England, judging by its terms and conditions. Stoat is open source (AGPL‑3) and its code is hosted on GitHub.

Stoat details

• License – Stoat is released under the AGPL‑3.0 (TL;DRLegal summary). This license closes the gap in GPL‑3 that excludes network use, ensures that changes are shared with the community, and prevents a company from later reneging on its software license.
• Name change – The project renamed itself after receiving a cease‑and‑desist over IP issues with its previous name (announcement).
• Documentation – Development documentation and contribution guidelines are available at the Stoat developers site.

Drawbacks

• No video chat, custom emojis, etc.
• Centralized (not federated like Lemmy or Matrix).
• No end‑to‑end encryption yet; DMs are planned to receive encryption, but spaces will not be encrypted initially (see a recent Reddit megathread).

Overall, Stoat feels very Discord‑like and is a solid open‑source alternative, but its centralization and lack of encryption are important considerations.

What is Matrix?

Matrix is a decentralized chat platform built on a set of open APIs that enable federation between servers. Its ecosystem includes several key components:

You can find the source code for each component on GitHub:

• Matrix core:
• Element client:
• Synapse homeserver:

Features

• Video messaging, “spaces within spaces,” and default end‑to‑end encryption for one‑to‑one and group chats.
• Bridging to other services (Discord, IRC, Microsoft Teams, etc.).
• Bots, widgets, and extensive customization.
• Option to host your own encrypted server, keeping all data under your control.

Trade‑offs

• User‑friendliness – The decentralized nature introduces a learning curve and many configuration options, which can deter less‑technical users.
• Performance – Initial loading of federated servers can be noticeable, but this is a one‑time cost; subsequent usage is smooth.

For a quick start, Element’s hosted service (using the public Matrix server) lets you try the platform with minimal setup.

How secure is the end‑to‑end encryption?

Matrix’s encryption has attracted attention from government and security professionals. In a blog post the Matrix team highlighted that U.S. senators have advocated for its use in military and Department‑of‑Defense contexts, citing concerns about unencrypted alternatives like Microsoft Teams. The post includes a letter from Senator Ron Wyden outlining those concerns.

Caveats

• Vulnerabilities do exist. A 2022 Ars Technica article described bugs that could subvert Matrix’s E2EE guarantees. Patches were released promptly, but security is never 100 % guaranteed.
• Server trust. Encryption security depends on the trustworthiness of the homeserver you join. Self‑hosting or using reputable public servers mitigates risk.

Overall, Matrix provides strong encryption by default, but staying up‑to‑date with patches and choosing trustworthy servers are essential.

What is IRC?

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is the oldest protocol on this list. It is a plain‑text messaging system with limited file‑transfer capabilities, embodying the Unix philosophy of “do one thing and do it well.”

Getting started

1. Choose a client. Popular options include:
   • HexChat – Desktop client with built‑in server list and channel‑joining UI.
   • Web clients – No installation required; many networks offer browser‑based access.
2. Connect to a network. For example, the Ubuntu Linux channel resides on Libera.Chat. Some networks require registration (email + password) to obtain a persistent nickname.

Considerations

• Privacy – IRC is essentially an open‑mic; anything you type is visible to anyone on the server. It does not provide built‑in encryption or privacy guarantees.
• Decentralization – There is no single “main” server; many independent networks exist, which aligns with a decentralized model.

IRC remains a lightweight, low‑overhead communication tool, but it lacks modern security features and multimedia support.

Conclusion

• If you are looking for the closest thing to a Discord clone, pick Stoat.
  Note: You can self‑host Stoat by following the instructions in their README here.

• If you want an open platform with only basic text chat and file transfer, use IRC.

• If you prefer communications encrypted by default (with optional encrypted spaces) and the ability to self‑host, use Matrix/Element.

Addendum

Some additional tidbits worth reading:

• Discord and Persona end partnership after shady UK age‑test sparks outcry (Ars Technica)
• New York Times article (archived) – Please note that this is an archive.ph link. This is something Wikipedia finds suspect. Unfortunately, my alternative is paywalled, so use at your own risk.

If you are interested in learning more about IRC, there are several fantastic resources available beyond what I can provide in this blog post. I recommend starting:

• irchelp.org
• The “awesome‑irc” list on GitHub: davisonio/awesome‑irc

You can also look at references for Libera.chat here.

Note: Some features that are taken for granted in Discord (e.g., replying to a message so that the original is quoted for clarity) aren’t available here. This was not part of the design. Basic encryption is used for things like user IDs and passwords, but it may not meet the standards of “secure” communication. Private messaging per user is possible, but it is unencrypted.

References

• Stoat – A Discord‑like chat platform.
• IRC – The classic open‑source chat protocol.
• Matrix/Element – End‑to‑end encrypted, self‑hostable communication suite.