Discord is a cross-platform voice and text chat app originally designed for gamers, but since finding mainstream popularity, all kind of communities have migrated to it. Even TechSpot staff have moved away from Slack to use Discord full-time for team collaboration and communication.

Is Discord better than Zoom?

Zoom and Discord serve two different purposes. Discord is great for small and big team communication and collaboration via text or voice. Zoom is better suited for real-time online meetings and presentations.

Is Discord only for gamers?

Discord is great for gaming and voice chat. That's how Discord got started but today all kinds of communities have migrated to it. Just like Microsoft Teams or Slack, Discord offers public and private servers that anyone can create and join for free, and today it's widely used for team communication and collaboration.

Is Discord encrypted?

Discord uses basic encryption methods like TLS to protect text and images in transit but does not offer end-to-end encryption like WhatsApp or Telegram. Other community oriented platforms offer similar safety features for written messages, but some like Microsoft Teams do offer end-to-end encryption for VoIP calls.

Is Discord free?

Discord is free for voice, text, and video chat options with no restrictions. There is an optional "Nitro" paid membership that offers extra benefits, but even setting up a private server for your business can be done with no additional cost.

Is Discord safe?

Although Discord is a great messaging app, the platform does not offer end-to-end encryption for text or audio/video communication. While your data is encrypted in transit to Discord servers, it is stored on said servers. Even when you use the app's privacy settings to disable their ability to "Use data to improve Discord," they still collect this data and store it in their database.

Discord Nitro Basic and Nitro: What's the Difference?

Our most-popular Nitro plan unlocks access to all the available Nitro perks, including custom emoji and stickers anywhere, HD video streaming, and an expanded selection of our newly-released Activities, just to name a few.

Nitro Basic includes a selection of some of the most-loved Nitro features that help you better express yourself on Discord, including custom emoji anywhere, bigger file uploads, and more.

Take a peek at the comparison chart below to see what each Nitro plan includes:

We're excited to continue growing Nitro and give users more ways to have fun and create lasting memories on Discord.

In the United States, Nitro Basic will be available for $2.99 per month. For those living outside the United States, pricing is viewable within your User Settings > Nitro page once it's rolled out.

Features

Discord was created to bring people together around games. You've taught us that it can be used for so much more. People use Discord for all kinds of hanging out: from live karaoke nights, to screenshare group painting, to virtual wedding parties. People create Discord servers for gaming, yoga classes, comedy fan clubs, and even run entire podcasting businesses. Discord is for anyone who could use a place to talk with their friends and communities.

Download Discord and experience modern chat:

  • Voice chat: Join voice channels and chat with your group
  • Real-time messaging: Share video, images, and text in rich chat
  • Push notifications: Never miss a thing with @mentions and direct messages
  • Instant Invite: Easily add friends to your voice server by sharing the Instant Invite link
  • Direct messages: Send one-to-one private messages
  • Multiple server support: Manage all your game chat groups in one client
  • Organizable channels: Keep discussions on topic through structured communication

What's New

In this special edition of Changelog, we recap some of the year's most helpful fixes from our Patch Notes series in the form of a festive poem. At the end of this blog post, you'll see which fixes are referenced in the poem and which edition of Patch Notes they're from.

We've made it to the end of the year! Over at Discord HQ, we've been looking back on all the small but important things we've fixed in 2024 to help make spending time in voice with your friends this season as smooth as possible.

And in the festive spirit, our bug-smashing reminiscing took the shape of a poem! To cap off the end of 2024, we'd love to share it with you.

Season's greetings to all! The year's at its end.
Discord's even better at helping you talk with your friends,
So gather up close, we've got a lot to discuss,
There's much we've improved for this year's Fixmas!

We've fixed up some crashes to help iPhones function.
84%! That's a huge reduction. [1]
Android, of course, got its own love and care,
Chat renders faster [2] to help quickly share. [3]

Is your phone a square? A rectangle? An oval?
Our app better adapts to many shapes on mobile. [4]
In a lot of servers? Scroll through 'em quicker. [5]
Mobile server switching is 30% slicker. [6]

Using GIFs on your phone? Post 'em way more.
The GIF Picker's nearly twice as fast as before. [7]
And we gave a speed boost to our API, [8]
So Apps & Activities you're using will fly.

When it's time to share all those photos you took,
We better preserve colors as you remember they look. [9]
Since iPhones regained up to four gigs of space,
You can download 'em all – memories can't be replaced. [10]

See you next year in 2025,
But for now, hop in voice, play, or Go Live. <3