If you’ve been on Discord lately, you’ve probably noticed the shift. What started as a simple voice chat for gamers has become a sprawling platform that now asks for your face scan or government ID just to use certain features. For many, that’s the line.
Communities are quietly packing up. Not because they want to leave — but because they feel they have to. The question isn’t whether to move anymore. It’s where to go.
Two names keep surfacing in these conversations: Stoat and Element. Both are open-source. Both promise to fix what Discord broke. But they approach the problem from completely different angles — and understanding that difference is the key to choosing the right one for your group.
What Discord’s changes actually mean for your privacy
Discord’s recent policy shift — requiring either a face scan via Persona or a government-issued ID for “full account access” — isn’t a minor update. It’s a fundamental change in how the platform treats user identity. For communities built around anonymity or pseudonymity, this is a dealbreaker.
The platform has also faced criticism for its data collection practices, content moderation policies, and lack of end-to-end encryption. For users who value privacy, these aren’t bugs — they’re features of a centralized, ad-supported business model.
Open-source alternatives don’t just offer a different interface. They offer a different philosophy: you control your data, your moderation, and your community’s rules.
Stoat: The Discord clone that actually feels familiar
Stoat — formerly known as Revolt — is the closest thing to a drop-in Discord replacement you’ll find in the open-source world. As one Hacker News user put it, “Stoat is an open source Discord clone, and it’s great if you mostly care about text chat.”
The interface is strikingly similar: channels, roles, servers, direct messages, and a clean dark mode. If you’re migrating a community, your members won’t need to learn a new system. That’s Stoat’s biggest advantage.
It’s also self-hostable, meaning you can run it on your own server — whether that’s a Raspberry Pi, a VPS, or a dedicated machine. This gives you full control over data retention, moderation policies, and who gets access.
But Stoat isn’t finished. Voice and video chat are still in development. The team is small, and feature updates can be slow. For text-heavy communities — think book clubs, study groups, or developer teams — it’s already usable. For gamers who need low-latency voice, it’s not quite there yet.
Element and Matrix: Decentralized by design
Element is the flagship client for the Matrix protocol — a decentralized, open-standard messaging network. Unlike Stoat, which is a single server you control, Matrix is a network of servers that can talk to each other, similar to how email works.
This means you can host your own Matrix server (using Synapse or Dendrite) and still communicate with users on other servers. It’s not just about privacy — it’s about interoperability. You’re not locked into any single provider.
Element offers end-to-end encryption by default, something Discord still doesn’t have. It supports voice and video calls, file sharing, and integrations with bots and bridges (including a Discord bridge, if you want to keep one foot in both worlds).
The trade-off? Complexity. Setting up a Matrix server requires technical knowledge. The interface is functional but not as polished as Discord or Stoat. For non-technical users, the learning curve can be steep.
What each platform actually fixes — and what it doesn’t
Let’s be honest: neither Stoat nor Element is a perfect Discord replacement. They fix specific problems, but they introduce new ones.
Stoat fixes: Familiarity, ease of migration, self-hosting control, no mandatory ID or face scans. It’s the path of least resistance for Discord refugees.
Stoat doesn’t fix: Voice/video (still in development), small development team, limited ecosystem of bots and integrations, no end-to-end encryption yet.
Element/Matrix fixes: True decentralization, end-to-end encryption, interoperability between servers, mature voice/video, active development community.
Element/Matrix doesn’t fix: Steep learning curve, less intuitive interface, server setup requires technical skill, can be resource-heavy for self-hosting.
Who should switch — and who should wait
If your community is small, technically inclined, and privacy-focused, Element/Matrix is the stronger long-term bet. It’s battle-tested, used by governments and enterprises, and built on open standards that won’t disappear if a startup runs out of funding.
If your community is larger, less technical, and primarily uses text chat, Stoat is the more practical choice today. Your members won’t complain about the interface, and you can migrate quickly without retraining everyone.
If your community relies heavily on voice chat, low-latency gaming communication, or a rich ecosystem of Discord bots — neither option is ready yet. You may need to wait, or consider hybrid approaches like using Mumble for voice alongside Stoat for text.
Confirmed facts vs what remains unclear
Confirmed: Discord now requires identity verification for certain features. Stoat is an open-source, self-hostable chat platform with a Discord-like interface. Element is a Matrix-based client with end-to-end encryption. Both are actively developed.
Unclear: When Stoat will ship stable voice/video. Whether Matrix’s complexity will ever be simplified enough for mainstream adoption. How many communities are actually migrating versus just evaluating options.
Risks and balanced view
Open-source alternatives come with their own risks. Self-hosting means you’re responsible for security updates, backups, and uptime. If your server goes down, your community goes silent. If you misconfigure something, your data could be exposed.
There’s also the question of longevity. Stoat’s development team is small. If they lose interest or funding, the project could stall. Matrix, by contrast, has a foundation behind it, but its complexity can be a barrier.
And let’s not pretend Discord is all bad. It’s polished, reliable, and has a massive user base. For many communities, the privacy trade-off is acceptable. The decision to leave should be driven by genuine need, not just frustration.
The bigger picture: What this migration says about online communities
The move away from Discord isn’t just about privacy. It’s about ownership. Communities that built their identity on a platform they don’t control are realizing how fragile that arrangement is. A single policy change can upend years of work.
This pattern isn’t new. It happened with MySpace, with Facebook groups, with Reddit’s API changes. The cycle repeats: a platform grows, becomes essential, then makes a decision that alienates its core users. Those users leave, and a new ecosystem of alternatives emerges.
What’s different this time is the maturity of open-source tools. Stoat and Element aren’t just protest projects — they’re genuinely usable products. The question is whether they can scale beyond the privacy-conscious niche and become mainstream.
Practical guidance for communities considering a move
If you’re evaluating a switch, start small. Set up a test server on Stoat or Matrix with a handful of trusted members. Run it in parallel with your Discord server for a few weeks. Identify the pain points before you commit.
Document your migration plan. Export your Discord data (where possible). Communicate clearly with your community about why you’re moving and what will change. Not everyone will care about privacy — but they will care about losing access to their friends.
Consider a hybrid approach: use a Matrix bridge to connect your new server to your old Discord server, so members can choose their platform while the community transitions.
Future outlook
Stoat’s development roadmap includes voice and video, which would make it a much stronger competitor. If they deliver, expect a wave of migrations from gaming communities. Matrix continues to gain institutional adoption, with governments and universities deploying their own servers.
The broader trend is clear: users want control. The question is whether open-source alternatives can deliver it without sacrificing the ease of use that made Discord successful in the first place.
Our Take
This isn’t a story about technology. It’s a story about trust. Discord broke it by asking for ID. Stoat and Element are trying to rebuild it — one self-hosted server at a time.
Neither is a perfect solution today. But the direction is right. For communities that value privacy, ownership, and independence, the open-source path is no longer a compromise. It’s an upgrade.
The real test will come when millions of users — not just the privacy-aware — start asking the same question: why should a company control how I talk to my friends?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Stoat and how is it different from Discord?
Stoat (formerly Revolt) is an open-source, self-hostable chat platform that looks and works like Discord. Unlike Discord, it doesn’t require identity verification, and you control your own server and data.
Is Element the same as Matrix?
Element is the most popular client app for the Matrix protocol. Matrix is the underlying decentralized network; Element is how you use it. Think of Matrix as email and Element as Gmail.
Can I migrate my Discord server to Stoat or Element?
There’s no one-click migration tool yet. You’ll need to manually recreate channels, roles, and invite members. Some communities use Matrix bridges to connect both platforms during the transition.
Which is better for gaming communities — Stoat or Element?
Stoat is better for text-heavy gaming communities because of its familiar interface. For voice chat, neither is ready to replace Discord yet. Some groups use Mumble for voice alongside Stoat for text.
