As a UK-based PC gamer, I feel like I’m constantly dodging age verification checks. For just one particularly annoying example, X alternative BlueSky won’t let me back into my Direct Messages until I’ve allowed the Epic Games-owned KWS to take a gander at either my bank card, my ID, or my actual face. On the principle of privacy, I’ve refused to do this. I thought I was being clever by relying on Discord for all of my gamer communication needs instead—oh, how foolish I was.

Discord recently announced it would be rolling out age checks to all users globally from March. I’d managed to avoid its earlier age verification ‘experiments’, but next month everyone on Discord will be locked into a “teen-appropriate experience” by default. This will lock users out of age-gated servers and blur ‘sensitive’ content, unless they jump through age assurance hoops.

Discord has since been eager to clarify that not every existing user will need to undergo age assurance checks, as it “will be able to confirm your age group using information we already have.” It also attempted to reassure the privacy-inclined, saying that facial scans will never leave your device, “IDs are used to get your age only and then deleted,” and that Discord only retains information on your age, not your identity.

Still, after hearing 70,000 age-verification ID photos may have been leaked in a Discord security breach last year, I’m still not eager to hand over my details should it come to it—so what are the alternatives?

Thankfully, when it comes to chatting to friends for free over video and voice, Discord isn’t the be-all-and-all. Granted, it’s way less easy to find a replacement that replicates its more sophisticated community features—but if you’re anything like me, overwhelmed by a sidebar full of massive community servers you almost never check, perhaps something smaller-scale is genuinely appealing. So, if you’re looking for a free Discord alternative, there are at least three you should know about:

TeamSpeakGameVoxSignal

TeamSpeak

(Image credit: Future)

For

Massive game-specific voice servers free to joinOne-on-one screen sharingTeamSpeak 3 still supported

Against

Voice and text chats kept separateNew ‘modern’ look of TeamSpeak 6.0 beta is clutteredYou have to rent a server to voice chat with your regular squad

First up, there’s good old TeamSpeak, which comes in two distinct client flavours: TeamSpeak 3, which is now legacy software, or the sparkly new 6.0 beta version with a ‘modern’ though cluttered looking UI. Either way, you can join a selection of game-specific voice servers or text-based group chats for free—but you’ll need to pay a subscription fee to create your own ‘community’ server’ of up to 60 simultaneous users. I would have to pay more than 50 bucks a year just to continue enjoying fun and games with my five favourite weirdos.

I appreciate how easy TeamSpeak is to set up while requiring a minimum of information from me for a basic account. However, it’s obvious why it hasn’t said much about age checks to date; to get at TeamSpeak’s more sought after community features, you’ll need to hand over your card details, thereby automatically fulfilling any age assurance checks and ushering in the privacy concerns I was personally looking to avoid.

The new ‘modern’ look for TeamSpeak 6.0 beta isn’t the most intuitive UI and, what’s worse, it’s missing key features that would make it a proper alternative to Discord. For one thing, while I could type messages to my mates and even stream my screen to them, there’s no option to individually call them.

You can make group chats for free, but these are kept separate from anything audio. Big game and interest-specific voice servers are free to join, but if you want access to group voice chat for only you and your’s, you’re going to need to rent a server.

GameVox

(Image credit: Future)

For

Free and feature-richOpus HD voice codecVery similar UI to DiscordCan stream gameplay to your serverOffers both temporary and email verified accounts****No age assurance checks

Against

Terrible nameVideo call performance still very inconsistentText chat content filter censors all the fun swears

Ventrilo is a similar story, but also advertises its own direct Discord competitor: the terribly named GameVox. Currently in open beta, both temporary users which are deleted after 90 days of inactivity and email verified accounts are available—though I found that even after offering up my email I had to repeatedly use password reset codes to jump back in. Still in development, perhaps a little instability is to be expected.

On the brighter side, making a fresh server for up to 50 users in GameVox is both easy and free, though there are paid options to upgrade individual server’s capacity. Still, even with the most basic server you can still stream your gameplay to a hopefully adoring audience.

Like Discord too, it’s available as both a browser-based app, and a desktop app, with iOS, Android, and Linux apps in the works as well. Its claim of ‘no data mining, no ads, no tracking’ definitely makes it one to watch—as unfortunately my experience of actually using it was uneven at best.

After adding my pals and making a fresh server, we all jumped into a video call with very mixed results. While both of my buds reported seeing my visage and hearing my dulcet tones crisply rendered thanks to GameVox’s use of the Opus HD voice codec, their video feeds never loaded for me—and I wasn’t even able to hear one of them. A little instability is to be expected, but the issue persisted even as my silent supporter made a fresh account on a different browser.

It’s a shame as, if you’re looking for a feature-rich but free Discord alternative, GameVox makes the most sense on paper. In practice, it’s still got a ways to go.

Also, it turns out GameVox employs a content filter for text messages which censors all of the fun swears. Last I checked, not even Discord has the nerve to do that in this year of our gourd 2026.

(Image credit: Future)

Signal

(Image credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

For

Donation-supported and free to useBoth one-on-one and group video calls are completely freeConsistent video call performanceEnd-to-end encryptionNo age assurance checks

Against

Phone number required for basic accountNo proper game streaming or screen sharing featuresNot completely foolproof in terms of privacy

It’s finally time to talk about Signal. More of a broad-appeal messaging app, you may not think it’s well suited as a free Discord alternative. But with support for group video calls and text based chats—plus the option to upload your own custom sticker packs without anything like a Discord Nitro subscription—this WhatsApp competitor is definitely worth a look. For one thing, Signal is supported by donations, (and perhaps most importantly, not owned by Meta), so the app remains both free to use and free of AI, ads, and all the rest.

Now, back to the theme of privacy: Voice, video, and text chat are all supported with end-to-end encryption (allowing Signal to hopefully avoid becoming the subject of the next ‘largest data leak in history’). That said, you’ll still need to supply your phone number to create even a basic account.

Still, I was impressed to see that, while attempting to take a basic screenshot for this article, the app actually disappears from view when you bring up Windows 11’s snipping tool overlay.

That said, my co-conspirator in testing was able to secure a screenshot on his end, which you can see below. Your chats are encrypted, but that doesn’t mean they’ll never see the light of day.

(Image credit: Future)

Out of everything I tested, Signal presented the fewest issues. I created a group chat, added my pal, jumped into a video call, and there we both were—it just worked. Of the three free Discord alternatives, this might actually be my personal pick.

However, if you love to play and stream games to your adoring fans—I mean, friends, Signal is decidedly lacking in that respect; Signal lets you add images and videos to an Instagram-esque ‘Story,’ but offers no true game streaming or screen sharing features. Co-ordinating with pals in-game over voice and video chat for free is where Signal really shines.

Verdict

I didn’t think I’d be saying this, but Signal is my top pick for squadding up over voice and video call. I’m a little disappointed about the lack of game streaming features, but otherwise it’s a free and easy to use app that I find hard to fault. As a donation-supported venture, I’m also daring to hope that the app’s strong core performance won’t be muddied by the all too familiar phenomenon of ‘enshittification’ down the line.

When it comes to free Discord alternatives, Signal is so far one of the better places to land. Alternatively, if you don’t want to leave Discord but you also don’t want to offer up your own face for its age checks, our James managed to get around Discord’s face scan check with some deft use of Death Stranding’s photo mode. More recently, a free tool on GitHub makes it so you don’t even need a copy of Kojima’s walking simulator. If you’re not fussed about Discord (to say nothing of Norman Reedus and his funky foetus), you could simply forsake video and voice chat altogether in favour of diving back into decentralised Internet Relay Chat.

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