How is Discord Different from Slack?
From robust voice chat capabilities to integration with other work systems, here are six answers to the question, “What are ways Discord differs from Slack?”
- Discord Has a Heavier Emphasis on Voice-Communications
- Discord is More Inviting for Hobbyists
- Discord Caters to Gamers
- Slack’s Free Plan Limits Message Archives to 90 Days
- Discord Offers Far More Flexibility Than Slack
- Each One Has Varying Features for Different Customers
Discord Has a Heavier Emphasis on Voice-Communications
Discord is an incredibly popular online communications platform that has been gaining traction, especially in the gaming community. However, Discord is not like Slack.
Discord puts a much heavier emphasis on voice communications than Slack does—it includes robust voice chat capabilities and channels, providing more depth for team members to communicate in real-time.
It has also incorporated integration with many games, allowing for even better real-time cooperative play between friends. Discord’s focus on voice chats, as opposed to Slack’s focus on text messages, makes it better suited to gaming communities or any group of people who often want to hold “conference calls” of sorts.
Natalia Brzezinska
Marketing and Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD
Discord is More Inviting for Hobbyists
Slack is ideal for companies with hybrid or remote workforces that need to be in communication. Despite its casual-sounding name, Slack feels more formal than Discord. Slack was created as a way for colleagues to stay in contact with one another.
Discord, by comparison, feels more like a social platform. It could be all about how you use it, but I center my Discord experiences on social clubs. People join a Discord network because they want to chat about subjects that interest them—whether it’s sports, music, video games, or any other pop culture space. I associate Slack with work. I associate Discord with pleasure. That’s the fundamental difference for me.
Rachel Blank
Founder and CEO, Allara
Discord Caters to Gamers
Discord and Slack are both communication tools designed for teams, but they have different target audiences and feature sets. Discord was originally designed for gamers and has features that cater specifically to their needs, such as voice chat, screen sharing, and integrations with gaming platforms like Steam.
In contrast, Slack is geared towards businesses and has a wider range of integrations and collaboration features, such as file sharing, project management tools, and integrations with various productivity apps. Another key difference between Discord and Slack is their pricing models.
Discord is entirely free to use, while Slack has both free and paid versions with more advanced features. Discord has a more casual feel, with features like custom emojis and the ability to create custom server themes, while Slack is more focused on professional collaboration.
Amy Adlerstein
Senior Retention Marketing Manager, Canvas People
Slack’s Free Plan Limits Message Archives to 90 Days
Slack and Discord are two formidable communication channels. But if you measure the free versions of Slack and Discord, Discord is significantly superior, with the former incarcerating many of the best features in its paid packages. But if you are open to sparing some dollars for paid plans, Slack is a better option.
One major difference between the free versions of Slack and Discord is that Slack limits message archives to just 90 days. This can be a pain if you want to retrieve messages outside this window.
Contrarily, messages on Discord are almost eternal, and readily retrievable when you want them, unless the admin or server moderator deletes them.
Lotus Felix
CEO, Lotus Brains Studio
Discord Offers Far More Flexibility Than Slack
Discord stands out from Slack as a communication tool because of its extensive customization and user settings. Discord offers far more flexibility than Slack, allowing users to adjust settings such as user roles, permissions, and even access to sensitive information. For example, users on Discord can customize individual server settings to determine who will have access to each channel, who can send messages, and how long their messages can be before triggering an auto-delete.
On Slack, most of these settings are predetermined for all group members, leaving less flexibility for users to tailor the experience to their needs or preferences. Discord also lets users switch between voice and text channels on the fly, meaning conversations can go in any direction without being confined to the typical texting boundaries. Discord is revolutionizing how people communicate; its versatility gives users complete control over how they interact with others.
Jamie Irwin
Marketing Executive, Service Club Delivery
Each One Has Varying Features for Different Customers
Slack and Discord target different customers. Slack is the best choice for teams that require a text-based communication tool that supports file sharing and integrates with other work systems.
Discord has better voice and video calling features than Slack, because of its gaming design. Discord’s pricing illustrates why it’s a community-minded platform, while Slack’s is more organization-focused. Free Discord offers a variety of features and is unlimited.
Marco Genaro Palma
Co-founder, TechNews180
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