Open Source @lemmy.ml Secret300 @lemmy.world 1 yr. ago

FOSS alternative to Discord?

Now that people have moved from reddit to lemmy I'm glad to be using more FOSS software. Now all that's left is discord but I can't find a good replacement.

25 comments

Matrix is a Fediverse real-time chat/messaging system.

IRC is an old-school federated chat system (originally created in 1988!)
- I like Matrix for text but voice calls aren't the best
  
  I actually think that voice calls via Element are really solid. 1 on 1 calls can be done via P2P which is amazing for audio and video quality. Group calls are also pretty great with the upcoming (and already available) voice rooms. I really enjoy it and barely use Discord anymore since I got most contacts to switch.
  
  I mean, let's be honest. Discord is actual garbage. Their clients are slow and usability on Linux is extremely limited. For example, streaming with audio is not possible on Linux for some really stupid reason. They use a very old version of Electron for everything. They are financed by China afaik. Push notifications on Android aren't reliable. It's just a hot mess. I'd take Element any day. Although, I will admit that Element has issues, too. The voice rooms are still in Beta, there are some quirks and steaming with screen audio doesn't work on Linux.
https://matrix.org/ might be interesting to you
If you get Beeper.com which is based on Matrix.org you can have both: FOSS and chatting with your friends on Discord.
- Interesting. Never heard of Beeper. Looks like they even have a client for desktops. Does it also cover (video) calls and screen sharing for Discord and/or Signal?
- Isn't it subscription based?
  
  Thought so too, but they actually don't charge anything. Wonder if I'm the product then.
Revolt and Matrix/Element
Jitsi Meet
Matrix

XMPP

IRC
If you remember using teamspeak or ventrillo... Their is a FOSS alternative called mumble that works similarly. Its essentially the closest to what you're asking that has both VOIP and other features. Some communities especially mmorpg clans and gaming clans still use it. Idk how popular it is in general though. Discord is supported by huge donations which is why they've been able to dominate, but teamspeak/mumble still exist and essentially are the same thing but less modern.

https://www.mumble.info/

IRC and Matrix are both IM systems but are alternatives to discord if that's all the functionality you seek. Matrix is also in the fediverse.
There is also Rocket.chat, to complete the list, though it is supposed to be difficult to host.

I would recommend Matrix. My small instance is running Conduit, and it works great!
https://www.opensourcealternative.to/ lists rocket.chat as an alternative to Slack and Discord

I have not used it. I have used Mattermost. And it can do channels, teams, hashtags, @ mentions etc similar to Slack. Though it requires the server be hosted and administered by you or someone you know.
I used the 'betterdiscord-installer'.

Ferdium still looking good.

However, Discord isn't so much an application as a protocol - you're just changing the client.
Self hosting gitea : https://about.gitea.com/ is going to give you the github UX. You can also go for the forked forgejo : https://forgejo.org/.

Gitea is getting into corporation/IP territory while forgejo is 100% community driven.

Self-hosting might feels intimidating for some but once you have your server the speed and "snappiness" feels insane.
Confusion here between 'Service' and 'Software' methinks...

Here's Discord running in a FOSS browser...

So I wouldn't be worrying about software.
- Alright buddy you got me I used the wrong term. I meant service
@Secret300 This really depends heavily on what parts of #Discord you're trying to replace, as nothing currently has a 1:1 similarity with it. #Matrix will likely get you most of what you want but self-hosting it can be quite a sizable task. #Mumble is an excellent choice if your main concern is voice rooms, text chat is not so great. The ""best"" option would probably be to mix mumble with xmpp, as both do what they're designed to do very well and are also quite easy to maintain.
- Is self hosting Matrix really that hard? So far it looks like matrix is what I want. They don't have good voice features right now but it looks like they are working on it
  
  @Secret300 I wouldn't say it was hard. The replication part of matrix can get very big, very fast. If you're not prepared for that, it could easily get out of hand.
Matrix is good but it feels more like a WhatsApp group or something. Definitely room there to have a client that’s more fun, like Discord
- Been checking out matrix clients and so far Cinny looks and feels closer to discord and fluffychat is pretty good to. Both work better then element in my experience

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