Voice and text chat apps have revolutionized real-time communication, connecting professionals, influencers, and gamers alike. Discord, a popular application, has been instrumental in facilitating collaboration within the gaming community. However, challenges such as server raids, chat bombardment, and harassment may prompt users to seek alternative solutions. In this blog, we'll explore the latest Discord updates, provide a guide on signing up for an alternate Discord account, and highlight the best alternatives available. Discover the possibilities beyond Discord and find the perfect app to connect with people globally.

What is Discord?

Discord is a popular communication platform that brings people together through voice, video, and text chat. Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile tool used by various communities, including professionals, hobbyists, and interest groups. It provides a seamless experience for creating and joining servers, where users can interact, share information, and collaborate in real time. With features like voice channels, text channels, and screen sharing, Discord offers a comprehensive solution for communication and teamwork. Whether you're coordinating strategies with fellow gamers or organizing a virtual event with colleagues, Discord provides a vibrant and dynamic environment to connect and engage with others.

How to Make an Alternate Account on Discord?

Discord introduced a highly anticipated feature known as the Account Switcher in 2021. This update allows users to seamlessly switch between multiple accounts within the Discord app, eliminating the hassle of logging out and logging back in. We will walk you through the simple steps to create an alternate account on Discord and take advantage of this feature.

Step 1: Open Discord

Launch the Discord on your device, and if you are already logged into an account, make sure to sign out before proceeding to create an alternate account.

Step 2: Tap Your Avatar Image

In the bottom left corner of the Discord, you will find your avatar image. Tap on it to open the user settings menu.

Step 3: Select "Switch Account"

Within the user settings menu, locate and select the "Switch Account" option. This will open a pop-up menu with account-related options.

Step 4: Manage Accounts

Within the pop-up menu, choose the "Manage Accounts" option. This will lead you to the account management page.

Step 5: Add Additional Accounts

On the account management page, you will find an option to add more accounts. Tap on it, and Discord will guide you through the process of creating a new account. You can repeat this step to add up to five accounts using the Account Switcher feature.

Step 6: Switch Between Accounts

Once you have successfully added multiple accounts, tapping on the "Switch Account" option in the user settings menu will display all the accounts you have created. Simply select the desired account, and Discord will instantly switch to that account.

Discord Recent Updates

Discord has recently introduced several exciting updates as of April 14th, 2023, enhancing the communication experience for its users. 

Handle Change Feature

This new feature allows users to modify their Discord handles without the need for creating a new account. This newfound flexibility enables users to personalize their online identity and adapt it to their evolving preferences and interests.

Voice Messages

The introduction of voice messages in Direct Messages and servers with less than 200 members is another significant update. Voice messages provide a convenient and expressive way to communicate, enabling users to easily convey their thoughts, emotions, and ideas through recorded audio messages. Whether it's sharing lengthy conversations or expressing complex sentiments, voice messages offer a more natural and efficient means of communication, particularly for users on the go or when typing might be inconvenient.

New Nitro Perks

Discord has also introduced new Nitro perks, adding more value to its premium subscription. Super Reactions, available with Nitro and Nitro Basic, allow users to add a touch of wonder and chaos to messages that deserve extra attention. Soundboard enables users to react with curated sounds in voice channels on desktop, adding an element of fun and creativity to community interactions. Furthermore, users can enjoy new desktop themes and avatar decorations, allowing for greater personalization and customization of their Discord profiles.

Why Make An Alternative Account for Discord?

While Discord is undoubtedly a powerful communication tool, it may not fulfill all the needs of businesses, organizations, and communities seeking professionalism, data control, robust integrations, and enhanced privacy. 

Balancing Fun and Professionalism: 

Discord, initially designed for gamers, boasts a fun and casual interface, brimming with playful emojis and gaming-centric icons. However, this might not reflect the level of professionalism required by businesses and organizations so many choose to create alternate accounts for professional use. 

Potential Data Security and Privacy Concerns: 

Discord does not offer an option for private hosting. As a result, data security and privacy could be of concern, especially given the occasional incidents of disruptive server raids.

Challenges with Third-Party Integration and Community Management: 

If you're considering integrating applications like Trello or Asana into your workflow, Discord might fall short. Its highly flexible yet complex permission settings could be overwhelming for those new to managing a Discord community.

Limited Event Management Capabilities: 

Discord offers event scheduling, but it lacks critical features that businesses might need. This includes integration with third-party calendars like Google or iCalendar, and support for recurring events such as weekly meetings.

Organization and Notification Management: 

Discord allows admins to group conversations into categories. However, the high volume of chatter across these channels can make organization tricky. Furthermore, managing the flurry of notifications can be quite a task.

Restricted Customization Features: 

While Discord offers customization options such as custom banners and invite links, these benefits are primarily aimed at larger communities. For members seeking personalization, they would often need a paid Nitro subscription, which might not be feasible for all.

Absence of Integrated Monetization for Content Creators: 

One of the significant shortcomings of Discord is its lack of built-in monetization options. While third-party workarounds exist, they are often unreliable and challenging to set up, making alternatives a worthy consideration.

(Image: Discord Blog Header)

5 Best Discord Alternatives You Can Try

Slack

Slack shines as a professional and business communication tool. It offers a broad spectrum of features like voice chat, video calls, team messaging, and email. Key strengths include seamless integration with applications like Office 365 and Mailchimp, private and public channels, file sharing, and personalized notifications. For scalability, paid plans support up to 500,000 users and include HIPAA compliance, making it ideal for large enterprises. Despite a 90-day message history limit in the free version, Slack's robust offerings and integration capabilities make it a top choice for business use.

Telegram

Telegram is a highly downloaded messaging app known for its speed, simplicity, and blend of SMS and email functions. It offers a range of features including file sharing, voice and video calls, as well as the capacity to create large groups and broadcast channels. While admins have exclusive publishing rights on channels, subscribers can interact through polls and links, whereas Telegram groups allow open chats. Customization is moderate, allowing for logo addition, but with limited scope for unique interface alterations. Unique to many platforms, Telegram supports monetization through paid subscriptions via third-party services. It can be accessed conveniently on both desktop and mobile. Despite its strength as a messaging app reaching large audiences, Telegram lacks forum hosting and some business capabilities. Moreover, it falls short in providing task management tools or business integrations, which may necessitate additional tools. Telegram's impressive encryption ensures high security, making it a viable business communication tool and a potential alternative to Discord, WhatsApp, and others. This app is free and open source.

Flock

Flock is a multifaceted platform designed for contemporary teams, providing team messaging, project management, and more. It's an excellent choice if you're seeking an alternative to Discord for centralized management of information, messages, and files, eliminating the necessity to juggle multiple apps. Key features of Flock include team messaging for 1-1 or group discussions related to projects, departments, or shared interests. It allows for direct chats or group conversations with any member and offers the ability to easily locate and share project-relevant information. Moreover, Flock facilitates virtual meetings through video and audio calls, enhancing communication within the team.

Chanty

Chanty stands as a stellar choice for business communication, providing a range of options from text chats and voice messaging to audio and video calls. It incorporates task management tools, such as a Kanban board, screen sharing abilities, and threaded discussions. Chanty is particularly beneficial if you utilize a multitude of apps since it integrates seamlessly with platforms like Trello, Asana, Google Drive, OneDrive, GitLab, among others, making the process of file and information sharing more streamlined within your organization. The free subscription is rather feature-rich, accommodating up to 10 team members, while the premium plan at $3 offers unlimited team membership, integration capabilities, group calls, screen sharing, and an ample 20GB of file storage per team member. However, it's worth noting that unlike Discord, Chanty lacks status messages for indicating if you're "AFK" or "in a meeting."

Troop Messenger

As a comprehensive communication tool, Troop Messenger is suitable for teams of various sizes, from small to large. It resembles Slack in many ways, but notably, doesn't place restrictions on the searchable history of messages. It offers real-time communication, enabling team members to instantly send and reply to messages, thereby improving decision-making quality and efficiency. Moreover, all conversations are archived for future reference. Additionally, it facilitates virtual conferences, thus eliminating the need for physical gatherings.

Conclusion

In the digital communication landscape, Discord is a preferred choice for many. To add flexibility and security, creating an alternative account is beneficial. To set up an alternate account on Discord, sign out of your existing account, click 'Register', and provide a different email, a new username, and a password. You can switch between accounts instantly. While Discord is widely used, exploring alternatives like Slack, Telegram, Flock, Chanty, and Troop Messenger can offer new features and communities.