Discord vs Slack: Slack is a term that almost everyone who connects with others online is familiar with. It’s a communication tool designed to eliminate the need for email and streamline team collaboration. Slack is, in many ways, the industry standard for this type of app. However, it is not the sole participant in the game. Discord team chat is closing the gap, and as a completely free option, it is putting up a good fight. Both instruments are beloved by millions, perform similar functions, and are utilized by two very distinct communities. Discord is the go-to tool for gamers worldwide, whereas Slack is a platform for business communication.
When you first launch Discord, you’ll notice a significant distinction between it and Slack. Slack is a piece of business software built from the ground up to be a workspace first and foremost. On the other hand, Discord is essentially a chat service geared toward gaming communities.
However, do not let this deter you. Discord team chat is fully featured and capable of handling nearly all of the communication demands of a developing team without the cost associated with Slack’s more advanced capabilities.
Discord vs Slack should be your first choices if you’re searching for a simple yet effective communication solution. However, how can you know which one is ideal for your business? Which is superior? What are the distinctions?
Whichever software you choose, a few key aspects make it worthwhile to use. The primary benefit of these apps is that they enable remote teams (and local ones as well) to collaborate in ways that email and traditional instant messaging cannot.
Discord vs Slack: Key Features
Slack vs. Discord is an intriguing battle, and in this post, we’ll compare the two platforms to help you make an informed decision.
1. Discord vs Slack: User Interface Comparison
Both apps share a common user interface. Conversations are displayed on the right side of the screen, while contacts are displayed on the left.
When compared to Discord, Slack’s user interface is friendlier. As previously said, Slack is a workspace-centric app, and as such, its user interface is designed accordingly. Its user interface makes it simple to navigate the program and take advantage of its numerous features.
Users can quickly log in and access several channels to communicate with the server’s various team members. Users may view all channels and messages in the screen’s left corner, along with contacts.
2. Discord vs Slack: Branding
Discord is a gaming platform. That may legitimately put you off. Slack has a professional, business-oriented aesthetic, whereas Discord is more laid-back and easygoing. The features are detailed, focusing on gaming communities and broadcasting, whereas Slack’s are focused on productivity. This may not be a huge concern for some teams, as long as the branding does not obstruct the product’s functions.
However, other teams may be uncomfortable with that being the primary aesthetic for their business interactions (especially if you bring clients online), in which case Slack is the clear winner.
Additionally, because Discord is classified as gaming software, it may be blocked by several corporate firewalls. You’d need to configure special permissions and exclusions. This may not be an issue for smaller teams and businesses, but it is an additional hurdle to jump through if you work in a larger corporate context.
Our initial discussion will focus on the community that the tools serve. Both of these tools are comparable in that they both facilitate team collaboration.
Discord and Slack are team chat apps that enable teams to communicate and organize their conversations for more effective collaboration effortlessly.
The primary distinction between the two is in their intended audience. With millions of gamers utilizing the platform for live chat, screen sharing, and more, Discord has nearly become associated with gaming. Slack, on the other hand, is a business-only communication platform.
However, the distinction between Slack and Discord for the community does not mean that one is superior. Indeed, Discord offers a variety of servers that users can join based on their interests. While most servers are dedicated to e-gaming, a few are developed for entirely unrelated purposes.
Users are free to join any community they like. Discord’s primary goal is to deliver continuous, seamless voice chat. Gamers want a lag-free chat to connect with their teammates; something Discord excels at.
In comparison, Slack is created as a workspace; its main goal is to facilitate team collaboration and improve internal communications.
Therefore, if you’re having difficulty deciding between Slack and Discord for your community, you may make a more informed choice by assessing the company’s culture, the team’s requirements, and the nature of communication.
Using Slack, you get to save the last 10,000 messages sent by your team. Once you reach that threshold, you will be unable to search the archives unless you pay. You may keep scrolling and search in Discord. They also include a helpful before/after tag that you can use to trigger a pop-up calendar widget when searching. It’s excellent material.
Additionally, Slack has threaded discussions, which help you arrange your conversations. Threads enable you to split conversations inside the same channel. Threaded conversations enable large teams to eliminate channel clutter, hence increasing productivity. This is not a function available in Discord.
On the other hand, Discord is a bit more complicated. Direct messages and channels have their menus. Additionally, the left sidebar displays all channels, while the right sidebar displays messages.
When compared to Slack, Discord’s customization tools are more advanced. Slack’s customization function enables you to modify the sidebar’s theme from one of eight possible colors. On the other hand, with Discord, you may customize the app’s theme – light or dark.
Another feature of Discord is that you can access all servers once logged in simultaneously. Slack employs distinct logins for each workspace; you can log in to each workspace and access all of its conversations.
Discord takes some getting used to, but if you’re comfortable with the interface, you’ll have no trouble navigating.
3. Discord vs Slack: Mobile App
Mobile appli for team conversations are a requirement. What happens is that chat channels devolve into what are effectively text threads (complete with push alerts), audio conversations behave like phone calls, and video chats resemble Facetime sessions. I use both apps daily for all of the major features, and neither Slack nor Discord’s app is truly superior – both do exactly what they’re designed to do.
4. Discord vs Slack: Video Calls
Discord is the market leader in video streaming. The disadvantage of video chat in Slack is that it is limited to two users on the Free plan. However, with subscription plans, you can add up to 15 members.
On the contrary, Discord’s video calling services are more advanced. You can customize various aspects of the conversation, such as noise and echo cancellations. Additionally, you can convert a voice conversation to a video call and chat with up to 25 persons simultaneously by clicking on a special button.
These are video or audio VOIP calls, similar to Skype. Discord’s primary focus is real-time interaction. Calls and video conversations operate very seamlessly. They offer a superior audio and video quality than Skype, Slack, or Google Hangouts, in my experience.
One point in Discord’s advantage here is that you can create voice channels rather than setting up calls. These channels retain text chat functionality and include an open audio feed via which users can converse and connect in real-time. They can be private or public, including any number of participants.
5. Third-Party Tools Integrations
Slack has over 800 integrations with third-party apps to help you maintain a streamlined workflow and avoid juggling numerous work-related apps. Additionally, you can receive notifications directly from Slack’s apps. Browse the most popular Slack add-ons here.
Regrettably, Discord does not interface with other applications. However, you may combine your Discord account with various games and social networking platforms.
Discord currently supports ten native integrations, including YouTube, Blizzard Entertainment, Skype, Twitch, Facebook, Instagram, Steam, Reddit, Twitter, Spotify, and Xbox Live, all of which are tied to gaming somehow.
Discord is compatible with all desktop and mobile operating systems. If you choose not to install the app, you can also use the online application. It operates as follows:
6. File Sharing
Slack includes 1 GB of file sharing for any form of a file. You get 8 MB in Discord. If you subscribe to the Nitro plan, you receive 50 Mb. That is a significant distinction. Additionally, Discord files are limited to audio and video, whereas Slack allows for the creation of posts, the sending and sharing of PDFs, and so on. Slack is a collaboration platform, whereas Discord is a communication platform.
7. Security
Both apps provide excellent protection to ensure the safety and security of your data, while Slack is more dependent in this regard. It secures your communication using SSO, data encryption, and interfaces with leading DLP providers.
Discord utilizes SSO, two-factor authentication, and client-server architecture to ensure the security of your chat. Additionally, neither app allows access to the servers unless invited by the host.
8. Discord vs Slack: File Searching
Finally, both apps provide a file search option, but its file search feature is more extensive because Slack is a work-oriented app. You may search for files that have been uploaded to a channel and also within a document. When it comes to filing searches, Discord falls behind Slack.
9. Is Discord Team Chat the most suitable Slack Alternative?
Discord is a feasible alternative to Slack and a possible Slack replacement – especially if you haven’t already picked a team chat. Discord’s voice chat is light years ahead of Slack’s, and making calls and holding video conferences is a breeze. Really, the text conversation on both is comparable, so it’s a wash.
On the other side, Slack is a more comprehensive workspace. File sharing is significantly improved, and the option to keep work and play separate is a must-have feature for many individuals. Additionally, if you’re a fan of automation, Slack’s apps like Slackbot are far superior to the Discord equivalents. However, the freemium model may not be appropriate for many organizations, and paying for access to everything on your server when your staff has grown above a specific budget might be quite discouraging.
Discord is a robust and simple-to-use platform if communication is your primary concern. While Slack offers a few more bells and whistles, they may not be worth the additional expense for your team in the long term. Conduct some experiments and evaluate them for yourself, as they are both free, to begin with, but I believe you’ll discover that Discord is much more than a tool for gamers to arrange their play sessions.
Final Remarks
Discord vs. Slack is a difficult option, as both are industry leaders in internal communication.
Discord’s high-quality audio calls and seamless communication make it the gamer’s first option. Slack, on the other hand, is the preferred business communication app. There are, however, Discord and Slack alternatives on the market that you can use in place of these apps such as nTask.