Discord alternatives in 2026

Compare Discord alternatives for running online communities, including tools for groups, courses, events, and member access.

By Uncommon Comforts · 2026-10-13

Uncommon Comforts is published by the team behind Connections, whose products are compared here alongside other tools.

Discord describes itself as a place for playing games and chilling with friends. ^[1] The options below cover different needs, and the right one depends on how the people running a community plan to organize members, share access, and run activities.

Option	Key details
Discord	Supports voice and text conversations without needing to call or invite anyone. ^[1]
Circle	Provides communities, events, and courses under a brand. ^[2]
Mighty Networks	Offers native iOS and Android apps, which the page says are not web wrappers. ^[3]
Skool	Hobby includes unlimited courses, videos, and live calls. ^[4]^[4]^[4]
Connections Communities	Public community pages, members-only pages, and invitation tools. ^[5]^[5]^[5]

Why people who run things look past Discord

Discord describes itself as a place for playing games and chilling with friends. ^[1] Its page highlights custom emoji, stickers and soundboard effects. ^[1] It also supports high quality, low latency streaming. ^[1] People can hop in and out of voice or text conversations without having to call or invite anyone. ^[1] The service works on PC, phone and console. ^[1]

Some people who run a community need things that sit outside the features above. They may want a public address anyone can read, a sign-up step that asks their own questions, a space for courses, or a way to send invitations to a list of people. Those needs point toward a different set of tools. The useful question is which features the people running the community will use most often, and whether the way members join and take part matches what each option offers.

Circle: a branded platform for communities, events and courses

Circle describes itself as a platform for communities, events, and courses under a brand. ^[2] Its listed features include courses, events, live streams, a directory, customization and gamification. ^[2] Circle also offers branded apps for iOS and Android. ^[2] It states 99.9% uptime. ^[2] Circle also lists AI agents, workflows and integrations among its features. ^[2]

Mighty Networks: community apps for iOS and Android

Mighty Networks says its iOS and Android apps are real apps, not web wrappers. ^[3] Branded apps that carry the host's own name in the App Store require Mighty Pro. ^[3] The Launch Plan is listed at $950 per year. ^[3] The Growth Plan includes migration support for moving an existing community to Mighty. ^[3] The free trial lasts 14 days and does not require a credit card. ^[3]

Skool: courses, videos and live calls in one community tool

Skool Hobby is listed at $9 per month. ^[4] It includes unlimited members, unlimited courses, unlimited videos and unlimited live calls. ^[4]^[4]^[4]^[4]

Skool Hobby has a 10% transaction fee. ^[4] The page does not say which payments that fee covers, so check that before you take payments through the community. Skool Pro is listed at $99 per month. ^[4]

Connections Communities: public pages, members-only pages and invitations

Connections Communities is made by the team that publishes this site. You can publish your community at a public address. ^[5] You choose your community's link name, which can use lowercase letters, numbers and dashes. ^[5] You can make a single page members-only, so only registered people can read it and everyone else sees the sign-up form. ^[5]

You can set your own questions that people answer when they sign up to join. ^[5] You can export the list of registrants as a CSV file. ^[5] You can upload a CSV of emails and optional names to invite people in bulk. ^[5] The share screen asks who you want to invite. ^[5] You can schedule an invitation email to go out later, then edit or cancel it before it is sent. ^[5]

Communities is a web app. ^[5] The console has a 'Write with AI' option. ^[5] You can show the whole site in a light or a dark theme. ^[5] Connections apps share one account, and you start by signing in with your Connections account. ^[5]^[5] Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. ^[5] Connections Pro, the first paid plan, is $39.99 a month and adds premium features across every Connections product. ^[5]

How to pick the right Discord alternative

Start with what people need to do after they join. Discord describes voice and text conversations that people can enter without having to call or invite anyone. ^[1] Communities that mainly want that kind of quick exchange can compare it with the others on this page.

If a community needs a public address, a sign-up step and members-only pages, Connections Communities provides those options. ^[5]^[5] If the community needs courses, events and a branded space, Circle describes those features. ^[2] If native mobile apps or migration support matter, Mighty Networks describes both. ^[3]^[3] If unlimited courses, videos and live calls are the main concern, Skool Hobby lists them. ^[4]^[4]^[4]

Things to check before you choose include the access rules the community needs, how people will be invited, which costs apply to taking payments, and which features the community will use most often. Compare the pricing pages directly, since the facts above are not a full list of plans.

Frequently asked questions

Is Discord a good choice for online communities?

Discord describes itself as a place for playing games and chilling with friends. ^[1] People can hop in and out of voice or text conversations without having to call or invite anyone. ^[1] Whether that suits a community depends on how its members join and what they need to do once they are in. Compare those needs with the features listed for each option on this page before deciding.

Which Discord alternative lets people create member-only pages?

Connections Communities lets you make a single page members-only, so only registered people can read it and everyone else sees the sign-up form. ^[5] You can also publish the community at a public address. ^[5] Check whether that arrangement fits how your members will register before you set up the community, and read the sign-up questions you plan to ask.

Can Discord alternatives support courses and live calls?

Skool Hobby includes unlimited courses, unlimited videos, and unlimited live calls. ^[4]^[4]^[4] Skool Hobby is listed at $9 per month. ^[4] Circle describes itself as a platform for communities, events, and courses under a brand. ^[2] Its listed features include courses and live streams. ^[2] Compare what each plan includes before choosing.

Does Connections Communities help manage community invitations?

Connections Communities lets the share screen ask who you want to invite. ^[5] You can upload a CSV of emails and optional names to invite people in bulk. ^[5] You can also schedule an invitation email to go out later, then edit or cancel it before it is sent. ^[5] Check that the invitation process matches how your members expect to receive an invite.

What should be checked before choosing a Discord alternative?

Check how people will join, which access controls the community needs, and which activities matter most. Connections Communities lets you set your own questions for people who sign up to join. ^[5] Circle lists courses, events, live streams, and a directory among its features. ^[2] Skool Hobby has a 10% transaction fee, and the page does not say which payments that fee covers, so check that before you take payments through a community. ^[4]

The free plan has limits, and going over a limit does not charge you. ^[5] Connections Free costs $0, and going over a limit stops the feature rather than billing you. ^[5]

Try Connections Communities