Discord is a communication platform built around persistent group chat servers, developed by Discord Inc. and launched in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy, originally aimed at gaming communities. Users join or create 'servers' organized into text and voice channels, supporting real-time text chat, voice calls, video calls, and screen sharing. Core features include role-based permissions for community moderation, threads for organized discussion, integrated bots for automation and moderation, Stage Channels for live audio events, and Discord Nitro, a paid subscription offering higher upload limits, custom emoji access, server boosting, and enhanced video quality.
While originally centered on gaming, Discord has expanded to host communities around technology, art, education, cryptocurrency, and general interest topics, and is also used informally by some organizations for team communication. Its combination of persistent servers, voice channels, and community tools distinguishes it from more transient messaging apps.
Discord is available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web. The core service is free to use, with Discord Nitro and Nitro Basic available as monthly or annual subscriptions, and individual servers able to sell paid memberships to their communities.