Comparison
A Discord alternative for communities that need more than chat
Discord is excellent for real-time chat and voice. If your community also needs posts that don't scroll away, a public page people can find, and member profiles, a duno network can sit alongside it — or replace it.
Written October 2026. Products change — check each one's own site for current details.
What Discord is
Discord is a chat app organised into servers with text and voice channels, roles and permissions, and a large ecosystem of bots. It is very popular with gaming groups and online communities that talk in real time. Conversations generally happen inside the app and are visible to people who have joined the server.
What duno does differently
Posts, not a chat stream
A duno network is a feed of posts with comments, polls and pinned posts. Important updates stay readable instead of scrolling away.
Public pages people can find
Public networks have their own page at duno.com/net/your-name that search engines can index, which helps new members find you.
Approval with a question
People ask to join and answer your question, and admins or moderators approve them.
Real profiles
Members have profiles with a headline, city, skills and experience — useful for professional or local communities.
Discord and duno side by side
| Feature | Discord | duno |
|---|---|---|
| Main format | Real-time chat in channels | A feed of posts with comments |
| Voice and video | Yes, a core feature | No |
| Bots and integrations | Large ecosystem | No |
| Visible to non-members | Generally no | Your choice: public, private or hidden |
| Indexable by search engines | Generally no | Public networks: yes |
| Membership approval | Possible with settings and tools | Built in, with a join question |
| Member profiles | Username, avatar and short bio | Profiles with headline, city, skills and experience |
| Live group chat | Yes | In duno groups (networks use a feed) |
A general description, not a full feature list. "Generally" means it depends on settings, plans or tools you add.
When Discord is the better choice
- Your community lives in voice channels or plays games together.
- You rely on bots, integrations or many channels with detailed permissions.
- Your members want fast, real-time chat more than posts.
When duno fits better
- Announcements and good discussions keep getting buried in chat.
- You want new people to find your community through search.
- Your members are professionals, neighbours, parents or alumni who don't use Discord.
- You want profiles, jobs and Q&A in the same place.
Trying duno alongside Discord
- Create the networkPick a name and address at duno.com/net/your-name, choose public, private or hidden, and write your rules and a welcome message.
- Share the invite linkPost an invite link where your members already are. You can limit how many times it works and when it expires.
- Run both for a whilePin the important posts on duno and see where your members prefer to talk. Nothing stops you from using both.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use duno and Discord together?
Yes. Many communities keep Discord for voice and real-time chat and use a public duno network for announcements, recruiting and discovery. Put your Discord invite in the network's About page.
Does duno have voice channels?
No. duno has direct messages and live group chat in duno groups, but no voice channels.
Can I import my Discord server?
No. Create the network and share its invite link with your members.
Is duno free?
Yes. Networks are free to create and join, with no paid tiers.
Who runs a network on duno?
The person who creates it. Owners appoint admins and moderators, approve or decline join requests, remove or ban members and can transfer ownership. duno's own moderators only step in for content that breaks duno's terms.
Is this comparison neutral?
We wrote it as fairly as we could and list the cases where the other product is the better choice. Products change often, so check each one's own site for current features.