How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App Like Discord?

In 2025, Discord continues to dominate as one of the most popular communication platforms worldwide. The app has crossed 614 million registered users and attracts 200 million monthly active users. What started as a gamer-friendly chat tool has now evolved into a versatile platform for creators, businesses, and online communities of every kind.

And the numbers speak volumes. Discord generated $123.47 million in mobile app revenue, while its Nitro subscriptions contributed $207 million globally. This explosive growth has made entrepreneurs wonder: isn’t it beneficial to build an app like Discord, and if yes, what is the actual cost to develop an app like Discord?

Well, if you are aiming to make an app like Discord and want to explore Discord clone app development cost, this guide will break down everything you need to know. From features and tech stack to revenue models and real development costs, we will give you a roadmap to turn your idea into a profitable communication app that competes in today’s digital market.

Let’s dive in.

What Is Discord?

Discord is a modern communication platform that brings people together through text, voice, and video. Originally created for gamers, it has now grown into a space for communities of all kinds – students, creators, businesses, and hobby groups.

Users can join or create servers, organize conversations into channels, share media, and even stream content in real time. Its ease of use, cross-platform support, and community-driven features have made Discord one of the most popular apps for group communication in 2025.

It is available on all platforms – Android and iOS and can be used in Linux, iOS and Windows browsers.

How Much Does It Cost To Make An App Like Discord?

The cost to develop an app like Discord depends on several factors, including features, design, platform choice, and the development team’s location. On average, building a communication app with real-time voice, video, chat, and server management generally starts from $20,000 and goes up to as high as $300,000.

In simple words, the cost to develop an app like Discord will range from $20,000 to $200,000.

A basic MVP with text chat, user authentication, and simple servers will sit at the lower end. Adding advanced features such as voice channels, video streaming, screen sharing, push notifications, AI-powered moderation, and cross-platform compatibility can significantly increase the cost.

For entrepreneurs exploring the Discord clone app development cost, choosing the right approach matters. A ready-made clone solution can reduce time-to-market and expenses, while custom development offers greater flexibility and scalability. The final budget also varies by region – development in the USA or UK is more expensive compared to outsourcing in Asia or Eastern Europe.

In short, the answer to “how much does it cost to make an app like Discord?” comes down to your vision. The more advanced and scalable you want your app, the higher the investment.

Features For Making An App Like Discord

Many people use Discord for communicating in private or public communities. It also has a set of exceptional functionalities and if you are planning to make an app like Discord you should keep these in mind.

Channels & Servers

Servers are communication spaces divided into channels, each of which is usually dedicated to a single topic and has its own set of regulations. Discord has two types of channels:

• Text Channels: Users can upload messages, post files and share images with others.
• Voice Channels: Users can connect with others through voice or video call. Also, a background noise suppression feature was introduced in 2020 for the voice channels. 

Direct Messages

Discord, like other chat programmes, allows users to send direct messages to other users. The ability to create message groups of up to ten people is an additional feature. Discord allows users to have their direct messages screened for sexual content as part of their privacy focus.

Video Calls & Screen Sharing

In 2017, Discord added video calls and screen sharing. Users may initially video chat with up to ten individuals in a single channel. Due to the pandemic, Discord extended this limit to 50 people in 2021.

Users can share a specific programme window or their full screen using Discord’s Go Live screen sharing feature. Discord made this capability available on mobile devices in 2020.

Rolls & Permissions

Within servers and channels, administrators can assign roles to members and modify permissions. On a Discord server, roles and permissions are adjustable for all channels as well as for each channel individually (channel settings will override server settings in this case).

File Sharing

If you want to create Discord app with voice and text chat service, you’ll need to share files. This function is available in all messaging apps nowadays, so omitting it would be a mistake. However, when compared to Slack, Discord falls short: a free account’s file upload limit is 8 MB, whereas the Discord Nitro subscription plan’s maximum is 50 MB. 

However, this does not appear to be a significant issue among consumers. To calculate suitable file size restrictions, you’ll need to research the needs of your target audience (if any). Uploading huge files usually necessitates the use of more powerful servers.

Push Notifications

Don’t we utilise messaging apps to communicate with folks whenever we have free time? We don’t want to miss any messages, either. As a result, every messaging application requires notifications. At the same time, a modern chat app should have the ability to partially or totally disable notifications – after all, you don’t want your phone ringing or buzzing with constant messages while you’re at school, at a board meeting, or on a date.

Notifications that might be helpful in a chat app like Discord are:

• Mute all notifications
• Mute specific groups/channels
• Getting notified only when a username is mentioned
• Get notified when certain words are used. 

Message History

Some chat programmes allow you to specify a timer for when your messages are automatically deleted. This is mostly done to save space on your devices: text messages aren’t particularly large, but they can add up over time. This functionality is useful if you frequently use an app but rarely return to examine messages and files sent.

Integrations

The ability to link your chat app to other accounts and services isn’t required, but it can be useful. You can, for example, allow users to connect their Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as their YouTube and Spotify accounts. Twitch and/or Steam integration will be a winning feature if you’re developing a chat for gamers. It might be industry-specific apps and networks for enterprises

Challenges That Can Be Faced While Building An App Like Discord

There can be various challenges faced in making a communication app like Discord. Some of them are described below:

Security & Maintaining Privacy

If you’re wondering how to make Discord-like software, keep in mind that Discord prioritises anonymity. Because Discord filters all network traffic through its servers, users’ IP addresses cannot be disclosed. Criminals will be unable to discover users’ IP addresses and launch DDoS attacks against them as a result of this.

If you are going to build an app like Discord, be prepared to handle moderation at scale.

Fortunately, routing audio and video through your own media servers provides a solution, allowing administrators to turn off audio and/or video for irritating attendees.

Speed & Stability

A low-level API is available in the native WebRTC library to build both a transmit and receive stream. As a result, when people join a voice channel, they can only exchange a little quantity of data. WebRTC also uses Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) to determine the most efficient communication path between parties.

Learn How To Build a Successful Messaging App Like Telegram?

Tech Stack

Discord uses a client-server networking architecture to accommodate huge groups of people. According to Discord, there may be hundreds of individuals communicating in large channels, adopting peer-to-peer networking would have been prohibitively expensive.

As previously stated, Discord employs WebRTC, a real-time communication standard that allows the app to run on a variety of platforms while also allowing developers to reuse code. WebRTC in Discord, on the other hand, is customised. A C++ media engine developed on top of the native WebRTC library is used in the iOS, Android, and desktop apps.

Discord’s frontend web tech stack consists of React and Flux. The backend architecture and all the signalling server’s of Discord are written in Elixir. Discord also uses Rust in a number of locations throughout its software stack, including the gaming SDK and a number of backend services.

As you can see, Discord’s tech stack is extensive and varied. However, you don’t have to design your VoIP app with the same tools and technology. Discord was designed with gamers in mind, so some of its features may be superfluous in your app. Hence, the Discord app development process is going to hassle-free.

Revenue Model

Discord, unlike many of its competitors, does not make money via advertisements. Consumers, according to its founder, despise commercials and don’t want their data shared with brands. Instead, Discord has chosen the methods listed below.

Subscriptions

The subscription business has always been the core of Discord’s monetization efforts. Discord  provides two premium plans in 2025:

• Nitro Basic ($2.99 per month) – Includes basic perks like custom emojis, file uploads up to 50MB, and profile customization.
• Nitro ($9.99 per month or $99.99 per year) – Includes features such as improved video quality, server acceleration, and a greater upload limit.

Discord’s subscription model appears to be successful. By providing members access to unique features, the company generated over $207 million in Nitro revenue globally in 2024.

Subscription-based models, according to analysts, appeal to IT investors because they deliver constant and predictable revenue.

Game Store

In August 2018, Discord opened a global game store. On the Discord shop, developers can self-publish their games. After selling a game, the developers receive 90% of their income whereas Discord receives the remaining 10%.

Merchandise

Discord used to sell many items for years like T-shirts, socks, caps, and scarves. 

Funding & Investment

Although funding is not a monetization strategy, it’s worth noting that Discord is constantly raising funds from investors. By 2025, the value will reach approximately $15 billion.

Discord’s path to success, on the other hand, was never easy. Discord ran into a lot of roadblocks along the way, and your Discord-like programme will, too. Let’s see what we can do about them.

Wrap Up

Discord is a famous chat programme that has grown in popularity thanks to its sophisticated user interface and robust communication capabilities. Although Discord’s tech stack is robust and broad, you may create a Discord-like app with other tools and technologies. It’s a smart idea to choose a pre-built solution adapted to your business needs rather than creating one from scratch, which may be costly and time-consuming.