This is the domain I'm using to host my Matrix server, Synapse. Matrix is a FOSS internet chat protocol with features similar to Discord, with the added benefit of being self-hostable, and not reliant on a single large corporation for hosting and moderation, as has been an issue for many people - especially in recent times.
Create an account on https://app.element.io/ and invite me to a chat! My username is @cal:matrix.snek.to. It's that simple.
If you prefer to join via a link, once you have an account, you can join my server's welcome room here.
Most recently as of Janurary 2026, Discord has stated it's going to require all users globally to verify their age via a face scan or providing their ID.
Discord also scans all of the content you upload for "CSAM" to "catch predators online." Including your text chats. I'm sure it's totally for that reason alone and they aren't just using this as an excuse to train an AI on- oh wait. Yeah, like "think of the children" has ever been used in earnest and wasn't just an excuse to spy on people.
If you need more details about Discord in particular, check out this page for a timeline starting when the company was founded in 2015.
The only person that can ban you from Matrix is the person who hosts your homeserver. Other people can block you of course, or block your server outright, but nobody from some far-away technical support outsourcing "firm" who doesn't even know your first name can ever swoop in and delete your account or shut you out from communicating with the people that are important to you, as has happened countless times on Discord, for no reason at all (to several of my friends, at this point).
It's secure, too. Every chat is end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning even the server's admins can't read what you're chatting about, unless you specifically disable encryption in a particular channel. And once it's on, it's on for good.
Matrix.org is a very large, public instance of Matrix, hosted by the people who made it. It's free to use, very fast, and very stable. It even has a mobile app for Android and iOS. If you're new to Matrix, I recommend setting up an account there, and familiarizing yourself with the interface.
Every server can talk to each other, too. Matrix uses what's called "federation" to let individual servers communicate over the same channels as if they were one big server - text, media, voice chats and all. There's no single point of failure, or one single server that can deny you access to the entire network.
I hope to see you there!
Yes actually, several! Many of them serve different purposes however, and the ones looking to compete directly often have their own downsides. A list of the ones I find notable can be found here