How to Create an App Like Discord

How creating an app like Discord - Benefits of making an app like Discord, must-have features, how to make an app like Discord, and cost of development.

Discord has become a popular tool for live streamers, YouTubers, podcasters, and gamers worldwide to build online communities.

Consumer Survey data by Statista indicates that Discord has taken off among 18-29-year-olds. Moreover, Discord approximately had 563 million registered users in Jan 2023 which specifies a growth of 87% compared to 300 million users in 2020.

Now you might be wondering what Discord is and why developing an app like Discord can be beneficial. This blog will cover everything you need to know about creating an app like Discord. So, let’s get started!

An Overview of Discord

Discord is an American social media platform, developed by Stanislav Vishevskiy and Jason Citron, that offers a wide range of communication services, including VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), text messaging, video conferences, etc. in either private chats or over communities called servers.

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Here servers refer to the collection of persistent voice channels and chat rooms that can only be accessed by a user through invitation links. Additionally, Discord is a cross-platform compatible platform that you can run on macOS, Windows, Android, Linux, iOS, and web browsers.

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From a tool for gamers, Discord has become a fully-fledged service that can be used by anyone who wants to join and chat in online communities. What’s more? Any user can start their server and invite their friends or followers to join.

Must-Have Features For an App Like Discord

By now you might have a clear understanding of the Discord application, but what are the features you should implement in an app like Discord? Well, to help you out, we have enlisted the must-have features for an app like Discord.

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Channels and Servers

Servers and channels are spaces you need to develop to facilitate communication between users. These servers can be a group dedicated to specific topics with varying rules and can be either text channels or voice channels. Every server in the app should hold up to 400-500 channels.

Roles and Permissions

Another feature to add to an app like Discord is the ability of server admins to assign roles and give permissions within given channels or servers. While in other communication apps, one can only assign one or two roles like chat moderator and admin, an app like Discord must allow 30 different permission options that can be combined in multiple ways.

Video Calling and Streaming

Although video calling and streaming are not compulsory to have in an app like Discord, they are more like features users expect these days. And if you are planning to build a rival for Discord, it becomes essential to add voice and video chat and stream functionality.

The app you are going to build should support both video and voice chat features along with dedicated voice channels with/without messaging capabilities using WebRTC or other similar technologies.

Message History

Building an app like Discord requires you to provide unlimited storage to keep track of messages along with a search feature to help users search for any message over a given time and make the user experience seamless.

Screen Sharing

Another vital feature to add to an app like Discord is screen sharing over a video chat. It should allow multiple users to share their entire screen or individual window depending on the requirement.

File-Sharing

You should also integrate a file-sharing feature in the app that empowers users to exchange files up to 10-50 MB. You can also offer higher upload limits in paid versions.

Notifications

While developing an app like Discord remember to add a notification feature with the ability to mute or unmute channels depending on the user's requirements.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an App Like Discord

To develop an app like Discord, you need to follow the given steps:

Conduct Comprehensive Market and Competitive Research

To create an app like Discord, you need to conduct market research to understand the requirements of your targeted audience before moving on to the development stage.

Also, you need to analyze your competitors for evaluating their presence and USP and at the same time conduct a SWOT analysis to find their weaknesses and fill the gaps with your app.

Outsource an Experienced Development Team

Next, you need to search for a custom software development company with years of expertise and experience with a versatile development team that can handle your business project. A few team members that you will need are front-end developers, back-end developers, UI/UX designers, project managers, and QA experts.

After deciding on the application development company, you can move ahead and discuss the needs and features to include in the app.

Create an MVP

Before investing in the large-scale project, start with a minimum viable product (MVP) to test the functionality and performance of the essential features, collect feedback, and improve.

Choose a Monetization Strategy

Now comes the most crucial part, choosing the right monetization scheme for your app. Some of the most popular ways to monetize an app like Discord are offering freemium plans, running ads, subscriptions, providing paid downloads, and in-app purchases.

Test and Launch the App

Also, don’t forget to test every feature and functionality to determine the performance of the app using different testing methods such as usability and viability testing, stress and load testing, functionality, performance, automated testing, and integration testing.

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Cost to Develop an App Like Discord

Developing an app like Discord can cost you anywhere between $35,000 to $250,000. Such a variation in the development cost of the app is influenced by multiple factors including but not limited to time, complexity, size, tech stack, outsourcing region, hourly rates, and development team expertise.

Making an app like Discord can be a significant investment for any startup, but there are ways to build it within your budget.

For instance, you can contact our experts, share your requirements, hire developers, and get the app developed with all the requirements at a pocket-friendly cost.

FAQs: How to Create an App Like Discord

What are apps like Discord called?

Apps like Discord are called VoIP and communication applications.

How much does it cost to build an app like Discord?

Developing an app like Discord can cost you anywhere between $35,000 to $250,000.

How does Discord make money?

Some of the most popular ways to monetize an app like Discord are offering freemium plans, running ads, providing paid downloads, and in-app purchases.