When it comes to chatting apps, the chief focus of this kind of application exchanges communicates and interacts over the Internet. WhatsApp is the very first application that comes to mind related to chatting apps.
Just like WhatsApp, there are chatting apps such as band, Viber, slack message lite, and many more.
But Discord is also in that list as it also allows users to communicate with friends. But the interface of Discord is not simple in comparison to WhatsApp.
It is not possible to differentiate all chatting apps in a single article. So, in this article, the chief aim is on differentiating WhatsApp and Discord.
Key Takeaways
- WhatsApp is a mobile-focused messaging app, whereas Discord is designed for gaming communities and group communication.
- Discord offers voice and video chat, as well as text messaging, while WhatsApp focuses on text, voice, and video messaging.
- Discord allows server creation for organizing large groups, whereas WhatsApp uses individual and group chats.
WhatsApp vs Discord
WhatsApp is a mobile messaging app primarily used for sending text messages, voice messages, and making voice and video calls, while also supporting file sharing. Discord is a communication platform primarily aimed at gamers, offering voice, video, and text communication channels, alongside community-building tools.
For smartphones, WhatsApp is a messenger app that is free to download. It uses the Internet for sending video, images, audio, or text.
With teenagers, it is quite popular because of features like location sharing, group chatting, and voice messages.
Discord is a chat, video, and voice app that is completely free and used by people ages 13+ by tens of millions to hang out and talk with their friends and communities. It is mainly a home who are of any size communities but widely used by active and small people groups who talk regularly.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Discord | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | In January 2009 | In May 2015 |
| Founders | Jan Koum and Brian Acton | Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy |
| Written in | Erlang | Elixir, Rust, Python, C++, and JavaScript |
| Available in | 60 (Android) and 40 (iOS) languages | 30 languages |
| Type | VoIP and instant messaging | Content delivery, video conferences, instant messaging, social media, and VoIP communications |
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp Messenger or in simple words WhatsApp, which is an internationally available voice over IP (VoIP), freeware, and cross-platform centralized IM or instant messaging. A cellular mobile telephone number is must required to sign up for this service.
By WhatsApp Inc., the client application was created, which was acquired in February 2014 by Facebook. By 2015 it became the most popular messaging application in the world.
By February 2020, it has users worldwide of approx 2 billion.
A customized version is used by WhatsApp, and the version is open standard XMPP or simple Extensible Messaging and Present Protocol. The server for only 30 days keeps the message in its database in case it is not delivered (for 30 days receiver is not active).
WhatsApp has imposed limits repeatedly on message forwarding in response to the misinformation spread in countries like India and Australia. It has been also asserted that on WhatsApp, there are numerous ongoing scams that hackers spread malware or viruses.
What is Discord?
It is a long line of apps, discord is designed to solve a problem like organizing people and talking to one another. This free platform blends the approachable chat UI found in apps like slack.
Every day, with 14 million people logging and reporting 250 million users made it popular.
While playing games, it is great to use to talk with friends but also useful for places creation where people socialize, congregate, and meet up to find other players. It also offers search functions to find and add people to a friend list.
A lot of people not only use it for talking while playing games but as a social and organizational tool. Discord is embraced by people for being a community platform as semi-public and forum style.
The server can be joined or created by a players group with common interests like a fan of a specific studio.
The app discord also provides a paid subscription known as Discord Nitro. Through this users get a handful of access to additional features like uploading bigger files, using one server emotes on another, boosting servers, and streaming in 4K using GoLive.
Main Differences Between WhatsApp and Discord
- When it comes to features, the features offered by WhatsApp are a photo gallery, telephony, voice chat, messaging, and video chat. On contrary, blogs, app integration, social sharing, employee directory, and event calendar are some of the features of Discord.
- The WhatsApp alternatives consist of ActivePlace, Noysi, Element, Flock, and Apple Business Chat. On the flip side, Wickr, Rocket. Chat, Slack, and Chanty are some of the alternatives included in Discord.
- WhatsApp is supported on almost all platforms like Windows, SaaS, Android, Mac, iPad, and iPhone. In contrast, just like the above-mentioned platforms, Discord is supported on all of them and also on Linux but WhatsApp fails to support on Linux.
- In terms of messaging features, WhatsApp features payments, End to End Encryption or simply E2EE, file sharing, stickers/ GIFs, search/ filter, etc. On the other hand, groups/ channels, self-destructing messages, video calling, video conferencing are some of the messaging features of this Discord.
- The target audience for WhatsApp is anyone who wants free chat through the application of WhatsApp. Meanwhile, Discord’s audience is small teams, businesses, and companies. Any organization, whether small or large that wants an alternative to Slack and live chat.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jRKhDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA82&dq=whatsapp&ots=gXkBf2kIk_&sig=kBE2urZ7bU1F9H-I51ZhF1tSPFA
- https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.020503
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
