Alternative to Discord
If you're here because you want something Discord-like without being locked into Discord, start here. If you want to compare Sable against other Matrix clients instead, see Comparison with other clients.
This page is inspired by the public Discord Replacers spreadsheet, but it only compares Sable against Discord.
Only implemented features count below. Features that are still in progress are marked with footnotes.
Messaging
| Feature | Sable | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption / privacy | Yes1 | Variable |
| Channels / rooms | Yes | Yes |
| Channel history | Yes | Yes |
| Persistent channel order | Partial23 | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Attribute search | No | Yes |
| Pinned posts | Yes | Yes |
| Pluralkit-adjacent options | Yes | Yes |
| Direct messages | Yes | Yes |
| Post reactions | Yes | Yes |
| Embed previews | Yes | Yes |
| Text formatting | Yes | Yes |
| Message editing | Yes | Yes |
| Embeddable polls | No | Yes |
| Event management / scheduling | No | Yes |
Calls, Media, and Customization
| Feature | Sable | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Voice calls | Yes | Yes |
| Video calls | Yes | Yes |
| Screen sharing / streaming | Yes | Yes |
| Noise / echo suppression | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in soundboard | No | Yes |
| Custom emotes | Yes4 | Paid |
| Custom stickers | Yes4 | Paid |
| File sharing / hosting | Yes5 | Variable |
Widgets and Automation
| Feature | Sable | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborative work | Partial6 | Variable |
| Bot hooks and / or plugins | Partial7 | Variable |
Platform Support
| Feature | Sable | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Working on89 | Yes |
| Web app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Working on810 | Yes |
Protocol, Hosting, and Ownership
| Feature | Sable | Discord |
|---|---|---|
| Decentralized / federated | Yes | No |
| Self-hosting available | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Data-harvesting free | Yes | No |
| KYC safe | Yes | No |
Sable supports Matrix end-to-end encryption where the room supports it.
Broader ordering work is tracked in Order by Activity (#166).
Space room ordering is supported from the Space Lobby today. Separate rooms and DMs do not yet have the same sorting controls.
Files are hosted by the Matrix homeserver the user chooses.
Basic Matrix widget support can cover shared apps, but it is not fully tested yet.
Matrix bots are regular users rather than a client plugin system. Sable adds bot labeling and exposes room apps/widgets when present.
Native desktop and mobile builds are tracked in Add desktop and mobile builds (#88).
For now, install the web app as a PWA on your phone.
Native desktop builds are still being worked on.