[$] Open-source Discord alternatives

The closed-source chat platform Discord

announced on February 9 that it would soon require some users to verify their
ages in order to access some content — although the company quickly

added that
the “vast majority” of users would not have to. That reassurance has to
contend with the fact that the UK and other countries are implementing
increasingly strict age requirements for social media. Discord’s age
verification would be done with an AI age-judging
model or with a government photo ID. A surprising number of open-source
projects use Discord for support or project communications, and some of those
projects are now looking for open-source alternatives. Mastodon, for example,

has moved discussion to Zulip. There are some alternatives out there, all
with their own pros and cons, that communities may want to consider if they want
to switch away from Discord.