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Discord alternative · No email · E2E encrypted

The Encrypted Discord Alternative That Doesn't Know Who You Are

No email or phone required for basic chat signup. Channel and direct-message text are encrypted in the client. Other data, including metadata and attachments, has different protections; review the published privacy limitations.

Try Recline free Read the source
AES-GCM-256 Channel encryption
ECDH P-256 DM key exchange
No email Required to sign up
No govt. ID Ever

Why people switch

Three things Discord can't offer.

Not feature additions. Architectural differences that change what's possible — for you and for anyone who asks Discord for your data.

Messages encrypted before they leave your device
Discord stores your messages in plaintext — readable by employees, accessible by subpoena, and exposed in any breach. Recline uses AES-GCM-256 for channel messages, keyed from a passphrase the server never sees. A database dump returns ciphertext. There's nothing else to hand over.
Simple chat signup, without identity documents
Recline chat signup uses a username and password, without mandatory email or phone. Identity checks can still apply if you choose supported payment or payout services.
Open-source client — audit it yourself
Privacy claims are easy to write. The Recline client is AGPL-3.0 on GitHub — every function that handles encryption, key derivation, and message sending is readable. No auditor's reputation standing between you and the truth of what the code actually does.

Feature comparison

Recline vs Discord.

Same surface area — servers, channels, voice, video. Very different answers to the question of who can read what.

Feature Recline Discord
End-to-end encryption ✓ AES-GCM-256 channels · ECDH P-256 DMs ✗ Not encrypted Messages stored in plaintext on Discord's servers
Company can read messages ✓ Impossible Message text stored as ciphertext; attachments and metadata are handled separately ✗ Yes — fully visible Used for moderation, AI features, and ad targeting
Email required ✓ Never asked ✗ Required at signup
Phone number ✓ Never asked ✗ Often required for verification
Government ID / facial scan ✓ Never, under any circumstance ✗ Required for some features (2026) Biometric data held by third-party verification provider
Data sold or used for ads ✓ No ✗ Yes
Open-source client ✓ AGPL-3.0 on GitHub Every encryption function is publicly auditable ✗ Proprietary, closed source
Voice & video calls ✓ WebRTC P2P ✓ WebRTC
Screen sharing ✓ Up to 1440p included → 720p on free tier 1080p requires Nitro subscription
Servers, channels, roles ✓ Full — granular permission bitmask ✓ Full
Free tier ✓ All core features free → Limited Nitro unlocks screen share quality, emoji, and more

Transparency model

What the server actually holds.

Most privacy claims are made in prose. Here's the specific list — what Recline's infrastructure can see and what it can't, with the cryptographic reason for each.

Server can see
Your username (stored in plaintext)
Message timestamps
Which channels you belong to
That a message was sent (not its content)
Your IP address (not logged by default)
Server cannot see
Message content — encrypted before sending
DM text content — encrypted client-side
Your channel passphrase
Email or phone — never collected
Call audio or video — WebRTC is P2P

Recline is Open Beta software. Metadata minimization, forward secrecy, and post-compromise security remain active development areas. Full privacy and security details →

CRYPTO SPEC
channels AES-GCM-256Key derived from channel passphrase via PBKDF2-SHA256. Per-message random IV. Encrypted in-browser before transmission.
direct_msgs ECDH P-256 + HKDF-SHA256Private key stays in your browser, cleared on logout. Server stores and delivers ciphertext only.
passwords Argon2id64 MiB memory, t=3, p=4. Resistant to GPU and ASIC brute-force attacks.
2fa TOTP RFC 6238Standard time-based OTP, works with any authenticator app.
sessions 256-bit random hexStored in sessions table. No JWT, no cookie-based auth state.
calls WebRTC DTLS-SRTPPeer-to-peer media. Recline handles signaling only — never in the audio or video path.
No email required No ID for basic chat No ads No data selling Open-source client E2E encrypted

FAQ

Common questions.

Recline covers the same surface area as Discord — servers with channels and roles, voice and video calls, screen sharing, direct messages, and friend lists. The fundamental difference is encryption: Discord stores messages in plaintext, fully readable to Discord staff and accessible to law enforcement. Recline encrypts messages client-side before transmission, meaning the server only ever holds ciphertext it cannot read. For groups where that distinction matters, Recline is currently one of the only platforms that combines the Discord UX model with genuine end-to-end encryption.
For standard chat signup, a username and password are sufficient. Payment and payout providers may separately request identity and financial details. Account recovery is designed around backup codes rather than an email reset.
In the current design, channel and DM text are encrypted in the client before transmission. This does not make all information end-to-end encrypted: metadata, attachments, devices and client security remain important. See Privacy & Trust for the documented limits and the public client source.
Recline does not require a government ID to create a basic chat account. Optional payment or payout services may involve identity verification by a third-party provider.
Yes. All core features are free with no time limit — encrypted chat, voice and video calls, screen sharing up to 1440p, server creation, custom roles and permissions, direct messages, file attachments, and friend lists. Recline also has a Spark economy: a small number of Sparks are deposited to your account automatically every day you log in. Sparks can be spent on animated messages, server-wide broadcasts, and creator tips. Buying additional Sparks is optional and never required for core communication.
Discord uses TLS for data in transit, meaning messages are protected between your browser and Discord's servers — but once they arrive, Discord holds them in readable form. This is called transport encryption, and it protects against network interception, not against the platform itself. Recline uses end-to-end encryption: messages are encrypted in your browser with AES-GCM-256 before they leave, and decrypted in the recipient's browser after arrival. The service still processes metadata and stores data with different security properties, including attachments. Encryption alone cannot eliminate every breach or device compromise risk; see the Privacy & Trust page.
Yes. Recline has servers (communities), text channels, voice channels with live video and screen sharing, server roles with granular bitmask permissions, channel-level permission overrides, custom invite links with access controls, direct messages, and a friend system with presence indicators. The community structure is similar to Discord's, with encryption applied to all text content.

Get started

Chat that can't be read. Even by us.

No email. No ID for basic chat. Encrypted from your first message. Free for everything that matters.

Open Recline

Read more on the Recline blog

Start a community that stays private.

Join free in the browser, or install the Windows app. No email or phone needed for basic chat.

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Open beta · Open-source client · Encrypted message text