These apps cater to online meetings and video teleconferencing from small group gatherings of friends and families to formal business meetings. They offer free access for both parties attending the meeting (or teleconference) by joining servers or certain rooms.
So, Discord vs Zoom: which is the better app?
Find out about both apps: their similarities, differences, pros and cons, and more in this article, and decide for yourself which app is the better one to utilize.
Overview of the Discord App
Discord was originally launched as ‘DiscordApp’ in 2015. It was an app designed merely for gamers worldwide who are seeking to make new friends and create groups of people with the same interests in gaming. These ‘groups’ are called Discord servers where users get to hang out with each other while talking about their common interests in the widely fascinating gaming world. Its founders, Jason and Stan, were passionate gamers themselves–which allowed them to deeply understand what their targeted users want to experience in their developed app.
With the Discord App, users can opt to join servers created by like-minded people playing games of the same sort. This was initially the concept behind Discord. However, five years later, Jason and Stan decided to make the app all-purpose and shifted its functions not only to gaming but also expanded to business.
They also added the advanced feature called ‘Discord Nitro‘ to give high-end perks (like cool stickers, and boosted servers, to users who avail themselves and subscribe to its premium access.
Pros and Cons of Discord
How user-friendly Discord may be, it still has its share of advantages and disadvantages. The following are some of the pros and cons many users have observed with the Discord app:
Discord Pros
-
Discord Server
This is the most unique feature Discord has to offer because this is what the app became famous for. By creating unique servers, multiple users can be able to better organize and categorize their communities through multiple channels created within the server.
-
Own Server
Anyone has the ability to create their own server and form small groups or communities that can attract other users to join them. Discord is a very big place for people who love to explore and make new friends with others who share the same interests as them.
-
Voice Channels
One of the best things about Discord is their voice channels feature where users have a common channel created for voice calls. Unlike other apps, where users still need to invite their friends or other users to join a voice call, Discord allows users to directly join a voice conference without having to send out invite links as long as they are already connected to the server. This makes voice calls very easy to manipulate and also hassle-free.
-
High Quality Audio
Another feature that Discord prides itself on is its high-quality (if not the best there is among all other apps as far as telecommunication tools are concerned) and high-definition audio for voice calls and voice conferences.
-
Free Version
The Discord app is absolutely free! As long as you have an internet connection, you are always on the go.
Discord Cons
-
Streaming video content
Discord does not allow live streaming of video content at the moment. They may be developing this feature, but they have not implemented it yet, as of writing. Some users might be able to do so, but with the incorporation of a third-party app/site, which might come unhandy for most.
-
File Sharing
Discord app only allows file sharing up to 8MB for free users and 50MB (until 100MB) for Discord Nitro users. Even Nitro Classic users have very limited file sharing access; this feature is something Discord should improve.
Overview of the Zoom App
Zoom was conceptualized in 2011 by Chinese-American engineer and businessman, Eric Yuan. In 2012, they launched a video conferencing module that could host up to 15 participants. Later, the Beta version was upgraded to 25 participants. During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, Zoom became very popular because most people (especially in the business industry) worked from home. This was when Zoom became one of the most utilized communication tools by the end of 2020–with over 300 million daily users worldwide.
Zoom has several tiers that offer different kinds of access and advantages inside the application. These are Basic, Pro, Business, and Enterprise.
With its growing population of worldwide users, Zoom upgraded its service by launching different types of hardware services such as Zoom Rooms, Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phone, and Zoom Video Webinar which maximized Zoom’s influence on social media platforms and in the business world.
Pros and Cons of Zoom
Just like any other app, Zoom also has its share of pros and cons. Here are some:
Zoom Pros
-
Breakout Rooms
Zoom is known for its meeting rooms. Whenever you are inside a meeting room, especially in big and long video conferences, you just can’t help but want to take a break from the commotion inside the main meeting room. With Zoom’s breakout rooms, you can easily switch between small groups and the main meeting room from time to time.
-
Cloud Recording.
All meetings are recorded and stored in the cloud. Zoom also can integrate and incorporate other apps, like Google docs, during a meeting. You can also make presentations with it.
-
Free Version
Zoom is free for all Basic users.
Zoom Cons
-
Security Issues
From 2018 to 2020, Zoom encountered multiple security vulnerabilities that they have been fixing from time to time. These security breaches have been escalating that it also affected the number of Zoom users switching to other VoIP apps.
-
Video Quality
Many Zoom users have been complaining about the poor video quality Zoom has. This issue might be because each meeting consumes too much data that which affects the quality of its video conferencing interface. Many times, Zoom videos are pixelated.
-
Not User-friendly
According to a lot of its users, Zoom’s interface is not user-friendly. Many have been getting confused with how buttons work; even exiting a meeting may be a bit difficult for some users.
How Do Zoom and Discord Compare to Each Other?
With Discord and Zoom being VoIP applications, there are several similarities both apps have. These are:
-
Free
Both Discord and Zoom have completely free versions where anyone can sign up and make use of their general functions.
-
Team Communication
Both apps can be used by multiple people for web conferencing. Both can also share files (also they differ in data size limits).
-
General Chat Options and Compatibility
Both Discord and Zoom are compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more. They also offer text chat options in both of their GUIs.
Discord vs Zoom – Which is Better?
Video Conferencing
When it comes to business utilization for a large group of participants during a single video conference, Zoom is the better app. Especially now that it has quite improved its security by integrating end-to-end encryption for its video conferencing module.
Screen Sharing
Both have superb screen sharing features, but, if you have limited internet connectivity, Discord can offer you better audio and video because Zoom takes up too much data. If you have poor internet connectivity during a Zoom meeting, you might experience severe lagging (to the point where your screen will just freeze and stop moving). Discord, on the other hand, when experiencing poor internet connections, will continue to record and provide high-definition audio during a voice call or a meeting.
So, when it comes to screen sharing with a poor internet connection, Discord is the better app.
Voice and Video Calls
When it comes to high-quality voice and video calls, Discord is the better app. This is because Discord has better file compression than Zoom.