Discord vs Taverns: what you get for free.
Same setup you already know: servers are taverns, channels are halls. The difference is what costs extra. On Taverns the big stuff is free, and here is every round with Discord’s own numbers.
Discord figures from Discord’s own pages, checked October 6, 2026.
Quick answer
Is Taverns better than Discord?
If you want the big stuff without paying for it, yes: Taverns gives you 2 GB uploads, 1080p 60fps screen share, 700 emoji and 1,000 stickers per tavern, and watch parties, all free.
Both are built from the same pieces: text and voice rooms, roles, permissions, forums, events and moderation, and both encrypt voice and video calls end to end. Discord still has the biggest crowd and the biggest bot library, so it is the easy pick if everyone you play with is already there. Taverns makes the things Discord sells with Nitro and Server Boosts free, and a free migration tool copies your Discord server’s setup over.
- Uploads: 2 GB free on Taverns, 20 MB free on Discord (1 GB with Nitro at $9.99 a month)
- Screen share: 1080p at 60 fps free on Taverns, 720p at 30 fps free on Discord
- Emoji and stickers: 700 + 1,000 per tavern on Taverns, 100 + 5 per server on Discord before boosts
- Encrypted calls: end to end on both
The free plan, by the numbers.
What every Taverns account gets on day one. No subscription, no boosts, no trial.
- 2 GBper file (Discord free: 20 MB)
- 1080p60screen share (Discord free: 720p 30)
- 700custom emoji per tavern (Discord: 100)
- 1,000stickers per tavern (Discord: 5)
- $0to unlock any of it
Discord’s numbers are its free plan, from its own help pages, checked October 6, 2026. Discord says it is experimenting with upload limits.
Discord vs Taverns, round by round.
Eight rounds, free plan against free plan. Discord gets the rounds it wins.
Price
- Discord
- Free; Nitro $9.99 a month, Nitro Basic $2.99
- Taverns
- Free; optional extras, never needed
Verdict: Taverns. Nothing on this page needs a subscription.
File uploads
- Discord
- 20 MB free, 50 MB on Basic, 1 GB on Nitro
- Taverns
- 2 GB per file, free
Verdict: Taverns, by a mile. Full match recordings send as they are.
Custom emoji and stickers
- Discord
- 100 emoji and 5 stickers per server; up to 250 and 60 with 14 boosts
- Taverns
- 700 emoji and 1,000 stickers per tavern, usable in every tavern you join
Verdict: Taverns, without a single boost.
Watch videos together
- Discord
- Watch Together Activity (YouTube only)
- Taverns
- Stage halls: YouTube, TikTok, X, Vimeo, Twitch clips and video files, with a shared queue
Verdict: Both have it. Taverns plays more than YouTube.
End-to-end encrypted calls
- Discord
- Voice, video and Go Live, by default
- Taverns
- Voice, video and screen share in voice halls, DMs and group calls
Verdict: A tie. Both lock calls with keys only the people in them hold, and both give you a code to compare.
Theme your community
- Discord
- Server Themes: an experiment for select servers, 3 Boosts; personal themes need Nitro
- Taverns
- Backgrounds, colors, fonts and hall icons for the whole tavern, free
Verdict: Taverns. Make the place look like your crew without boosting it.
Friends, bots and integrations
- Discord
- The biggest crowd and the biggest bot library
- Taverns
- Newer, so friends may need an invite; bots and a developer platform
Verdict: Discord. It is where most people already are.
Everything you use on Discord is already here.
No new vocabulary test. If you can run a Discord server, you can run a tavern.
- Servers are taverns, channels are halls, with categories to sort them
- Text, voice, announcement and forum halls
- Roles and per-hall permissions, the way you set them up now
- Threads, polls, events and pinned messages
- Custom emoji, stickers and GIF search in the composer
- DMs, group DMs, and voice and video calls
- Blocking, reports, slow mode and 18+ halls behind an age check
- Bots, plus a developer platform to build your own
Which one should you pick?
Stay on Discord if
Everyone you play with is already there and nobody minds paying for the upgrades.
- Your server runs on bots and integrations you cannot replace
- You want 4K streams and will pay Nitro for them
- Moving your crew is more hassle than it is worth right now
Try Taverns if
You want the Discord-style setup with the big stuff free.
- You share big clips, mod packs or art folders
- You stream to friends and want 1080p 60 without a subscription
- Your emoji wall outgrew 100 slots
- You watch videos together on movie nights
Or keep both
Copy your Discord server’s setup into a tavern, invite your regulars, and see where your crew hangs out. Your Discord server is not touched.
Bring your Discord server with you.
Our free Discord migration tool copies your server’s channels, categories, roles, permissions, emoji and stickers into a new tavern. You check a preview first, and your Discord stays exactly as it is.
On every screen you own.
Taverns is in the App Store and on Google Play, with free desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux (it runs on the Steam Deck too) and tav.gg in any browser. Same account, same taverns, everywhere.
Phone apps from the App Store and Google Play. Desktop apps straight from tav.gg. Nothing to sideload.
- WindowsWindows 10 and 11
- MacmacOS 13 and later
- LinuxAppImage or apt
- Steam DeckDesktop Mode
- iPhone and iPadApp Store
- AndroidGoogle Play
- Any browsertav.gg
Windows and the Windows logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPad, Mac, macOS and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
Steam and Steam Deck are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Taverns is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve.
How we compared them
Taverns publishes this page, so read it with that in mind. On October 6, 2026 we read Discord’s own help pages, Nitro page and blog for every Discord figure here, and compared the free plans. Discord’s numbers can change (it says it is experimenting with upload limits), so check its pages before you decide.
Taverns figures are what every account gets today. If something here is out of date, tell us at support@tav.gg and we will fix it.
- Discord Nitro(opens in a new tab)
- Discord File Attachments FAQ(opens in a new tab)
- Discord Go Live(opens in a new tab)
- Discord Server Boosting FAQ(opens in a new tab)
- Discord Watch Together(opens in a new tab)
- Discord End-to-End Encryption for Audio and Video(opens in a new tab)
- Discord account and server caps(opens in a new tab)
Questions, answered.
Is Taverns free?
Yes. Making an account, creating a tavern, 2 GB uploads, 1080p 60fps screen share, Stage watch parties and 700 emoji plus 1,000 stickers per tavern are all free. Optional extras are bought with Prisma, the in-app currency, and are never needed to chat, call or run a community.
Does Taverns have a Nitro?
No subscription is needed for anything Discord puts behind Nitro or Server Boosts on this page: big uploads, HD screen share and room for hundreds of emoji are free on Taverns.
Are Taverns calls end-to-end encrypted like Discord’s?
Yes. Voice, video and screen share in voice halls, DM calls and group calls are end-to-end encrypted with keys made on each device, and a lock in the call lets everyone compare the same privacy code. It turns on when everyone in the call is on a current Taverns app or tav.gg, and a voice hall that is being restreamed to Twitch or YouTube is not encrypted while the restream runs. Discord encrypts its calls end to end too.
Can I use Taverns and Discord at the same time?
Yes. Copy your Discord server’s setup into a tavern with the free migration tool, invite your regulars, and keep your Discord server running. The tool never changes your Discord server.
Can I move my Discord server to Taverns?
Yes. The free Discord migration tool copies your server’s name, icon and banner, channels and categories, roles and permissions, custom emoji and supported stickers into a new tavern after you check a preview. Messages, message history and members do not move, so you invite your people with a link.
Keep exploring.
Same crew.
Better loot.
Join free in your browser, bring your Discord server’s setup over, and keep Discord running while your crew checks it out.