Discord prioritizes gaming and community with superior voice quality and lower latency, while Microsoft Teams excels in enterprise integration with calendar, email, and Office 365 features built-in. Discord's free tier is more generous, but Teams offers deeper workplace productivity tools.
Discord vs Microsoft Teams — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Proprietary VoIP and instant messaging platform with 150M+ monthly users focused on gaming, communities, and real-time communication.
Enterprise cloud-based collaboration platform with 320M users, integrated with Microsoft 365 and Office applications.
Primary Use Case. Voice Latency. Free Tier Message History. Office Integration. Video Conference Limit (Free). Monthly Active Users (2024). Server/Workspace Creation Cost
Choose Discord if you're building gaming communities, creative projects, or social groups where voice quality and cost-free unlimited communication matter most. Choose Microsoft Teams if you're in a corporate environment needing seamless integration with Office 365, Outlook calendars, SharePoint, and professional compliance features. Discord excels at community engagement; Teams excels at enterprise productivity.
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: 100 participants
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 50-100ms with spatial audio | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 128 kbps | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Limited/Third-party only | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Comprehensive API with bot framework (GDC 2026) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Limited third-party apps | Microsoft Teams: Native Outlook calendar sync
Discord: Free (with Nitro at $9.99) | Microsoft Teams: $7.00 (Business Basic 2026 price)
Discord: 25 participants | Microsoft Teams: 300+ participants
Discord: Outstanding (advanced codecs) | Microsoft Teams: Excellent (optimized for reliability)
Discord: 0 (no native support) | Microsoft Teams: 40+ languages (Teams Premium)
Discord: Minimal (intuitive design) | Microsoft Teams: Steep (enterprise-focused interface)
Discord: 500+ million registered users | Microsoft Teams: 350+ million monthly active users
Discord: SOC 2, GDPR (limited enterprise focus) | Microsoft Teams: ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR
Discord: Completely free | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Discord Nitro $9.99-99.99/year | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 1440 (24 hours) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Up to 50 (voice channel) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Limited, experimental | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Permanent (searchable) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Basic moderation bots | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Yes, SOC 2 Type II | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 1080p @ 60fps | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 10,000+ bots | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Free (with Nitro at $9.99/mo optional) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 500,000+ | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Opus (optimized, 128kbps default) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 1080p (premium servers) | Microsoft Teams: 1080p (1920x1080)
Message History Scanning for AI Training
Discord: Yes (Discord trains AI on content) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: $9.99 per server/month | Microsoft Teams: $15 (Essentials) / $20 (Standard)
Discord: 50+ participants | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Basic (bots only) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 128 kbps optimized | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: No (opt-in only) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 0.1-0.3 seconds | Microsoft Teams: 2-4 seconds average
Discord: Proprietary/Closed | Microsoft Teams: Closed proprietary
Discord: 150+ million (2024) | Microsoft Teams: 320 million
Discord: Free (Nitro $9.99/year) | Microsoft Teams: $6
Discord: unlimited | Microsoft Teams: unlimited
Discord: Encryption, limited certifications | Microsoft Teams: SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP, HIPAA, GDPR, HITRUST
Discord: 99.99% | Microsoft Teams: 99.9%
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (100 participants max)
Discord: $0 (free tier) | Microsoft Teams: $6.00
Discord: 15 languages | Microsoft Teams: 60+ languages
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: Limited (fixed structure)
Discord: Less than 5% | Microsoft Teams: 80%
Maximum Simultaneous Video Participants (Free)
Discord: 50 with Nitro ($99.99/year) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 48kHz premium | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: 3,000 searchable
Discord: No direct integration | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Not HIPAA certified | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Speech-to-text via integrations only | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 195 minutes | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 50 participants | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: $9.99 (Discord Nitro) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: ~8,000 public servers (estimated) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 4.3 stars (3.8M reviews) | Microsoft Teams: 4.2 (2.4M reviews)
Discord: 50-80ms | Microsoft Teams: 80-120ms
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: 10,000 most recent
Discord: No native integration | Microsoft Teams: Full integration with Office apps
Discord: Not certified | Microsoft Teams: Certified
Discord: 10,000+ bots | Microsoft Teams: 1,500+ apps
Discord: Free | Microsoft Teams: $6 per user (Teams Essentials)
Discord: 20-30ms | Microsoft Teams: 50-80ms
Discord: 150 million | Microsoft Teams: 320 million
Discord: Unlimited | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes
Discord: Yes | Microsoft Teams: Yes (SOC 2, HIPAA, FedRAMP)
Discord: 8 video participants | Microsoft Teams: 100 video participants
Discord: Free (unlimited) | Microsoft Teams: Free Teams ($5-12/month for Pro)
Free Tier Group Video Call Duration Limit
Maximum Group Call Participants (Free Tier)
Discord: No (bot-dependent) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Yes (unlimited) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Maximum Webinar Participants (Paid Plan)
Discord: Not enabled by default (optional for 1-on-1 only) | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Proprietary/Closed-source | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Under 100ms optimized | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: 8 MB per file | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: Not supported; Discord-only infrastructure | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Maximum Concurrent Voice Users (Free Tier)
Discord: Limited control; Discord retains indefinitely | Microsoft Teams: N/A
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 320 million
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Included with M365
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: No, paid only
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Full native integration
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Often requires app/account
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 50 rooms
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6/month (Microsoft 365 bundle)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Limited translation features
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6.00 (with Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $72 (bundled pricing)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Up to 10,000
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native with SharePoint, OneDrive, Office Web Apps
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Copilot Pro (enterprise AI, meeting insights)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $6 (Teams Essentials)
Maximum Free Tier Group Meeting Duration
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 24 hours
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Premium only ($10/user/month)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 8+ apps (Outlook, Excel, Word, OneDrive, SharePoint, Project, Planner, Power BI)
Advanced Chat Features (Channels, Threading, Workflows)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Advanced (channels, nested threads, queues, connectors)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4.5 stars
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 3,669 reviews
3-Year Total Cost of Ownership (1,000 users)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Lower (integrated M365)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 3,668 reviews
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 7.9% positive
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Limited to basic captions
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Basic transcription only
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Third-party device support only
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Limited (Copilot requires E5)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4K at 30fps
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 31 languages
Enterprise Deployment Adoption (500+ seat orgs)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 67% of deployments
3-Year TCO Advantage for 1,000 Users with M365
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 47% lower cost
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (3+ participants)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited (OneDrive)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Full (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Copilot Pro required ($20+ per tenant)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4.5 Mbps
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $0 (Free) or $6 (Standard)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 500+ apps
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 10,000 participants
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Cloud-only (SaaS)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Copilot with GPT-4, speech-to-text, real-time translation
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Microsoft-managed regional datacenters (limited control)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 100 GB per user
Annual Subscription Cost (Pro, 100 users)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $7,800 or free with Microsoft 365
Free Tier Meeting Duration for Group Calls
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60 minutes (unlimited participants)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $70/year (via Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 300 participants
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 5 GB (OneDrive)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 50 breakout rooms
Global Enterprise Video Conferencing Market Share (2024)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native: Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Power BI
Monthly Subscription Cost (Pro/Standard)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $0 (bundled) or $12.50 (standalone)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 200-300ms
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Last 3 months only
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native (deep)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 300+ million users
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $4.00 (Teams Essentials) - $12.50 (Teams Premium)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 2 GB per file
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1,000+ native integrations
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Proprietary closed-source
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Cloud-only SaaS
Annual TCO (1,000 users, 3-year average)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $48,000-150,000
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1000 (1TB OneDrive)
Maximum Video Conference Participants (Free)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4.1/5 (8,300 reviews)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Basic keyword search (limited free tier)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 300 standard
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: $0 (limited)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1920x1080
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1 primary
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Unlimited in OneDrive
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 8 (Copilot, live transcription, noise suppression, translation)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 8 (SOC 2, FedRAMP, HIPAA, ISO 27001)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4 participants
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Available (free in 43 languages)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Office 365/Microsoft 365 (native)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 100 participants
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 60+ languages
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1080p @ 30fps
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 4K @ 30fps (Premium only)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 36+ months
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 8-10 (account creation + installation)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native (OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Excel co-auth)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 720p standard (1080p available)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Native integration (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive)
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 720p30fps
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: Not available
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 1000+ via Microsoft AppSource
Discord: N/A | Microsoft Teams: 30 days (limited features)
How to choose between Discord and Microsoft Teams
Discord vs Microsoft Teams — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Discord vs Microsoft Teams. Contains 226 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Discord vs Microsoft Teams — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Discord vs Microsoft Teams.
Which platform has better voice quality for gaming?
Discord has significantly lower voice latency (20-30ms vs 50-80ms), making it the superior choice for competitive gaming, esports, and real-time coordination. This 40-50ms latency difference is noticeable during fast-paced gameplay. Teams is designed for asynchronous workplace communication and shows perceptible delay in gaming scenarios.
Can I use Discord for business and Microsoft Teams for gaming?
Technically yes, but it's suboptimal. Discord lacks enterprise security features (Advanced Threat Protection, DLP policies) required by most companies. Teams has higher latency and a 60-minute free video call limit, making it inefficient for gaming. Each platform is engineered for its primary use case.
Which platform is truly free for unlimited use?
Discord's free tier is more generous: unlimited messages, unlimited group calls, and unlimited server creation with no time limits. Teams' free tier caps group video calls at 60 minutes and retains only 3,000 searchable messages, requiring paid plans ($5-12/month) for enterprise features and unlimited video.
How do Teams and Discord integrate with Office 365?
Teams offers native, seamless integration with Outlook calendar, OneDrive, SharePoint, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint—all embedded directly in the interface. Discord requires workarounds with third-party apps and bots (like Zapier) to connect Office products, providing no native integration.
Which platform is better for large enterprises?
Microsoft Teams is purpose-built for enterprises: it offers FedRAMP certification for government use, HIPAA compliance for healthcare, advanced conditional access policies, and phone system (PSTN) integration. Discord lacks these certifications and compliance features, though it uses SOC 2 Type II audits. Teams is the only choice for regulated industries.
How to Choose Between Discord and Microsoft Teams
Primary Use Case: Discord has Gaming, communities, social groups, while Microsoft Teams has Enterprise, corporate teams, business.
Voice Latency: Discord has ~20-30ms average, while Microsoft Teams has ~50-80ms average.
Free Tier Message History: Discord has Unlimited messages stored, while Microsoft Teams has Limited to 3,000 searchable messages.
Office Integration: Discord has Limited integration, while Microsoft Teams has Deep integration with Office 365, Outlook, OneDrive.
Video Conference Limit (Free): Discord has Unlimited 1-on-1, group calls capped at duration limits, while Microsoft Teams has 60-minute limit on 3+ participant calls.
Monthly Active Users (2024): Discord has 150 million MAU, while Microsoft Teams has 320 million MAU.
Consider: Server/Workspace Creation Cost
Server/Workspace Creation Cost: Discord has Free, unlimited servers, while Microsoft Teams has Free Teams, licensing required for enterprise features.