Do I have to self-host?

Not always. Self-hosting gives you the most control, since the data sits on a server you answer to, but several of these also offer managed hosting from a company that sells software rather than your data. Either way you escape the Discord or Slack model where the platform mines the conversation.

Can I move an existing community over?

Usually yes, though it takes effort. Most platforms let you re-create channels and roles, and some offer import tools. The harder part is social, not technical: seed the new space with your active members first, run it in parallel for a while, and the rest tend to follow.

The Best Private Team Chat and Community Platforms in 2026

Private alternatives to Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams, vetted against our public criteria.

Rocket.Chat

Professional approach for real-time conversations with your colleagues, other companies or customers.

Open Source E2E encrypted Self-hosted Windows macOS Linux Android iOS Web Freemium

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Zulip

Open-source team chat built around topic-based threading, fully self-hostable with managed hosting also available.

Open Source Self-hosted Android iOS Web Free

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Discord and Slack keep your community on their servers and mine the metadata around every message, and they can lock or read anything you store there. These platforms put the same channels and voice chat on infrastructure you or the community controls, most of them self-hostable and open source.

What to look for in a community platform

Self-hosting is the strongest version of this, since the data sits on a server you answer to. If you would rather not run it, look for a hosted plan from a company that does not mine the content and ideally offers end-to-end encryption for private rooms. Open-source code matters here, because a community platform accumulates years of conversation and you want the option to move it or audit it later.

Why the default cannot be fixed

Discord and Slack are free or cheap because the platform is the product and your activity is the asset. Server-side they see the full social graph of who talks to whom, and a privacy toggle does not change the fact that they hold the room. Owning the server, or paying a host that sells software instead of data, is the only way to take that back.

How to switch

Stand up one of these for your core group, re-create your channels, and run it next to the old server while people migrate. Communities move on social proof, so seed it with the active members first and let the rest follow. The trade is that you become the admin, which is more responsibility but also the entire point.

Frequently asked

Do I have to self-host?: Not always. Self-hosting gives you the most control, since the data sits on a server you answer to, but several of these also offer managed hosting from a company that sells software rather than your data. Either way you escape the Discord or Slack model where the platform mines the conversation.
Can I move an existing community over?: Usually yes, though it takes effort. Most platforms let you re-create channels and roles, and some offer import tools. The harder part is social, not technical: seed the new space with your active members first, run it in parallel for a while, and the rest tend to follow.