Discord vs Loomio

Discord is a communication platform, founded in 2015 in San Francisco by Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy, organized around servers: shared spaces with text channels, voice channels, video calls, forums, stages for live audio events and threads. It began as a voice chat app for gamers and has grown into the home of developer communities, open-source projects, creator fan bases and the user communities of many startups.

Server owners configure roles and permissions per channel, use AutoMod and bots for moderation, and connect integrations through webhooks and the developer platform, which also supports apps and activities inside Discord. Voice and video run with low latency, screen sharing works for streaming and support, and forums keep questions organized. Discord is free for nearly unlimited use; Nitro subscriptions add larger uploads, HD streaming and cosmetic perks, while server boosts unlock better audio quality and more customization for a whole community.

Companies use Discord for community support, developer relations and beta programs rather than internal work chat, where Slack and Microsoft Teams dominate with search, SSO, compliance and admin controls. Weak search, the permission model and a consumer-oriented interface can make it hard to run as an official business tool, and access depends on local regulation: Turkey, for example, blocked Discord in October 2024. Slack suits internal teams, Circle and Discourse suit structured, searchable communities, and Telegram suits broadcast-style groups.

Loomio is a collaborative decision-making tool that helps groups discuss and decide asynchronously instead of in meetings. It was created in 2012 in Wellington, New Zealand, by people involved in the Occupy movement, and is run by a worker-owned cooperative. The software is open source, and the hosted service is used by cooperatives, nonprofits, boards, unions, community groups, political parties and distributed teams.

A discussion thread holds the context, and members then run a proposal or poll with a clear deadline. Loomio supports several decision methods, including consent and consensus proposals, simple polls, scoring, ranked choice, dot voting, meeting time polls and check-ins, with optional anonymous voting. Outcomes are recorded and searchable, members can take part entirely by email, and subgroups, notifications and integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams and Matrix keep the group informed. Hosted plans are priced by group size with discounts for nonprofits and community groups, and the software can be self-hosted.

Loomio fits any group that needs inclusive, transparent and well-documented collective decisions, especially when members are in different time zones or rarely meet. It is not a general chat tool, it works best with someone facilitating, and its integrations are limited. Decidim and Consul are aimed at large-scale civic participation, Slack or Teams polls cover quick informal votes, and Discourse is better for open-ended community discussion without formal decisions.