Telegram and Discord are both platforms that straddle the line between private communities and streaming, with millions of users of each.
In this article, we’ll help you figure out where the best place is to host a community, stream, or broadcast. Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What Telegram and Discord are.
- How they compare on content options, monetization, branding, and security.
- And a better option!
Try the platform with the most $1 million memberships.
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Telegram vs. Discord: Quick comparison chart
Telegram vs. Discord: What they are
Discord
Discord is a community platform that was created for gamers, but has been used for lots of different special interest communities. It gives members a private Server (sort of like a dedicated Slack or Facebook Group) to host conversations and content. And it also has livestreaming and voice chat features; these were originally created for game play, but could be used to host a live event.
Telegram
Telegram is a behemoth, with 500 million users globally. Founded by Pavel Durov in 2013, it’s one of the most downloaded apps worldwide. It’s primarily a chat and messaging app, but it also hosts large groups based around shared interests with admins who broadcast.
Telegram vs. Discord
Content & Channels
Discord
Discord is a platform built for streaming and community-building. So let’s talk about the community features.
Discord’s main focus is a Server: a community engine and running discussion that can be organized into different Spaces. Members can create profiles, and each space has a running list of the members in it. When in a space, you can tag people, plus share content like text, videos, links, or emojis and stickers (with limits on the free plans).
And for gamers, Discord’s ability to connect a community around gameplay is awesome.
- Communicate through text or voice channels, or connect directly from your Xbox.
- Open a voice channel with one button or create voice-only chat channels.
- Either play a game with a friend in real time, watch something together, or share your screen.
- Schedule and host an event or livestream (with RSVPs).
In short, Discord is a community platform that’s strongest for open, free communities with a rock-solid set of features for sharing gameplay, making it a favorite (especially for XBox users).
Telegram
If Discord is a community app with video and voice calling in it, Telegram is a chat app with broadcasting channels built in. Its main messaging functionality feels like a mix of email and SMS–and it can use the phone numbers in your phone to find other members.
Its communication tools include voice calling, file sharing, text messaging, and video calls. And it comes with end-to-end encryption, “Secret Chats,” and self-destroying messages. Chats can be 1:1 or in groups of up to 200,000 members. And you can join up to 500 other groups or channels on your Telegram account.
These are the chat and messaging functions of Telegram.
But Telegram has another side too: broadcasting channels. A Channel on Telegram is more like a traditional radio channel–broadcasters can reach their audiences with content. Each Channel comes with a permanent url and a view counter to show how many people have engaged (and users don’t need Telegram to open a channel link).
It’s helpful to think of Telegram as more of a subscription platform than a membership platform. The focus on large groups isn’t to help members meet each other. As groups grow, the focus is less on communication between members and more directed to top-down communication from admins. And that’s where the next feature comes in: a Channel.
Here are some of the features of a Telegram Channel:
- A livestreaming function that basically turns Telegram into your own TV station. Subscribers get notifications when a livestream starts.
- A bulk-message format that can support text, videos, photos, or even podcasts–which have location playback and speed options. Messages can be scheduled and pinned.
- Broadcasted content is sharable, meaning subscribers can forward things to other people–potentially increasing reach.
- You can add comments to a channel as well as polls and quiz-style polls (which have 1 right answer) or hashtags.
The other main thing to know is that anyone can post in a Telegram group (unless it’s locked), while only admins can post on Channels. So you’d need to choose whether you want back and forth engagement or one-directional content sharing.
Which is better?
The differences between Telegram and Discord are subtle. But it’s important to understand they’re actually created for different purposes.
- Telegram is great for small chats and one-way broadcasting to large groups. It’s not good for building memberships of large groups that talk to each other. But it still can grow large groups that center around an admin’s content creation.
- Discord is built for free communities. Its streaming and broadcasting features are dedicated to gaming first (esp. Screen sharing), but it could handle some of the same types of live events Telegram has.
Monetization
Discord
There are two different ways to monetize a Discord server.
- Create and sell monthly subscriptions (if eligible). You can set membership roles and tiers.
- Charge for special activities and events.
We should note, that there are other things that can be purchased on Discord, but the money won’t go to you as the Server creator. Members can pay Discord for boosts, which can include better audio quality, branding options, and more emojis.
In terms of earning money, it’s important to understand the restrictions Discord places on monetization.
- First, you can only monetize if you’re U.S. based. If you’re not in the U.S., you can’t monetize.
- You can only monetize if you’re in good standing. This isn’t as big of a deal, because most people probably are.
- You must apply for monetization. This is sort of a bummer, because there are a lot of platforms that let you get started right away with monetizing. You have to start on Discord without ever having a guarantee you can monetize.
- Discord takes 10% of your profits. Even if you do check all the boxes above for monetization, Discord will take 10% of everything you earn. For small communities this might be an okay tradeoff for hosting. But since paid community platforms can be as affordable as $41/mo, if you earn too much you’d be better moving to a flat fee platform (e.g. If you earn S10,000/mo on Discord you’d pay $1,000/mo.).
Telegram
Like Discord, Telegram has limited monetization features, but it’s still possible to earn some cash. However, the models are quite different. Here’s what it looks like:
- Owners of channels with at least 1,000 subscribers can earn 50% of ad revenue. They can also enable Sponsored Messages, which lets advertisers contact their subs directly for a higher payout.
- Channel owners can activate locked posts and require Telegram Stars to unlock them. They then earn $0.13 per Star. Subscribers can also donate stars as a reaction to a post.
Stars may be either traded in for Telegram ad credits or rewards, or else they can be withdrawn as cash. It’s important to note that Stars expire in 3 years on Telegram.
Although these are the monetization features, Telegram’s open APIs means there are different ways to monetize with bots–which we won’t go into in this article.
Which is better?
Neither of these platforms is great for monetization–at least natively. Both are much more powerful as free tools, and have limits on using them as a business or side hustle. Here are a couple things to consider.
- Not anyone can monetize on Discord. You need to ask permission. Even if you do monetize, you can’t create comprehensive bundles or use a sales funnel. It’s really basic. And if you’re not in the U.S., you’re out of luck.
- Telegram’s monetization is more open globally (and better if you have +1,000 subs), but still holds you back. And Stars are worth pennies–you’d need huge numbers to earn any real cash.
At the end of the day, you could build a business on one of these platforms. But if you’re starting out planning on a digital business, it probably makes more sense to choose a proper digital product platform. Your life will be a lot easier.
Branding and Apps
Discord
Discord doesn’t give you much for adding your own branding to your community or livestream, but let’s talk quick about what it does do. You can:
- Choose the basic Channel design with color schemes or light & dark modes.
- Create custom emojis or icons or add a custom header to your channel.
- You can pay for a custom URL (with a Nitro boost), or create banners and invite pages.
Discord’s native apps for both Android and Apple are awesome and really intuitive. But there are no branded apps.
One neat community branding feature Discord does have is stickers. You can use stickers in servers, or–if you pay for Nitro–you can use stickers across servers. These are a fun way to add some personalization to your Discord experience. But as we mentioned above, paid Nitro boosts do not put money in your pocket.
Telegram
Telegram has fewer options than Discord for customization, but it does offer a few simple things. Individual channels can be customized as they gain levels from getting new subs or running giveaways.
- You can set a custom wallpaper for users of the channel.
- Or add a custom profile logo or an emoji status.
Telegram also offers customization on the individual level–users can customize the look and feel of their own Telegram interface in the app settings. This includes the option of light or dark mode, as well as a theme editor for creating your own branding.
Telegram also has stickers. In fact, it has more sticker flexibility than Discord, and you can use them anywhere. It doesn’t have the limits Discord does.
Which is better?
Neither Telegram nor Discord are great for branding. They just aren’t branded platforms. They work more like traditional social media, and don’t give users a ton of control.
Instead, the two give you limited options to customize the look and feel of your Channel or Server. However, of the two, Discord gives you a bit more flexibility in creating your own brand and themes. Both platforms basically do the same things, but Discord does a better job.
Telegram does have a bit more branding control at the individual level, giving users more power to control what they see when they log onto the app.
If you’re looking for:
- Or, a completely branded app…
Then neither Telegram or Discord is the right place for this.
Security
Discord
Discord has recently added end-to-end encryption using the DAVE protocol, which is a plus for security. The encryption applies to all voice and video calls made on the platform. It uses the WebRTC encoded transform API, which encodes before and after transmission.
There are a few limitations:
- Discord will still moderate message content. The encryption doesn’t make messages invisible to the platform.
- As of writing this, it’s only been rolled out to mobile and desktop apps–not on the web app.
Telegram
Telegram has long advertised itself as “encrypted,” but like Discord, the company can still read your messages over most of the platform. The only ones the company can’t read are the “Secret Messages” – because the content is stored on your device instead of their servers. Telegram’s overall encryption follows the MTProto protocol.
Unlike Discord, Telegram allows log-in with either phone number or a user name. And you can sync the phone numbers from your device to find contacts. You can control whether or not your phone number and last date active are shown publicly.
Better APIs
- Telegram has better and more accessible APIs so that devs can build their own integrations and Bots. This creates a lot of ecosystem possibilities for third-party developers, and potentially the chance to improve on features that you’re missing.
Security Concerns
One final note. It’s important to understand that Telegram has some external security concerns due to its relationships to criminal behavior, and it’s been occasionally restricted, investigated, or banned in some countries. In fact, Forbes has called it an “accessible dark web.”
Which is better?
- Telegram’s messages (esp. “Secret Chats”) are actually encrypted. Discord’s aren’t. And Secret Chats aren’t stored on Telegram’s servers–which Discord’s messages always are. This means that Telegram is more private for written messages. For voice and video, Telegram and Discord have the same level of encryption.
The Verdict
Each platform is best to do what they’re designed to do.
- Discord is better for creating communities of members that chat together and share gameplay.
- Telegram is best for large groups and Channel broadcasts.
That’s basically it in a nutshell! Both platforms have their uses, so you’d need to find the right one for you.
Just a reminder that both platforms share the same weaknesses.
- Both have limited monetization that don’t really give you the power over your own earnings. And they’re missing features other platforms have (e.g. courses).
- Both are very limited in terms of member management, functioning more like social media platforms than dedicated community or subscription platforms. Neither exports subscribers or members–you don’t own this information. This is a serious knock against growing your influence, or say adding an email list.
Want a better option?
For memberships and communities, the better bet is a dedicated platform. And that’s where Mighty Networks comes in. It’s G2’s top-rated community management software. And it hosts communities for brands, creators, and leaders like Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuck, Marie Forleo, Jim Kwik, and Mel Robbins.
Here’s the difference:
Total monetizing power
There’s no limits on how you earn. With Mighty, you pay a flat fee–as little as $41/mo. And you can sell memberships, courses, events, livestreams, coaching, or private spaces. Communities on Mighty often bundle any or all of these things together.
The average member on Mighty pays $48/mo. Imagine, with 100 members you could be earning $4,800/mo! This is the business model that makes Mighty the platform with more $1 million memberships than any other.
Memberships that grow themselves
Mighty is designed for fostering member engagement. We discovered that we could predict with 93% accuracy whether an online membership would succeed or fail.
Memberships succeed, when members connect to each other.
Mighty is made to introduce members to each other, with things like:
- New Member checklists, AI profile boosts, “Show Similarities” tool, and software that starts a conversation for you.
- Engagement features to skyrocket growth, like the Infinite Question Generator (for discussions) or AI re-engagement for lapsed members.
Total brand control
While neither Telegram or Discord gives you real branding power, Mighty lets you build the community you want–with livestreaming and meetings under your brand.
- Custom landing pages, brand identity, community Spaces, light & dark mode, and custom urls.
- Auto-generate a community, brand identity, course outlines in seconds. Improve your brand voice with the “make it better” text editor.
- Opt for a totally branded app, which means your app under your brand in the App Store or Google Play Store. (Find out more here).
Seamless integrations
No need to build your own. Mighty comes with built-in Zoom and ConvertKit integrations. And you can embed over 2,000 software options with a Mighty Network, including Dropbox, Calendly, Drive, Spotify, Monday, GitHub, and Figma.
Ready to start?
G2’s top-rated community platform can skyrocket your membership growth and earn you way more cash. But don’t take our word for it! You can try it free for 14 days, without a credit card. And our AI will generate a community for you in the next minute.
Check it out!
