- Discord is a lot like Slack but with a focus on external communications. While the roots are as a backchannel for playing games, the features are so compelling that it has become popular for many different communities, including vibrant programming communities.
- Both Slack and Discord include text channels that can be accessed either by everyone in your server or only by the users that you invite. Discord also includes voice channels that can include up to 99 users at one time.
Thanks in large part to the global pandemic, collaboration platforms like Discord and Slack have taken up intimate positions in our lives, helping maintain personal ties despite physical isolation. But their increasingly integral role has also made them a powerful avenue for delivering malware to unwitting victims—sometimes in unexpected ways.
Cisco’s security division, Talos, published new research on Wednesday highlighting how, over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, collaboration tools like Slack and, much more commonly, Discord have become handy mechanisms for cybercriminals. With growing frequency, they’re being used to serve up malware to victims in the form of a link that looks trustworthy. In other cases, hackers have integrated Discord into their malware for remote control of their code running on infected machines, and even to steal data from victims. Cisco’s researchers warn that none of the techniques they found actually exploits a clear hackable vulnerability in Slack or Discord, or even requires Slack or Discord to be installed on the victim’s machine. Instead, they simply take advantage of some little-examined features of those collaboration platforms, along with their ubiquity and the trust that both users and systems administrators have come to place in them.
“People are way more likely to do things like click a Discord link than they would have been in the past, because they’re used to seeing their friends and colleagues posting files to Discord and sending them a link,” says Cisco Talos security researcher Nick Biasini. “Everybody’s using collaboration apps, everybody has some familiarity with them, and bad guys have noticed that they can abuse them.”
Set up the Discord trigger, and make magic happen automatically in Slack. Zapier's automation tools make it easy to connect Discord and Slack. Should I use Discord or Slack? The biggest difference between these two platforms is that Discord is completely free, and you can create as many servers/groups as you want, while Slack’s free version has some limits, such as capping message capacity at 10,000. However, there are Slack plans available for $7 a month per active user. Slack and Discord Overview. Both Slack and Discord feature a channel-based system of communication. With Discord, you use one login to access all your servers, while with Slack, you can have multiple workspaces which require separate login credentials. This can be good for keeping work responsibilities categorized and separately arranged.
Among the collaboration app exploitation techniques Cisco’s researchers are warning about, the most common uses the platforms essentially as a file hosting service. Both Discord and Slack allow users to upload files to their servers and create externally accessible links to those files, so that anyone can click on the link and access the file. In many cases, Cisco found, those files are malicious; the researchers list nine recent remote-access spy tools that hackers have tried to install in this fashion, including Agent Tesla, LimeRAT, and Phoenix Keylogger.
The links don’t have to be delivered to victims inside of Slack or Discord. They can also be served up over email, where hackers can far more easily trawl for victims en masse, impersonate a victim’s colleagues, and reach users with whom they have no previous connection. As a result, Cisco has recorded a major uptick in the use of those links to deliver malware via email in the past year. “Over the last several months we’ve seen tens of thousands, and the rate has been steadily increasing,” says Biasini. “Right now it appears to be peaking.”
Security firm Zscaler similarly noted the rise in the technique’s use by cybercriminals in research published in February, warning that they’d spotted as many as two dozen malware variants per day, including ransomware and cryptocurrency mining programs, being delivered as fake video games embedded in Discord links. Hackers have also used the technique to plant malware that steals Discord authentication tokens from victims’ computers, allowing the hacker to impersonate them on Discord, spreading more malicious Discord links while using a victim’s account to cover their tracks.
Aside from exploiting the trust that users place in Slack and Discord links, that technique also obfuscates the malware, since both Slack and Discord use HTTPS encryption on their links and compress files when they’re uploaded. And while other methods of hosting malware can be taken offline or blocked when a hacker’s server is discovered, the Slack and Discord links are harder to take down or block users from accessing. “Adversaries are most likely going to be affected by things like shutting down a server, shutting down a domain, blacklisting files,” says Biasini. “And what they’ve done is figured out a way to break that.”
“Everybody’s using collaboration apps, everybody has some familiarity with them, and bad guys have noticed that they can abuse them.”
Nick Biasini, Cisco Talos
Aside from hosting their malware in Discord and Slack links, cybercriminals are also using Discord as the command-and-control and data-stealing element in their malware. Discord allows programmers to add “webhooks” to their code that automatically update a Discord channel with information from an application or website. So cybercriminals have exploited that technique to relay information from infected computers back to the command-and-control server that they use to administer a botnet, or even to pull data from a victim’s machine back to the server. As with the malicious link technique, that webhook trick hides the malicious traffic in more innocent-looking, encrypted Discord communications, and makes the hacker’s infrastructure more difficult to pull offline. (While Slack also offers a similar webhook feature, Cisco says it has yet to see hackers abuse it as they have Discord’s.)
- Published on April 22, 2021
- Updated on
- Read time 9 minutes
- Category
Slack vs. Discord is an interesting battle, both the tools are loved by millions, provide similar services but are used by two very different communities. Discord is the go-to app for gamers all over the world while Slack is a business communication platform.
If you are looking for an efficient communication tool then, Discord and Slack should be your priority. But how can you decide which one is the best for your business? Which one is better? What are the differences?
We know you must have tons of questions and are looking for answers, don’t worry we have got you covered!
In this article, we will explore the differences between both tools to make it easy for you to make a definite choice.
Slack vs. Discord – The Battle Begins!
In the forthcoming paragraphs, we will compare discord slack from different perspectives.
1. Slack Vs Discord For Community
Our first point of discussion is the community the tools serve. Both these tools are similar in a way that both serve the purpose of team communication.
Discord and Slack are team chat apps with which teams can easily interact with one another and organize their conversation for better working.
The main difference between the both lies in their target community. Discord has almost become synonymous with gaming with millions of gamers using the platform for live chat, screen-sharing, etc. Slack, on the other hand, is exclusively used for business communication.
The difference in slack vs discord for the community does not, however, imply that one is better than the other. In fact, Discord has a number of servers which users can join according to their interest. Though the majority of servers cater to e-gaming, several others are created for completely different purposes.
Users can join any community they like. The main aim of discord is to provide uninterrupted, seamless voice chat. Gamers need a smooth, lag-free chat to communicate with their teammates and fortunately, Discord is an ace at that.
In contrast, Slack is designed to be a workspace, its sole purpose is to aid collaboration between teams and help improve internal communications.
So, if you are unable to decide between Slack vs Discord for the community, you can make a smarter decision by identifying the culture of the company, the requirements of the team, the nature of communication, etc.
2. Discord App Vs Slack – Pricing
The second major difference between both apps is the pricing. The difference in pricing puts Slack at a slight disadvantage.
Slack – Pricing Plans
Slack offers four different pricing plans with a variety of different features. These include:
- Free – $0 per month
- Access to 10,000 of your team’s most recent messages
- 10 integrations with other apps like Google Drive, Office 365, and many more
- 1:1 voice and video calls between teammates
- Standard – $6.67 per month
- The full context of your organization’s message history at your fingertips
- Timely info and actions in one place with unlimited integrations
- Face-to-face communication with group voice and video calls of up to 15 teammates
- Secure collaboration with outside organizations or guests from within Slack
- Plus – $12.50 per month
- Advanced identity management through SAML-based SSO and real-time Active Directory sync with OneLogin, Okta, and Ping Identity
- Compliance requirements met with data exports for all messages
- Around-the-clock teamwork and assistance with 99.99% guaranteed uptime and 24/7 support with a four-hour response time
- Enterprise grid – Contact team Slack for custom pricing
- Peace of mind with enterprise-grade security and compliance, such as HIPAA support and the Enterprise Key Management add-on
- Large scale collaboration and alignment with support for up to 500,000 users
- Streamlined administration with centralized controls and customizable policies
- Tailored support with a designated account and customer success team
Unlike Slack, you can avail of most of these features on Discord without paying a dime. To enjoy Slack’s advanced features, you will have to pay more.
Discord – Pricing Plan
Discord also offers Nitro plans for those who like a little extra.
- Nitro plan – $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year
- Collect or make your custom and animated emojis.
- Use an animated avatar and claim a custom tag.
- Get 2 Server Boosts and 30% off extra Boosts.
- Profile badge shows how long you’ve supported Discord.
- 100MB upload size for high-quality file sharing.
- Hi-res video, screen share and Go Live streaming.
- Nitro Classic – $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year
- Base chat perks without a Server Boost
3. Discord App Vs Slack – User Interface
Both the apps have a similar interface. The conversations are placed on the right side of the screen while the contacts can be seen on the left side of the screen.
Slack’s user interface is more friendly when compared with Discord. As mentioned earlier, Slack caters to workspaces, its user interface, as such, is designed accordingly. Its interface makes it easy to navigate through the app and enjoy its various features.
Users can easily log in and access different channels to communicate with different team members on the server. Besides contacts, users can also see all channels and messages on the left corner of the screen.
Discord, on the other hand, is a bit more complex. There are different menus for direct messages and channels. Moreover, all the channels are displayed on the left, while messages are shown on the right.
Discord’s customization features are more advance when compared with Slack. Slack’s customization feature allows you to change the theme of the sidebar with 8 color choices available. With Discord, on the contrary, you can change the theme of the entire app – light or dark.
Another add-on for Discord is that once you log in, you can access all the servers at once. Slack uses different logins for different workspaces, you can log in to the workspaces and access all the channels in each one of them.
Discord takes a little getting-used-to but once you get familiar with the layout, you can easily find your way through.
4. Discord-Slack Chats
There are different chat setups in both apps. There are three chat setups in Slack:
- Direct messages
- Public conversations
- Private channels
Furthermore, Slack offers threaded conversations with which you can keep your conversations organized. Threads allow you to separate discussions while keeping them in the same channel. With threaded conversations, big teams can reduce clutter in the channel, enhancing productivity. This feature is not available in Discord.
Discord, on the other hand, organizes chat into two channels:
- Direct messages
- Channels
The only downside of the chat function in Slack is that in the Free plan you can only store 10k messages. There are no such limitations in Discord.
The similarity between both the tools, in terms of chat features, is the built-in search function. With this function, users can quickly filter messages to locate a specific message, username, or file.
5. Video Calls In Discord App Vs Slack
Discord takes the lead when it comes to video communication. The underside of video chat in Slack is that only two people can chat in the Free plan. With paid plans, however, you can add as many as 15 members.
Discord’s video call features are more advanced, on the contrary. You can control certain features of the chat such as noise suspension, echo cancellation, etc. Also, by clicking on a special button you can convert from voice call to video call and chat with up to 25 users, simultaneously.
6. Voice calls in Discord Slack
Voice calls in Slack are more deliberate. You can start a voice call by clicking on the ‘call’ button in direct messages or a channel. An important point to note is that only two participants can voice call in the free plan and 15 participants can join in the paid plans.
Discord takes communication to a whole new level by allowing as many as 5k participants in a voice call.
Discord’s voice channel makes communication even more efficient by where users do not have to set up separate calls, you can directly join a channel and start communicating in real-time. The voice call can be private or public.
Another baggable feature of Discord’s voice call is the ‘push to talk’ feature. With the help of this feature, you can turn on your mic by pushing a specific button, the feature comes in handy when communicating with a large number of users.
All in all, Discord’s voice calls are more innovative since it is geared towards gamers prefer quick and easy real-time communication without any interruptions.
7. Slack Vs. Discord – Third-Party Integrations
To keep your workflow smooth and avoid juggling between various work-related apps, Slack offers more than 800 integrations with third-party apps. Also, you can get notifications from the apps in Slack directly. Browse top Slack add-ons here.
Unfortunately, Discord does not integrate with any other apps. You can, however, integrate your Discord account with various games and your social media networks.
Discord offers 10 native integrations YouTube, Blizzard Entertainment, Twitch, Skype, Steam, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, and Xbox Live, all of which are related to gaming in one way or another.
Related:
8. Cross-Platform Availability
Discord can be installed on all desktop and mobile OS platforms. You can also use the web application if you do not want to install the app. It works on:
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- Mac OS
- Linux
Slack, in comparison, works well on:
- Windows
- Chrome
- Mac OS
- Linux (beta)
- Android
- iOS
- Windows Phone (beta)
9. File Sharing With Slack And Discord
Slack allows you to share files of up to 1GB size. The downside of file sharing is that you cannot keep these files forever since the Free plan limits the file-sharing to 5GB. The limit can extend to 10GB in the paid version of the app.
With Slack’s third-party integrations, you can also share files from Google Drive. Additionally, Slack allows you to share files (PDFs, pictures, videos, etc.) via drag and drop.
In Discord, however, the size is limited to 8MB, but you can upgrade to 50MB with the Nitro plan.
10. Security
Both apps provide foolproof security to keep your data safe and secure. Slack, in this aspect, is relatively more reliable. It uses SSO, data encryption, and integrations with top DLP providers to keep your communication secured.
Discord relies on SSO, 2FA, and a client-server architecture that keeps your IP secure to make sure your chat is safe.
Moreover, you cannot access the servers in both apps unless invited by the host.
11. Customer Support
Both the communication apps offer round-the-clock customer support to optimize the user experience.
Besides the 24/7 help center, you can contact Discord’s team via social media platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, etc., they promptly answer queries. Furthermore, you can go to the help center page to get the latest updates and information about the app.
Similarly, Slack customer support is also quick and thorough. They make sure that issues are resolved promptly. You can also go to Slack’s support page for additional information about the app.
12. File Search In Slack Vs. Discord
Lastly, file search is a feature available in both the apps but since Slack is work-oriented its file search feature is more detailed. You can easily search files uploaded in a channel and also search within a document. When it comes to Slack vs. Discord in file search, Discord lags behind Slack.
Summing Up The Debate
Discord vs. Slack is a tough choice since both are the best of the best when it comes to internal communication.
Discord’s high-quality voice calls and uninterrupted communication make it the top choice of gamers. Slack, in opposition, is the go-to app for businesses.
There are, however, Discord alternatives and Slack alternatives available in the market, which you can use instead of these apps themselves. The best alternative, for example, is nTask.
nTask is, primarily, a project management software but offers a wide variety of communication and collaboration features. With nTask’s comprehensive features, you can enjoy seamless communication with your team members.
By investing in nTask, you not only get access to communicative features but can also take advantage of other features such as project management, task management, meeting management, risk management, time tracking, etc.
Key Features:
- Allows you to comment on tasks, tag members, and share files
- The task management module allows you to create tasks, set priority status for each task, assign tasks to members, and organize tasks accordingly
- With the project management module, you get access to reports, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, etc.
- nTask integrates with Slack so you can convert comments into tasks directly
- Schedule meetings via the meeting management feature
- Create workspaces to monitor the performance of your team members
- Use issue tracking to identify issues and resolve them before they hinder your progress
- Risk management helps in the identification and mitigation of risks
- Powerful search tools to help you filter files, tasks, issues, etc.
- Third-party integrations
- Available on Android and iOS
- Extensive security with two-factor authentication
- Alerts, notification, and reminders to keep you on track
Pricing:
- Basic plan – available for free forever
- Premium plan – $2.99 per user per month
- Business plan – $7.99 per user per month
- Enterprise plan – Custom pricing
Team Communication with Project Management on nTask.
Manage all your tasks, projects, collaboration, resources, and chats in one place. Sign up today!
There you go!
We have given you the most detailed tour of both apps, and even suggested a competent alternative for both. If you have any queries, reach out to us at our support channels or leave a comment below.
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Discord Vs Teams
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