After the novel coronavirus pandemic, communication apps and video conferencing tools, in particular, suddenly saw an influx of millions of new users. With all those different apps out there, you might wonder which one is actually the best. Discord is known as one of the most popular chatting platforms out there with over 170 million users which aims towards a mainstream and gaming audience, while WebEx has been around for longer and purely focuses on video calls, conferences for the workplace and sometimes even for educational institutions.

About Discord and Webex

While both apps may seem pretty similar in nature, they were actually founded around two decades apart from each other. Discord was founded in 2012 as a way to communicate with your teammates and friends in video games, although the app is now widely used in a mainstream audience – the more than 170 million active monthly users are definitely proof of that. Discord is owned by Discord Inc. and offers the basic features free of charge, although it does have two paid subscription tiers, Nitro and Nitro Classic.

Webex, on the other hand, couldn’t have a more different corporate history. It was founded all the way back in 1995, at the start of the digital revolution. The company went public with an IPO in 2000 and was eventually bought by the networking giant Cisco in 2007, which currently still owns Webex and has integrated Webex in its portfolio of other applications.

As you can see, Webex definitely has a lot bigger and professional feel to it than Discord, but it’s also pretty interesting to see what their differences and similarities are.

What are the similarities between Discord and Webex?

As previously mentioned, Webex by Cisco is specifically tailored towards one main goal: making video conferencing and calls as easy and as good as possible. That’s definitely interesting, especially in a post-pandemic world.

You can also use Discord to initiate video conferences and calls with anyone around the world, which is pretty much the main similarity between both. Additionally, video conferences and calls are encrypted by both Discord and Webex, although you could argue that people would have the impression that Webex security is more robust, given its emphasis on business users and the importance of cybersecurity in the industry.

Both platforms can also be used across numerous devices and operating systems. The web, a dedicated Windows/macOS application, Android, and iOS are all supported and offer seamless integration and synchronization.

The differences between Discord and Webex – which is better?

One of the major differences is that Discord focuses on so much more than just video calls: it is a platform that was originally intended for gamers and features numerous gaming integrations (for example, you can enable an overlay for Discord with quick access to all major features while gaming) as well as the possibility to install bots. In that way, Discord is much, much more open than Webex, which is a much more closed down and tight platform.

The former also focuses on text chats, heavily relies on the use of GIFs and emojis, is perfect for online internet communities, and has extensive features for audio calls, video conferencing, and screen sharing.  Discord is much more versatile, but that also has a downside if you’re only interested in video conferencing, as there can only join up to 25 people in a video channel. With Webex, you can have up to 200 people join a room with their video conferencing enabled.

Discord vs Webex video quality

Overall, it’s pretty hard to figure out which video platform has a better video quality since the quality of your image is mostly dependent on internet connections and camera hardware. However, under ideal circumstances, independent reviews believe that Webex has slightly better video quality than Discord, but it fails to meet Zoom’s video quality standards. However, you can also upgrade a Discord server with server boosts, which can increase the video quality and audio quality of participants as well.

Benefits of Webex over Discord

Since Webex is focused on a more productive environment, numerous of its features such as whiteboarding and file sharing may be more extensive. For, example the upload file size limit of Discord pales in comparison to Webex, as it is only up to 8 megabytes with the free tier, hardly enough to transfer large documents. Additionally, Since Webex has a more professional nature, there’s also a dedicated support service, although paid customers will be able to get priority support.

How much do Webex and Discord cost?

The main features of Discord and Webex are free to use for everyone, which makes video calling and video chats with people all around the world a breeze on both platforms. However, both chatting services offer paid versions. Discord has two paid tiers, Nitro Classic at $5 a month, and Nitro at $10 a month. You can check out a full comparison and overview of Discord’s paid subscriptions in our separate article.

In the other corner, Webex is a little bit on the pricier side. Pricing starts at $14.95 per month, depending on how many participants you’d need in a video meeting. The highest tier costs $29.95 per month. Both Discord and Webex offer similar discounts when you sign up for a yearly subscription.

Summary

Discord and Webex definitely aren’t the main competitors of each other, but it’s clear that there are some similarities between them. If you’re looking for a simple way to just start video calls, Webex might be a good option. It’s also backed up by Cisco and is definitely considered more professional than Discord, which still has a bit of a gaming connotation attached to it.

However, there’s no denying that Discord is an incredibly versatile platform with dozens of features that Webex doesn’t have – bots and integrations for example, or the availability of much more emojis and features. The paid tiers of Discord are also easier on your wallet than the premium offerings from Webex.

In short, it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you don’t mind the interface of Discord nor its gamer connotation, the app definitely will do pretty much anything you can think of. Looking for something a bit more sleek and professional? You might want to give Webex a shot instead.