Is Discord Free? Download, Pricing and Paid Plans Explained

Is Discord free? Yes. The app, the servers, the voice channels, video calls and screen sharing all cost nothing, and no trial expires behind them.

The free account has hard ceilings. Uploads stop at 10 MB, you can sit in 100 servers, and a stream tops out at 720p and 30fps. Nitro Basic at $2.99 a month and Nitro at $9.99 a month raise those numbers.

This guide covers the official download links and sizes, what the free account includes, what each paid tier adds, the free routes to Nitro perks, and install fixes.

Is Discord free?

Yes. Discord is free to download and free to use, on every platform it ships on. There is no licence to buy, no seat count and no time limit. Discord Inc. sells three optional extras: Nitro subscriptions, Server Boosts and Shop cosmetics. Skip all three and the app still does text, voice, video, screen sharing and unlimited history.

Discord is proprietary freeware, not open source. The winget manifest lists the licence as Proprietary and points at discord.com/terms.

There is no business or enterprise plan. A company on Discord pays what a games group pays, which is nothing.

Check what Discord costs and what it runs on

Discord dropped 32-bit Windows in June 2024, and Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 in March 2024. On those machines the browser client is the only route left.

Which Discord download do you need?

Match your device to a row. On Windows, press Windows + I, open System > About and read the System type line.

Linux is the odd one out. The 2.1 MB .deb, .rpm and .tar.gz packages ship an updater_bootstrap binary, so the app arrives on first launch. The Windows and macOS files carry the application.

Download Discord free for Windows 11 and Windows 10

Every link below starts on discord.com and ends on Discord’s own network.

1. Discord for Windows, 64-bit — 132 MB · stable channel
2. Discord for Windows, ARM64 — 135 MB
3. Discord for Mac — 205 MB · universal disk image
4. The official download page — desktop, mobile and the Public Test Build
5. Microsoft Store listing, product XPDC2RH70K22MN — publisher Discord, Inc., priced Free

Discord charges nothing for the installer. Any page asking for payment or a survey to unlock the download is not Discord.

How to install Discord on Windows 11 and 10

The setup runs per user and needs no administrator rights. It installs to %LocalAppData%\Discord .

1. Open discord.com/download and select Download for Windows.
2. Use the arrow beside the button to pick ARM64 if your PC reports an ARM processor.
3. Save DiscordSetup.exe , then double-click it.
4. Wait while the progress bar fills. The app opens by itself when it finishes.
5. Select Log In if you already have an account, or Register to create one.
6. Enter your email address and password, then complete the human check.
7. Open User Settings, the cogwheel at the bottom left, and set your microphone under Voice & Video.

No payment step exists anywhere in that flow.

Install Discord from the Microsoft Store or with winget

Both routes end up running Discord’s own installer. The Store listing is a Win32 wrapper that fetches DiscordSetup.exe from Discord’s servers and runs it with –silent .

1. Open Microsoft Store from the Start menu.
2. Search for Discord and check the publisher line reads Discord, Inc.
3. Select Get, then Install.
4. For a command line instead, open Terminal and run winget install –id Discord.Discord -e .
5. Launch Discord and sign in.

The Store copy lags. On 10 September 2026 it pointed at x64 build 1.0.9188 while discord.com served a newer one. Discord updates itself on launch, so the gap closes within a minute.

Which Discord download do you need for your Mac?

One file covers every supported Mac. Discord.dmg is a universal build, so Apple silicon and Intel machines take the same download.

To check your version, open the Apple menu and select About This Mac.

Run Discord in a browser without installing it

The browser client is the same free account with almost the same features. It is the answer on a work laptop or a 32-bit PC.

1. Open discord.com/app in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera or Safari.
2. Sign in, or select Register to make an account.
3. Allow microphone access when the browser asks, or voice channels stay silent.
4. Select Continue in browser if a prompt offers the desktop app instead.
5. Bookmark the page so you skip that prompt next time.

Minimum browser versions are Chrome 108, Firefox 142, Edge 86, Opera 72 and Safari 15.4. Discord does not support a mobile browser, so phones need the app.

What you get free, and what Nitro adds

The free account is the whole product. Nitro raises limits and adds cosmetics rather than unlocking a feature you cannot otherwise reach.

Voice quality, video calls, unlimited messages, unlimited history, server creation and bots are free at every tier. Discord charges for headroom, not for access. Those prices are the United States list price, and Discord applies local pricing in some countries.

Should you buy Nitro Basic or Nitro?

Buy Nitro Basic only if the 10 MB upload limit is the thing stopping you. Buy full Nitro only if you stream. The $2.99 tier is a file-size and emoji upgrade. The extra $7 a month buys 500 MB uploads, 4K 60fps streaming, animated profiles, 200 servers and two Server Boosts.

Nitro Classic no longer accepts new subscribers. Existing subscribers keep it, but cancelling ends it for good.

How to get Nitro perks without paying for them

Four routes exist, all inside the app, and Discord runs every one of them.

1. Ask a friend who pays for Nitro to send you a friend pass. Each Nitro member has three to give, and each is a two-week trial.
2. Redeem the pass within 10 days, or it expires and returns to the sender.
3. Open Discover > Quests and complete a Quest to earn Orbs, Discord’s reward currency.
4. Spend Orbs in the Shop on Nitro credits and Orbs-only items. No payment method is needed.
5. Link an Xbox account under User Settings > Connections if you pay for Xbox Game Pass. Eligible subscribers get 250 Orbs a month and the Nitro Shop discount.
6. Watch the official Quests & Promotions page for trial offers.

Anything outside those routes is a scam. Discord sells its premium products in the app and through its own Amazon store in select countries, nowhere else.

How to check the Discord installer is genuine

Windows signs the file, so a thirty-second check tells you whether it came from Discord.

1. Right-click the downloaded DiscordSetup.exe and select Properties.
2. Open the Digital Signatures tab. A file with no such tab did not come from Discord.
3. Select the signature in the list, then Details.
4. Confirm the signer name reads Discord Inc.
5. Check the size. The 64-bit setup is about 132 MB, so a 2 MB copy is not the real file.

The genuine Windows setup is built with Squirrel and carries the application inside it as a .nupkg payload. That is why the file is large.

Fix Discord not installing on Windows 11 or 10

The installer fails, loops or shows an error

An old install is still on disk and the setup will not write over it.

1. Right-click the Discord icon in the system tray and select Quit Discord.
2. Open Task Manager and end every Discord process, including entries on the Startup apps tab.
3. Press Windows + R, type %appdata% and delete the Discord folder.
4. Press Windows + R, type %localappdata% and delete the Discord folder there too.
5. Restart the PC, then run the installer again.

The download will not start or stops part way

The browser or the network is blocking the file.

1. Start from discord.com/download rather than a saved link.
2. Select Keep if your browser flags the file, since a 132 MB signed setup is expected.
3. Switch networks if a school or office filter blocks Discord’s servers.

Discord installs but sticks on an update loop

The updater cannot replace files another process holds open.

1. End every Discord process in Task Manager.
2. Delete %localappdata%\Discord and reinstall.
3. Set Discord.exe in the newest version folder to Run as administrator if the loop returns.

How to uninstall Discord and clear what it leaves behind

Removing the app from Settings leaves two folders on disk. Delete them or a reinstall inherits the old state.

1. Quit Discord from the system tray.
2. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
3. Select the three dots beside Discord, then Uninstall.
4. Press Windows + R, type %appdata% and delete the Discord folder.
5. Press Windows + R, type %localappdata% and delete the Discord folder.
6. On a Mac, drag Discord from Applications to the Bin and empty it.

Your account, servers and messages live on Discord’s servers, so nothing is lost.

What to use instead of Discord

These are the cases where something else fits better.

Stay on Discord if the group is social and voice-first. Its free tier keeps full message history, which Slack’s free plan does not.

Frequently asked questions

Is Discord free to download?

Yes. The installer costs nothing on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, and the account behind it is free too. Nitro, Server Boosts and Shop items are optional.

Is Discord free for PC?

Yes. The Windows desktop app is a free download from discord.com, with no licence key, seat charge or trial. The same account works on Mac, Linux and in a browser.

Is Discord freeware?

Yes, but it is not open source. Discord is proprietary freeware: free to use, with source code Discord Inc. does not publish. The winget manifest lists the licence as Proprietary.

Is Discord free and safe?

The download is free and signed by Discord Inc. Check the Digital Signatures tab in the file’s Properties before running it. The real risk is social, so treat any message offering free Nitro as a scam.

Is Discord free for business?

Yes. Discord sells no business, team or enterprise plan, so a company pays nothing to run a server. Nitro is a personal subscription that changes upload limits, not admin features.

Is Discord free on Xbox?

Yes. Discord voice chat on an Xbox console costs nothing once you link your Discord and Xbox accounts under User Settings, then Connections. No Discord app runs on the console itself.

Is Discord free to use on PS5?

Yes. Link your Discord account to PlayStation Network, then join a voice channel from the Game Base in the PS5 Control Center. A PS4 shows game activity but cannot join.

Is there a Discord offline installer?

On Windows and macOS, yes. DiscordSetup.exe is about 132 MB because it carries the application inside it. The Linux packages are around 2.1 MB and fetch the app on first launch.

How big is the Discord download?

The Windows 64-bit setup is 132 MB and the ARM64 setup is 135 MB. The Mac disk image is 205 MB, the iPhone app 240 MB and each Linux package about 2.1 MB.

Is there a Discord for Mac?

Yes, and it is free. Discord.dmg is a universal build for Apple silicon and Intel Macs, and it needs macOS 12 Monterey or later. Older macOS versions use the browser client.

Does Discord have a 64-bit or ARM64 version?

Both. The download page serves separate x64 and ARM64 builds for Windows, and the Mac image is universal. Discord stopped supporting 32-bit Windows in June 2024.

Which Discord version is current?

The Windows x64 desktop host was on build 1.0.9256 on 10 September 2026. Check yours in User Settings, at the bottom of the left sidebar. The app updates itself at launch.

Why is Discord not installing on Windows 11?

An old copy is usually still running or still on disk. Quit Discord in the system tray, end its processes in Task Manager, delete the Discord folders in %appdata% and %localappdata%, then retry.