Naven
Comparison
Naven vs Discord
The short answer: Discord requires no phone number and an app install; Naven requires neither and runs entirely in a browser. Discord moderates after a report; Naven screens every message before it sends against ten published categories. Discord is not end-to-end encrypted by default, and neither is Naven.
Naven vs Discord at a glance
| Naven | Discord | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone number required | Never. Google, email, or a guest session | Not required to sign up; often demanded later for verification |
| App install required | Nothing. The whole product runs in a browser | App recommended; a full web client exists |
| End-to-end encrypted | No — and Naven says so. Pre-send screening and E2EE cannot both be true | No, except in voice/video calls |
| Platforms | Any browser: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, Android | iOS, Android, desktop, web |
| Communities | Public and invite-only channels, plus an AI newsroom | The best community layer of any of these — servers, roles, threads |
| Age model | Age bands; under-13 accounts get the strictest screening, and are suspended pending guardian approval if it is repeatedly tripped | 13+; Teen Safety Assist on by default for teen accounts |
| Moderation model | Pre-send. Seven published categories, checked before delivery | Mixed. Platform-level scanning plus volunteer server moderators of wildly varying quality |
What Discord does better
Unmatched for running a large community. Roles, permissions, threads and bots are genuinely powerful, and the web client is first class.
Where Discord gets in the way
Overwhelming for anyone who is not already a member of a server, and public servers are exactly where a child meets strangers. Safety depends on which volunteer happens to be awake.
Who should stay with Discord
You run a large gaming or interest community that needs roles, bots and permissions.
Who Naven is for instead
Naven is built for a group that spans devices and will not all install the same app — a family across iPhone and Android, a club with one member on a school Chromebook, friends in three countries with three different SIMs. It is also built for a parent who wants a real answer about safety: messages are screened before they send — slurs, strong language and ten kinds of conduct, all published in full — while ordinary disagreement is deliberately left alone.
Moving a group off Discord
The hard part of leaving Discord is never the software, it is the eight people who have to agree. Two things make that easier here. First, nobody has to install anything or hand over a number, so "I'll do it later" stops being a reason. Second, you do not have to move everything at once — start one group, keep Discord for the people who are staying, and let the rest follow when they see the link works.
- Open Naven in the browser you are reading this in and sign in with Google or an email address.
- Create the group and send the link into your existing Discord chat — that is where everyone already is.
- People open the link and they are in. On Discord they would first need the app installed.
- Keep Discord for anyone who wants it. Naven does not need to be your only messenger to be useful.
Frequently asked
Is Naven a good Discord alternative?
It depends what you want from Discord. Unmatched for running a large community. Roles, permissions, threads and bots are genuinely powerful, and the web client is first class. If that is the part you rely on, stay. If what bothers you is the install requirement, the device fragmentation, or the fact that harm is only handled after somebody reports it, then Naven is built for exactly that complaint.
Is Naven end-to-end encrypted like Discord?
No. Content that never reaches a server cannot be screened before it sends, so pre-send screening and end-to-end encryption cannot both be true. Naven chose screening because it is built to be usable by children. Naven is transport-encrypted throughout, publishes no member directory, and does not profile or sell what you send. If end-to-end encryption matters more to you, use Signal for those conversations.
Can I use Naven without downloading anything?
Yes. Messaging, group chats, channels, voice calls and video calls all run in a web browser on any operating system. There is no app to install and no app store account required.
Does Naven need my phone number?
No. You sign in with Google, with an email address, or as a guest with neither. There is no phone number field anywhere in Naven.
Is Naven free?
Yes — free, with no advertising, no paid tier, no algorithmic feed and no data sale.