The Self-Hosted Discord Alternative
for Friends & Families
A private chat platform with channels, persistent voice and video rooms, screen sharing, native iOS and Android apps with push notifications, calendar, and photo albums. Everything runs in a single Docker container for friend groups, gaming squads, families, and small teams.
Desktop UI on the left, Mobile UI on the right.
Everything you expect from modern chat, with complete data ownership
Enjoy channels, groups, persistent voice, screen sharing, photo albums, and native mobile apps, all running on your home server, NAS, or VPS.
Self-Hosted
Run Spokes on your home server, NAS, or VPS for free forever with unlimited users, free Web/PWA notifications, and a 2-month free trial of native mobile push.
Channel & DMs
Organize conversations with dedicated channels, custom groups and permissions or message users directly in private DMs.
Voice & Video
Persistent voice rooms, video calls, and screen sharing hosted directly on your server, without any middleman.
Noise Cancellation
Built-in noise cancelling algorithms ensure crystal clear voice chat audio, even in noisy environments (Like your friend's intense mechanical keyboard...).
Photo Albums
Shared photo albums for private, organized picture sharing and preservation with your group.
Event Calendar
Built-in calendar for event planning, tracking availability, and group coordination.
Mobile Apps
Free native iOS and Android apps with reliable push notifications. Directly from the official app stores.
GIF Support
Built-in GIF integration powered by Klippy makes it easy to express yourself in conversations.
Encrypted Notifications
Apple and Google deliver push notifications to the mobile apps for great reliability, but cannot read them because the content is encrypted.
Secure Channels
Enable optional encryption on specific channels to protect sensitive conversations from the server owner.
Single Container
Deploy the entire chat platform, voice server, database and every other feature using one single Docker container.
Full SSO Support
Server owners can choose between using the built-in identity provider (Casdoor) or use any openID compatible IDP they already have.
Self-Hosted & Private
Complete ownership of your data, stored entirely on your own server. You control who has access. Unlike more mainstream chat apps, there is no one analyzing your messages or using your conversations and pictures to train an AI model.
Text Channels & DMs
Organize conversations into dedicated channels, manage custom groups and permissions or message users directly in private DMs. Spokes is designed to be the communication hub of your group.
Voice & Video Calls
Persistent drop-in voice rooms, low-latency video calls and screen sharing powered by embedded LiveKit. Drop in and out easily at any time.
Noise Cancellation
Built-in open-source noise cancelling algorithms ensure crystal clear voice chat audio, even in noisy environments. Background hums, typing keyboards, and dog barks are filtered out locally before transmission.
Photo Albums
Shared photo albums for private, organized picture sharing and preservation with your group. Never lose track of important memories in a busy chat feed again.
Event Calendar
Built-in calendar for event planning, tracking availability, and group coordination. RSVP to game nights, family dinners, or group events in one place.
Native Mobile Apps
Free, native iOS and Android apps keep your group connected on the go. Unlike most self-hosted chat apps limited to browser PWAs, Spokes delivers push notifications that just work. No custom app builds or extra server setup required.
GIF Support
Built-in GIF integration powered by Klippy makes it easy to post the perfect reaction.
Encrypted Notifications
Because Apple (APNs) and Google (FCM) require official store signing keys, Spokes encrypts push payloads directly on your server before routing them through our relay to Apple or Google. Notifications are then decrypted locally on your device. Each server install includes a 2-month free trial of mobile push notifications, plus free Web/PWA push forever.
Secure Channels
Enable optional encryption on any channel to protect sensitive conversations. Secure Chat locks your messages behind a user-provided password, keeping your data safe even from the prying eyes of an unscrupulous server owner.
Single Container Deploy: No Database Required
One of the main design goals of Spokes is easy installation and maintenance for the server owner. Spokes bundles everything into a single Docker container for your home server, NAS (Unraid, TrueNAS, Synology, CasaOS), Proxmox, or VPS. Spokes uses simple files and folders instead of an external database so backups are a breeze and resilient to corruption.
Full SSO Support
Spokes can either be configured to use the built-in Casdoor identity provider or the server owner can choose to use their own external provider.
Is Spokes an alternative to Discord or Slack?
Yes. Spokes is built to replace Discord for private groups: real-life friend groups, gaming squads, families, and small teams. Rather than targeting 50,000-member public servers, Spokes bundles everything private groups actually use (channels, persistent voice rooms, screen sharing, groups, native mobile apps, photo albums, and an event calendar) into a single container.
| Platform | Hosting & Setup | iOS & Android | Voice & Video | Push Notifications | Target Scale | Monetization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spokes | Easy (1 Container) | Yes (Native iOS and Android apps) | Built-in | Relay / Encrypted (Zero-config E2EE APNs/FCM native push + free Web/PWA push forever + 2-month free trial) | Small Groups & Teams | Free Server (Optional $45/yr) |
 Discord | Cloud Only (Not self-hosted) | Yes | Built-in | Unencrypted Cloud | Massive Communities | Ads, Data & Nitro |
 Mattermost | Medium (Multi-container setup) | Yes | (Free 40m limit) | Relay | Enterprise / Teams | Per user ($10/mo) |
 Rocket.Chat | Medium (Multi-container setup) | Yes | Extra Setup | Relay (10k/mo limit) | Enterprise | Per user ($7/mo) |
 Matrix (Element) | Hard (Complex multi-service setup) | Yes | Extra Setup | Relay / Encrypted | Massive / Any | Free to use |
 Zulip | Hard (Complex multi-service setup) | Yes | Extra Setup | Paid Relay | Enterprise / Any | Per user (Relay/Support) |
 Nextcloud Talk | Medium (Multi-container setup) | Yes | Extra Setup (TURN) | Relay | Any | Free to use |
 Stoat | Hard (Complex multi-service setup) | In development / Beta | Extra Setup | (Self-hosted) Native mobile push not supported out-of-the-box on self-hosted servers without custom mobile app builds or PWA fallback | Communities | Free to use |
Ready to try Spokes?
Experience a fully functional live demo right now, no deployment required, or get started today with a single Docker command.