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Source-backed analysis10

Review basis

Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.

10 reference sources

Information updated Nov 11, 2026

How we review
Stoat logo

Stoat Review

Free, open-source community chat and Discord alternative (formerly Revolt)

Editorial Team6.9/10Write the first review

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Fact-checked

  • Web
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • Android
  • iOS
Open source · Free
Visit Stoat
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Decide at a glance

Our verdict

Stoat suits people who want a free, ad-free, Discord-style chat platform they can also self-host. The trade-offs are a much smaller ecosystem, capacity problems during user surges and no documented end-to-end encryption.

Best for: Communities leaving Discord that want to keep servers, channels and roles

Skip it if: Anyone who needs documented end-to-end encrypted messaging (see Signal)

Pros

  • Free and ad-free; custom emojis and 20MB uploads need no subscription
  • Open source (main apps and self-hosting kit under AGPL-3.0) and self-hostable
  • Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and the web

Cons

  • Capacity problems as Discord users arrived (TechRadar, Feb 2026)
  • No official documentation of end-to-end encryption
All pros and cons · Who is it for?

More pros

  • Web interface in about 60 community-translated languages (English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, …)
  • Policy says data is never sold; data is mainly stored in the EU

More cons

  • Much smaller bot ecosystem and user base than Discord
  • Support is limited to a help center and contact page with no published response times

Best for

  • People who prefer open-source software and running their own server

Skip it if

  • Large communities that rely on Discord-scale bots, integrations and audience

Experience & key features

Stoat is an open-source chat platform with servers, text and voice channels, role permissions, bots and group DMs of up to 50 members, according to its homepage. It launched in 2021 as Revolt and was renamed in October 2025 after a cease-and-desist notice over the old name (per AlternativeTo and Wikipedia). Accounts, servers and messages carried over.

There are apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS/iPadOS and the web. The homepage describes a public API, which the official apps use too, and self-hosting; the web, desktop, Android and self-hosting repositories on GitHub are AGPL-3.0. Video chat and screen sharing existed for self-hosters first and reached the main instance in July 2026 (per vale.rocks). The web app offers about 60 interface languages.

On price, Stoat is free and ad-free; the homepage says custom emojis, 20MB uploads and per-server avatars need no subscription. Neither the homepage nor the help center lists a paid plan, so there is no price to set against Discord Nitro. Self-hosters pay only for their own infrastructure.

Stoat is far smaller than Discord: vale.rocks puts it at about 1.5 million users by late August 2026. In February 2026, after Discord announced global age verification, the influx of new users overloaded Stoat (TechRadar). For end-to-end encrypted messaging, look at Signal; for a large audience and bot ecosystem, Discord still leads.

Screenshots

Stoat interface on the official homepage
Stoat interface on the official homepage
Theming options
Theming options
Group messaging
Group messaging

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026

Stoat

Personal

Free

Free; custom emojis, 20MB uploads and per-server profile pictures need no subscription.

Free plan limits
The homepage lists a 20MB upload limit and group DMs of up to 50 members.
Free trial
No free trial
Cancellation & refunds

Not applicable; no paid plan is published.

Privacy

Per its privacy policy (updated 30 Jun 2026), the data controller is Revolt Platforms Ltd, registered in England and Wales, and data is mainly stored on EU cloud servers, with some kept in the UK. The policy says data is never sold to third parties and names Cloudflare for DDoS mitigation. The Google Play listing states no data is shared with third parties, no external trackers are included and data is encrypted in transit. The policy does not mention end-to-end encryption for messages.

Official pricing page

Stoat alternatives

Slack logo7.3/10

Slack

Channel-based team messaging with a large app ecosystem, priced per user

Freemium
Telegram logo7.3/10

Telegram

Cross-platform cloud messaging with 200,000-member groups, channels and bots

Freemium
All alternatives

Controversies & incidents

Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 11, 2026

  • Medium impactConfirmedOutage ·

    Capacity strain during influx of Discord users

    TechRadar reported that Stoat's status page showed degraded performance as Discord users arrived after its age-verification announcement.

    Read the full account

    TechRadar (16 Feb 2026, citing Destructoid) reported that Stoat's status page showed degraded performance, with a team note saying there were simply too many people. Wikipedia also notes the platform struggled with the traffic, and vale.rocks says sign-up emails were delayed after landing on spam lists. No source found says the problem is ongoing.

    Vendor response

    Status page note quoted by TechRadar: "There's simply too many people, but we're trying our best."

    Sources:TechRadarWikipedia: Stoat (software)vale.rocks: Stoat history

  • Low impactAllegedLawsuit ·

    Alleged AGPLv3 violation by The Real World

    Per Wikipedia, Revolt's developers alleged that The Real World ran a modified Revolt codebase without publishing the changes.

    Read the full account

    Per Wikipedia, in late 2022 Revolt's lead developer reported that Andrew Tate's The Real World ran a modified Revolt back end and web app; the developers alleged this violated AGPLv3 because the modified source was not published. This is the developers' allegation; no court ruling was found. In 2024 The Real World suffered data leaks, which vale.rocks attributes to misconfigured databases rather than a Revolt vulnerability. Both concern a third party, not the Stoat service.

    Sources:Wikipedia: Stoat (software)vale.rocks: Stoat history

Frequently asked questions

Is Stoat the same as Revolt?

Yes. Revolt was renamed Stoat in October 2025 after a cease-and-desist notice; accounts and servers carried over.

Is Stoat free?

Yes. The homepage says it is free and ad-free, and features such as custom emojis need no subscription.

Can I self-host Stoat?

Yes. The homepage offers it, and GitHub has a "self-hosted" repository (AGPL-3.0) for deployment.

Does Stoat use end-to-end encryption?

The official pages (privacy policy, GitHub, help center) do not mention end-to-end encryption for messages. The Google Play listing only states that data is encrypted in transit.

Does Stoat support Vietnamese?

Yes. The web app's source includes a Vietnamese translation among about 60 community-translated languages.

Review evidence & sources10

Scores

Ease of use
7.2
Why this score

Server and channel layout will feel familiar to Discord users, with apps for every major platform. The web app's source lists about 60 community-translated interface languages; how complete each translation is was not verified.

Features
7.0
Why this score

Text and voice channels, roles, bots, a public API, theming and server folders. Video chat and screen sharing reached the main instance only in July 2026 (per vale.rocks), and the bot and integration ecosystem is thin next to Discord.

Value for money
8.5
Why this score

Free, ad-free and with no paid tier; extras such as themes, which Discord puts behind Nitro, are free. Self-hosting is an option.

Performance
6.0
Why this score

In February 2026 Stoat's status page reported degraded performance because of the user influx (per TechRadar). Vale.rocks notes a US node added in August 2026 was removed two weeks later over cost. No independent measurements were found.

Support
5.5
Why this score

A topic-based help center, a contact page and a status page, but no published email or chat channel and no response-time commitments. The team is small.

Privacy & security
7.0
Why this score

No data sales, no ads, no external trackers, mainly EU storage under GDPR, and open code anyone can audit. The gap is that no documentation describes end-to-end encryption.

Sources

Specs & compatibility
Developer
Revolt Platforms Ltd
Headquarters
United Kingdom
Launched
2021
Category
Community

Capabilities

  • Open source
  • Self-hostable
  • Public API
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Mobile app

Platforms

  • Web
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • Android
  • iOS

Interface languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Korean
  • Thai
  • Indonesian
  • Spanish
  • French
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Russian

Integrations

  • Bot API
  • Self-hosting (Docker)

Support

  • Help center
  • Community forum

Change history

  1. Feature.Video chat and screen sharing made widely available on the main instance (previously self-hosted only).
  2. Update.New logo and mascot launched; sign-ups surged after Discord announced age verification (9 Feb 2026).
  3. Company.Renamed from Revolt to Stoat after a cease-and-desist notice.
Full change history (6)
  1. Update.Passed 500,000 accounts after Discord was banned in Turkey and Russia.
  2. Update.Reached 100,000 registered users.
  3. Launch.Revolt went live; public beta opened on 11 Aug 2021.
About the author

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