In 2015, we built Discord to give people a better way to hang out online before, during, and after playing video games. We were frustrated with the options that were out there — they were limiting and didn’t work well for creating the shared experiences we wanted. So it was really important for us to build a platform that was not only incredibly reliable, but flexible for all the ways people wanted to use Discord back then and in the future.
Seven years later, we are humbled to see that Discord has become so much more than we could have imagined. And it means something different to everyone: a place to hang out with your people, a space to share experiences with your community, and more recently, an opportunity for creators and developers to build sustainable businesses.
We know from all of you that having the ability to customize and enhance Discord has never been more important. Millions of people are using Nitro subscriptions to supercharge their Discord. Meanwhile, a vibrant ecosystem of apps has emerged. Over 30% of active servers rely on apps for customizations, playing fun games, and keeping conversations safe. And we’ve seen billions of app commands used on Discord so far this year, which have doubled compared to this time last year.
As we look to the future and how we can continue to make Discord more helpful and useful, we’re cooking up all kinds of things to make it easier for developers, admins, communities, and all users to enhance and customize our platform. That’s what our news today is all about: from new Nitro offerings to opening up our platform to invite developers to help us dream up the future of Discord.
This week, we unlock a new world of possibilities with:
- A way for admins to browse a database of apps natively through an all new App Directory and add them to their servers.
- Activities, a new feature that brings fun group experiences like playing games and watching videos into Voice Channels.
- Resources for developers including Premium App Subscriptions to enable them to earn money and our first-ever Ecosystem Fund for developers, start-ups, and partners to bring their creativity to Discord.
- A new entry-level tier of our subscription plan, Nitro Basic, priced at $2.99 USD per month.
And sneak peek! Next month, we’re making Connections even better and more useful by rolling out a brand new experience with Verified Roles for Connections like PayPal, and welcoming third parties to help us build for the future.
Now that you have a quick preview, let’s get right to these awesome updates!
Customize Community Spaces With the New App Directory
Apps are a fundamental part of our platform. What are apps? They are games and game-masters, facilitators and schedulers, bouncers and guardians, friends and someone to talk to. They can even turn your server into a place that rewards the activity you love seeing the most from your community, like leveling-up users for talking to new friends. When you add an app to your server, you can type a slash "/" to interact with it and tell it how to help you. They're usually in the member list too, and you can see information about them in their profile. Over 500,000 apps are used on Discord to help with things like server customization, playing games, and keeping communities safe. But they haven’t always been easy to find.
That’s why starting tomorrow, we’re rolling out the ability to tap into a thriving ecosystem of inventive apps through our App Directory. You might remember that we teased this work last year. So we’re excited to tell you that admins will finally have the ability to browse a database of apps and add whichever ones they choose to any server they manage on Discord — without relying on third-party websites or search engines.
Through App Directory, you’ll be able to easily customize your community with third-party apps and discover your new favorites through curated app collections.
Not sure where to start? Check out the new StockX DropBot for every drop in current culture. From sneakers and apparel to collectibles and electronics, you’ll be able to keep up with the latest releases, tap in with other collectors, score some heat with giveaways, and even test your industry knowledge with trivia challenges! Need suggestions on what to watch for movie night? Head over to the Hey, Netflix app to discover new shows and movies to watch and discuss together, across borders and without spoilers!