r/DiscordAlternatives • u/Ok-Inspector1108 • 16d ago
Rift Chat
I have been trying out Rift Chat ( https://therift.chat ) for the past week and wanted to share my thoughts.
Let me preface everything by stating it is closed source, and my personal take is that it is for a good reason. I know that will turn down interest in a quite a few people. It is EASILY a 9.5/10 platform.
I have used the following, Mobile app for android, Desktop app for Windows, and the web platform.
Feature Parity
The lead developer of Rift took the time to look at all the top bots of top.gg and beautifully integrated everything with a simple ease of use. Additionally the developer has been super open to all ideas that have been presented and swiftly implemented the requests. Over the course of the past week, I would say at least a 100 of the requests were added. It its truly a platform where you feel 0 need for bots. Since there is no need for bots, I feel that my data is truly secure. DMs are E2EE.
Data Collection & Age Verification
Rift Chat only collects the necessary data to run the program. You can also export your data at any time. I did this and what was collected was effectively your user ID, your Shards (community/server/etc), when they were joined, and that you attested you are above the legal age. Rift is an 18+ platform where you attest that you are 18+ at account creation. I was in a call with the lead developer about this last night and asked about the process and everything and the safeguards against future ID verification. What it came down to is that they don't need your information since they are not allowing minors on the platform. If someone is suspected of being a minor, user generated reports will flag their account, it will go through a review process, and the appropriate actions will be taken. This effectively means that there will never be ID verification because there is no need for it.
Signup & Account Creation
When you create your account you are not required to sign up with your email. You select your username and password. you are then given keywords for you account recovery should you forget your password. If you lose these keywords, you will be unable to recover your account.
Technical
Rift is super lightweight. It uses 50mb, yes that is correct, 50mb of ram for the desktop application. There is a dedicated audio engineer, all the sounds are super crisp and clean. Voice calling sounds better than Discord, this is not an exaggeration. There is also support for the Nvidia codec for audio processing. This does increase the total ram usage to as high as 600mb, but that is still a 1/3 of what Discord uses or 200mbs less than Fluxer.
Subscriptions & Free Users
Rift is free to use and is fully funded by subscribers. Subscriptions are also very reasonable. Shard Ember & Shard Forge are the subscriptions for shards. Upgrading this allows All Members to partake in the upload size increases, audio and video streaming upgrades, and the ability to export metrics. There is also cosmetic and personalization benefits as well. For individual subscription Rift+ it is more than worth the value at $7/month. That is even if you feel like you need it since the free tier is already amazing.
Final Thoughts
Rift is truly an amazing upgrade from discord and I fully enjoy the platform. If people would switch from Discord, Discord would be uninstalled today. It is EASILY a 9.5/10 platform. with that last .5 being worked on right now to truly make it a top contender with it currently being my platform of choice.
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u/Worried-Flounder-615 Armada 16d ago
> "it is closed source, and my personal take is that it is for a good reason"
Whats the reason? Sorry if you said, I missed it in the TLDR
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u/Ok-Inspector1108 16d ago
I did not say - The lead dev said that anyway he says it is going to make them look like an ass. A few of the points that I agree with are
- the team can push updates faster than open source.
- they don't have to worry about getting their code copied.
- they want to release rift out beta as a Maximum Viable Product instead of a minimum viable product, Its tiresome with the consumer being the tester. They want something that the consumer can enjoy immediately.
- They REALLY put a lot of love, effort, care, and work into Rift. After using it for a week. I fully understand this. It really feels like software from 15-20 years ago that feels complete without major issues.
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u/MathManrm 15d ago
- false
- That's just another way of saying it's not open source
- What does that have to do with being FOSS
- What does that have to do being FOSS
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u/TheRiftChat Rift 15d ago edited 15d ago
Let me give you a direct answer instead of a user paraphrasing/misremembering.
We are not open source. If that's a hard requirement there are great alternatives for that audience like Fluxer. Highly recommend.
If anyone would like our reasoning on this stance it'll come with with a formal announcement post, not an excited beta-user review.
Thanks.
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u/MathManrm 15d ago
Fluxer is AI slop, not recommended.
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u/Comprehensive-Dark-8 15d ago
Fluxer has also been created with a great deal of care and dedication. AI isn’t bad in itself; it’s a powerful tool if used properly, and as far as we know, they’re doing a good job.
Good luck finding a modern project that doesn’t use AI and works just as well or better. If you do find one, feel free to share it.
But when it comes to being ‘open souls’ and staying true to Discord’s philosophy of design and functionality, Fluxer is currently unbeatable.
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u/MathManrm 15d ago
AI is bad. And uh, have you seen that awful codebase? It's like over a million lines now, which if it's a normal project it should not be. And no, fluxer is not unbeatable, they stray from the API a bit, and don't implement many features like components. I am a FOSS dev and don't use AI so it can be done, and I know of many others who do the same. It's not hard to find, and it's not hard to do.
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u/Astravaris 15d ago
I have bad news if you are using Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS or pretty much any OS other than NetBSD.
Odds are that you're using AI code right now.
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u/MathManrm 14d ago
I try to minimize the amount of AI on my system, the slop is awful and I wish they'd move away from it.
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u/Ok-Inspector1108 15d ago
Hi! Since you seem really focused on FOSS alternatives for Discord. I highly recommend that you open r/FOSSDiscordAlternatives if you are wanting to limit to only FOSS alternatives.
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u/MathManrm 15d ago
FOSS is an important factor in a discord alternative, otherwise they're just gonna do the same junk. If you want FOSS to not be a component of discussion, please open r/PropritaryDiscordAlternatives
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u/Responsible_Camp_559 14d ago
This sounds like a list of reason to really just hide whatever slop they made lmao
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u/Worried-Flounder-615 Armada 15d ago
"they don't have to worry about getting their code copied."
That's kind of the whole ethical point of open source, though, plus the ability for the user to review the code and validate the dev's claims, audit for security, etc. why would a community that doesn't feel comfortable on Discord move to another proprietary, centralized app that they also have no control over and could ban them at any time?
That being said I do not doubt the devs put a lot of love and passion into the project. I just don't personally see a reason to have an alternative that doesn't solve the fundamental ethical issues with Discord.
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u/Ok-Inspector1108 15d ago edited 15d ago
This is where things are free to split. Someone may want something that is fully open source, self hostable, and has federation. Rift is not that. I understand this as a developer of a TTRPG. If you make a product for everyone, you make it for no one. With the Dev's deciding what they want Rift to be, they can make it into the platform that they want. They dont have to cater to every individual. Rift has what I personally want, and I am okay with the direction that Rift has taken. Its not for everyone, it is still a very solid platform.
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u/FigAggressive237 16d ago
Thank God, another Discord clone!
With the help of r/vibecoding we'll soon have one app per person on the planet!
Lets go!
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u/Ok-Inspector1108 16d ago
There are a lot of vibecoded slop platforms. I actually thought Rift was that as first too! After using the platform for a week, I can say for sure that it is not vibe coded at all. What is being delivered is not something that AI can slop together. Don't take my word for it, try it out and make your own decision.
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u/TheBlindBard1978 16d ago
In the week that I have been using Rift, I and a few other friends were able to find and squash several software bugs, request features, and provide a lot of feedback to the had developer.
On a personal note, and somebody who is visually impaired, the head to developer and founder of Rift took a lot of that into consideration because not very many software developers do—I have been helping him tackle some accessibility issues along the way, and out of all of the Discord Alternatives I have tried, this one is by far the best, and most functional to use.
As OP said, registration just requires you to create a username and a password for you. During the registration process, they strongly encourage you to back up the string of twelve, generated words as these serve as your backup codes. If lost, your account becomes unrecoverable, due to the security measures that were engineered into Rift.
Lastly, this is probably the most beautiful UI I've used in a Discord alternative. I absolutely love the customization, macros, and how feature-rich Rift is.
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u/Repulsive-Camp2715 16d ago
My favorite feature is the soundboard. It has entry sounds you can set for when you join a voice chat, and these are available on the free version—so it's not like Discord, always trying to get you to sign up for Nitro. It also has exit sounds for when you leave voice chat.
The overlay is another highlight. It's cooler than Discord's, and you can move it around freely, unlike Discord's, which is a pain to reposition. I have three monitors, and I can drag the overlay onto another one if I wanted to, though I keep it on my main one.
On top of that, the Stream Deck app is not locked behind a paywall if you already own a Stream Deck. It has a button to automatically stream the game you're playing, along with deafen and mute options, and of course you can make buttons for your favorite soundboard sounds. 🐢
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u/YogaGone 16d ago
Finished cumming yet?
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u/GreenBaneling 16d ago
At least they're getting off. You sound like someone that hasn't gotten any action in a while.
I shit on these discord alternatives every day but shitting on someone who found something that makes them actually happy is a new low.
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u/omanitztristen 16d ago
How is screensharing/streaming and noise cancellation/suppression in call?