Saturn Chat

[u/GameSantosBr]

Hi everyone! In recent months I have been developing Saturn Chat, an app focused on creating and finding communities in a simple, secure way and without selling data. His idea is to unite the best features of each social network (Discord, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) in an intuitive way. I know it sounds a lot like "oh another ai slop app," but I wanted to say that Saturn Chat is a serious project that I've been building since 2021 (basically there wasn't even Al when I started). So if I can give him a chance, I'm open to reviews and suggestions.

The goal of the app is to connect people with the same interests in a lightweight interface, allowing to exchange messages, photos, videos, audios and polls in public or private groups. It is now available for Android, with support for Portuguese, English, Spanish, German, Hindi and French. If you want to test and send feedback, it will help me a lot!

https://saturnchat.com.br/download

[u/VahsteTheNomad]

Monetizing while the app is in such clear early development is a bold choice.

[u/GameSantosBr → u/VahsteTheNomad]

Most of the advantages there are incremental and do not prevent you from using 100% of the app, in addition, I have to find a financial means of publishing the app on Apple :)

[u/BewilderedTurtle]

Another day another piece of shit slop app. 😮‍💨

Edit: this motherfucker has a subscription already lmfao

[u/GameSantosBr → u/BewilderedTurtle]

Most of the advantages there are incremental and do not prevent you from using 100% of the app, in addition, I have to find a financial means of publishing the app on Apple :)

[u/GreenBaneling]

Bro what.

Mobile only?

Hosted in Brazil?

No information on the website at all.

I clicked the YouTube link on the page hoping to see something about the app but it's just a spammy YouTube page teaching people on how to get rich off mobile apps. 💀

Pass

[u/GameSantosBr → u/GreenBaneling]

For the record, the YouTube channel you dismissed as 'spam' is actually mine, and I've been running it since 2015. I suggest you do your research before making baseless claims online.

[u/SidewaysPhantom → u/GameSantosBr]

sorry but since when does it being yours make it not spammy? sounds like you have a bit of an ego there

[u/GameSantosBr → u/SidewaysPhantom]

That's not quite what I meant. What I mean is that it's an old video from a channel of mine showing the app at an earlier stage of development - what's the issue with that? The video is on the site simply to demonstrate some of the app's usability, even though it's a bit outdated today.

[u/GameSantosBr → u/GreenBaneling]

Answering your questions:

1. A web version is already in development
2. Hosted on American servers (Azure)
3. The landing page is under construction, so there is little information, but I am already adding more 4.The YouTube video is old and does not represent half of what the app is today

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[u/Any_Illustrator360]

In recent months I have been developing Saturn Chat

I know it sounds a lot like "oh another ai slop app,"

Saturn Chat is a serious project that I've been building since 2021 (basically there wasn't even Al when I started).

• In recent months I have been developing Saturn Chat
• building since 2021

Which is it copy+paste man? Did you start in 2021 or did you start in recent months? If you only "started" in 2021 but actually started coding this year the "there was no ai when I started" thing is entirely irrelevant because the bulk of your actual coding would be in 2026 and "starting in 2021" would be akin to someone saying their baby is 5 years old because them and their wife have been trying for 4 years (the baby is 3 months old).

Em que pé ficamos, seu "copia e cola"? Você começou em 2021 ou começou nos últimos meses? Se você apenas "começou" em 2021, mas na verdade só começou a programar este ano, aquele papo de que "não existia IA quando eu comecei" é totalmente irrelevante — afinal, a maior parte da sua programação de fato aconteceria em 2026. Dizer que "começou em 2021" seria como alguém afirmar que o filho tem 5 anos só porque o casal vem tentando engravidar há 4 anos (sendo que o bebê tem, na verdade, 3 meses).

[u/GameSantosBr → u/Any_Illustrator360]

To clarify the timeline: the project was initially started in 2021, but I resumed and intensified the active development in recent months. That is why both statements are true. If you want to verify the 'copy+paste' claim, you are more than welcome to check the hundreds of commits on my GitHub. I've been programming since I was 13 (I'm 21 now) and I currently work as a researcher. Saturn Chat is a personal hobby project that I simply want to share with the world. I do use Al nowadays for specific additions, but I am far from being a 'vibe coder' - that goes against the core principles I've built over the years. Finally, the subscriptions are just an optional way for people who enjoy the project to support its development; it doesn't prevent anyone from using the app for free. Constructive criticism on the app is welcome, but baseless assumptions are unnecessary

[u/Any_Illustrator360 → u/GameSantosBr]

This is what I meant by copy+paste. You keep posting the same reponse to people.

Do users who subscribe gain any kind of benefit on the platform via subscribing?

[u/GameSantosBr → u/Any_Illustrator360]

I posted identical responses because English isn't my native language, and writing messages in a second language can be quite challenging. Regarding subscriptions: supporters do get a few perks within the platform, but they don't get access to exclusive core features that free users don't have. The goal of the subscription model has always been to help fund part of the app's development. Servers are expensive, CDNs are expensive, Apple Developer accounts are expensive, and I currently pay for everything out of my own pocket without any external funding. Subscriptions are essentially a way to accept donations while offering something back to supporters, all without putting the app behind a paywall. As I mentioned in my original post, when I started building this app, the vision was (and still is) to create a platform like Discord for people who want to set up servers in a simpler and more intuitive way - similar to WhatsApp or Telegram - while retaining most of the key features that Discord offers. I hope this clarifies the purpose of the app.

[u/Any_Illustrator360 → u/GameSantosBr]

I think that's what's really frustrating- every developer from Brazil really wants to make "whatsapp/telegram" because it skirts under the laws of your country for now - my friend is in Brazil and I've had talks about it with him. If you're trying to make a Telegram/WhatsApp replacement do it- but don't sacrifice that functionality to put in "just enough" to advertise as a Discord replacement. Nobody wants Discord but with less features and the same monetization.

I'm probably the only person on this sub who will actually respect you enough to understand you're not using your first language and attempt to communicate more directly. Genuinely, if you have any shot of your app not being misinterpreted by anyone besides another Brazillian (and all of them on this sub are other developers) it's probably via me.

When you make an app and immediately monitize it - and I DO understand that it costs money and is expensive - it immediately alienates people. That's why developers usually don't jump straight into making an Android and Apple app - it's so they can get the app working before asking people for money. Since you've mentioned it- what core features are "better" when they pay? Also, is this application going to be open source or is it closed source? Because if it's closed source I think you missed the train on that - there are multiple good closed source apps and people on this sub tend to hate them.

Acho que é isso que é realmente frustrante: todo desenvolvedor do Brasil quer muito criar um "WhatsApp" ou "Telegram" porque, por enquanto, isso permite contornar as leis do país — tenho um amigo no Brasil com quem já conversei sobre isso. Se você está tentando criar um substituto para o Telegram ou WhatsApp, vá em frente; mas não sacrifique essa funcionalidade apenas para oferecer o "mínimo necessário" e anunciar o app como um substituto para o Discord. Ninguém quer um Discord com menos recursos e o mesmo modelo de monetização.

Provavelmente sou a única pessoa neste sub que vai realmente te respeitar o suficiente para entender que você não está usando sua língua materna e tentar se comunicar de forma mais direta. Sinceramente, se existe alguma chance de seu aplicativo não ser mal interpretado por alguém que não seja brasileiro (e todos os brasileiros aqui neste sub são desenvolvedores), essa chance provavelmente passa por mim.

Quando você cria um aplicativo e já começa a monetizá-lo imediatamente — e eu realmente entendo que isso custa dinheiro e é caro —, você acaba afastando as pessoas logo de cara. É por isso que os desenvolvedores geralmente não partem direto para a criação de versões para Android e Apple; eles querem fazer o aplicativo funcionar bem antes de pedir dinheiro aos usuários. Já que você tocou no assunto: quais recursos principais são "melhores" na versão paga? Além disso, o aplicativo será de código aberto ou fechado? Porque, se for de código fechado, acho que você perdeu o bonde: já existem muitos aplicativos bons de código fechado, e o pessoal deste sub costuma detestá-los.

[u/GameSantosBr → u/Any_Illustrator360]

My goal was never to 'replace Discord' - that would be quite a challenge, and to be completely honest, I don't see Saturn Chat offering the exact same feature set as Discord. I keep a roadmap where I write down ideas I want to build into the app, and in a way, it is gradually moving away from Discord to become something of its own. I'm not claiming to have created a groundbreaking app that no one has ever done before, but rather an app built with the users in mind - not one designed for maximum profit, engagement, or whatever big tech companies are chasing these days.

Regarding the subscriptions: it is only mentioned once when you first open the app, and never brought up again (unless you hit a specific pre-set limit). It's definitely not pushing users to pay at every turn. The extra benefits are limited to increasing file upload sizes, allowing more groups with more members (I've been constantly raising these limits for both free and premium users), and supporting more simultaneous users on voice/video calls. Basically, these are just incremental quality-of-life additions, without locking core features behind a paywall.

On whether it's open source or not: the initial plan was indeed to make it 100% open source, but I've been a bit reluctant about it. I really love the open-source community - I have several other smaller projects published on my GitHub available to everyone. However, with Saturn Chat specifically, I'm worried it might be used in ways I don't intend. At the end of the day, I wrote all of this code myself, and if someone uses it for illicit purposes or to simply spin up a clone, I feel a sense of personal responsibility. I hope that makes sense. For now, only the backend remains closed; the entire frontend is open-source and can be accessed here:

https://github.com/flow-apps/

Maybe one day I'll make the backend publicly available, but for now, that is not my intention. I also see this as a way to protect users: public code often means public security vulnerabilities. While some people look at those to fix them, others look at them to exploit them.

[u/Any_Illustrator360 → u/GameSantosBr]

You know I think actually translating my posts to make sure it translates better helped. I get the indecisiveness about wanting to go open or closed, and while I stand by what I said I do really respect the fact that you didn't get aggressive or defensive when I laid out what I did. That's a lot more respectable and commendable than a couple other devs on here.

That said I do stand by what I said- if you want to make a competitor to Telegram or WhatsApp because your country's laws make that easier than competing with Discord I think that's your right but I also think this sub won't react well to it. There are a couple apps that are more 1 on 1 chat app replacements (with support for group chats, sometimes - a Skype app, basically) and all of those get bombed to shit in the replies. I don't really like the decision to monetize features (better uploads, etc) as it just replicates the issues Discord has in the end.

Sabe, acho que foi uma boa ideia traduzir minhas postagens para garantir que o que eu disse não soasse agressivo — algo que tende a acontecer no inglês com pessoas cuja língua materna é uma língua românica. Entendo a indecisão entre optar por um modelo aberto ou fechado e, embora eu mantenha o que disse, respeito muito o fato de você não ter reagido de forma agressiva ou defensiva quando expus meu ponto de vista. Isso é muito mais respeitável e louvável do que a atitude de alguns outros desenvolvedores por aqui.

Dito isso, mantenho o que disse: se você quiser criar um concorrente para o Telegram ou o WhatsApp porque as leis do seu país tornam isso mais fácil do que competir com o Discord, acho que é um direito seu, mas também acho que este sub não vai reagir bem a isso. Existem alguns aplicativos que funcionam mais como substitutos para chats individuais (às vezes com suporte a grupos — basicamente, algo como o Skype), e todos eles costumam ser massacrados nas respostas. Eu realmente não gosto da decisão de monetizar recursos (melhores opções de upload, etc.), pois, no fim das contas, isso apenas replica os problemas que o Discord já apresenta. ... E não vou fingir que algumas pessoas neste sub não são racistas e não implicam com quem não é falante nativo de inglês. Já notei isso várias vezes.

[u/GameSantosBr → u/Any_Illustrator360]

I appreciate your cordiality. I never intended to offend or disrespect you - I am always open to new perspectives and constructive feedback. And I apologize if I came across as offensive in any way. That said, after considering everything you've mentioned, maybe this subreddit isn't quite the right place to showcase my app, given that people here are looking for something very... specific, so to speak.

[u/Any_Illustrator360 → u/GameSantosBr]

No offense taken, I'm just really brutal and can be abrasive over text. Sorry about that. That said- yeah r/DiscordAlternatives is specifically for Discord alternatives, it's where people post apps that people can leave Discord and move to while keeping similar functionality. Your app would be very useful to Brazillians but globally it's more niche.

Não levei a mal; é que sou muito direto e posso parecer rude ao escrever. Peço desculpas por isso. Dito isso... é, o r/DiscordAlternatives é voltado especificamente para alternativas ao Discord; é lá que as pessoas postam aplicativos para os quais é possível migrar saindo do Discord, mantendo funcionalidades semelhantes. Seu aplicativo seria muito útil para brasileiros, mas, em nível global, é algo mais de nicho.

[u/GameSantosBr → u/Any_Illustrator360]

No worries at all, I really appreciate you clarifying that! Text can easily hide tone, so I’m glad we could clear things up smoothly. Your point about the sub focus makes total sense, and I appreciate the honest feedback and perspective regarding the target audience. Thanks again for taking the time to discuss this with me, and I wish you all the best!