With Discord introducing mandatory age verification, many users are flocking to an alternative.
Since Discord announced that identity verification will be introduced in March 2026, there has been a lot of excitement.
In search of an alternative, many users have apparently ended up back with an old acquaintance.
Rush on TeamSpeak servers
Anyone who does not verify their age on Discord starting in March will automatically be classified as a minor by the platform.
However: Those who refuse to provide proof can continue to use the platform, as Discord writes in a press release—but in the more restrictive Teen Mode
. However, this primarily restricts access to so-called NSFW channels and 18+ servers, which are usually dedicated to pornographic content. In addition, certain features, such as direct messages from strangers, remain blocked to users.
Age verification requires users to either upload their ID or provide a photo of their face for AI scanning.
As the BBC reports, it is not only the age verification itself that is causing criticism, but also who is carrying it out: The US service provider Persona is largely financed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. Its proximity to the Palantir founder is fueling fears of surveillance using biometric data – especially since around 70,000 ID photos were leaked from a former Discord partner in October 2025.
Taken together, these points reinforce the urge of many users to find an alternative. One such alternative is, in a sense, one of Discord’s most successful predecessors: TeamSpeak.
In the 2000s, TeamSpeak was virtually synonymous with voice chat among PC gamers. The platform still exists and age verification is not (yet) required there.
We have already introduced TeamSpeak to you as a possible Discord alternative – but we have two more up our sleeve.
Apparently, so many former Discord users are currently turning to TeamSpeak that the platform has reached full server capacity in several regions, including the US. At least that’s what TeamSpeak is saying on X:
With the incredible surge of new users joining TeamSpeak and subscribing to communities, current hosting capacity has been reached in many regions, especially in the United States. We’re working on expanding availability across additional regions.
Thank you for your patience as… pic.twitter.com/nyzjirx9VM
— TeamSpeak (@teamspeak) February 14, 2026
According to the announcement, the company is currently working on expanding its capacity to accommodate additional new users.
However, it is unclear how large or small these resources were previously, as TeamSpeak does not provide any exact figures.
Nevertheless, the announcement indicates a growing interest in alternatives. However, it is rather unlikely that the top dog Discord, with its approximately 200 million active users, will simply be replaced by another platform.
Our colleague Jan has now tried out another hot candidate for the post-Discord era: Stout.
For those who do not generally reject age verification for the sake of protecting minors, but have a problem with an external provider such as Persona, there is the EU has some good news:
As part of the Digital Services Act (DSA), it is planning to launch the EU Digital Identity Wallet
by the end of 2026, which is not just a kind of digital wallet, but is also currently working on a prototype of the Age Verification Blueprint
. This is an open-source mini wallet
that allows users to verify their age without sharing biometric data.
This could soon make data protection-compliant verification mandatory for all platforms, but without EU citizens having to share their personal data with questionable third-party providers.
