By Sindhu Hariharan

Copyright thehindubusinessline

As Nepal’s youngsters took to the streets and the country chose a new interim PM, an app more known for socialisation within the gaming community, acted as the catalyst. Discord, the voice, video and text platform created by two entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 2015, is suddenly seeing a big spurt in usage in India, too.

India is now the fourth biggest market for Discord in terms of downloads. The top five markets for Discord by mobile app downloads through 2025 (YTD) are the US (18 per cent), Brazil (7 per cent), Indonesia (6 per cent), India (6 per cent) and the Philippines (4 per cent), according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. In 2025 YTD, Discord had roughly 5 million downloads in India, up 2 per cent from the year before. India is also Discord’s third biggest market by monthly active users (mobile app) in August, with 11 million users representing 5 per cent share of global user base, Sensor Tower said.

Privacy appeal

According to analysts, while Discord has always been popular with the 18-24 age segment as a discussion forum for college matters or gaming, in recent months, a higher age group (25-34 year olds) has also got on to the platform. It has also become a platform for developers.

“The usage has spurted with several SEBI-authorised investment advisors building financial discussion communities,” says Nimesh Shah, Head Maven of digital experiential agency Wind Chimes. He says several of their start-up clients leverage Discord for customer support, feedback and as community discussion channels. “It is also becoming an alternative to Slack for internal company employee discussions and usage,” he adds.

twin appeal

Discord’s growth in India is being driven by its twin appeal of privacy and structure. The ability to create servers with roles, custom permissions and private invite-only communities gives users greater control, while organised channels and categories keep conversations seamless, says Sumedha Mahajan, Business Head of Ampverse DMI, which runs India’s largest Collegiate Esports IP, College Rivals.

A 33-year-old Mumbai-based user describes how Discord was initially only used by gamers, but as they eventually found a sense of belonging, began forming communities that weren’t expressly for gaming. People realised that Discord’s design of having a main server, channels and subchannels suited any kind of organising under common interest. “However, the UX has a very steep learning curve,” she adds.

Published on September 16, 2025