No ID, no face scan
Socketchat has no accounts, so it has nothing to verify. You join a friend's server with an invite link and pick a display name. Nobody asks for a photo ID, a face scan or a phone number.
Checked on 21 October 2026. Facts about other apps link to their sources.
Discord asks some users to confirm their age. Its options include a video selfie for facial age estimation, an ID document scan with a selfie, a credit card check and app store age ranges, according to its age assurance page.
In September 2026, Discord said that more than 90% of its users will not have to confirm their age, because a model that reads account signals places most people in a teen or adult group. It says the video selfie stays on your device, that ID and selfie data are deleted right after the check, and that Discord receives only your age.
For Discord age verification in the UK, Discord said in February 2026 that it had already rolled out age assurance in the UK and Australia, and that in countries with age verification laws the law may require approved methods such as facial age estimation or ID checks. Its September post adds that its age model is not currently available to users in the UK and Australia.
Socketchat is one. It has no accounts and no age or identity check when you join: a friend sends you an invite link, you pick a display name, and you are in the room.
Among Discord alternatives with no ID step, Socketchat also encrypts every room end to end, so only the people in a room can read it. Compare it as a Discord alternative.
Socketchat never asks for a name, birth date, phone number or email, so there is no identity to check. Your app makes its own keys on your computer and registers a random key with the server when it joins.
A passphrase you choose encrypts everything Socketchat keeps on your computer.
The people in the room. Only someone holding an invite link can join, and room admins can remove people. The person who runs the server can also limit invites to admins.
An invite link works once and expires after 24 hours, unless the server owner sets another limit. When someone joins, their app checks that the link came from the person who sent it.
More questions
Not for most people. Discord says more than 90% of users will not be asked to confirm their age. When it does ask, an ID scan is one option, beside a video selfie, a credit card check and app store age ranges.
Discord asks for an age check when it is needed to reach content flagged by its sensitive content filters, age-restricted spaces, or to change certain settings, according to its age assurance page. It says the goal is an experience appropriate for each user's age.
No. Socketchat asks for a display name and a passphrase, and nothing else. The passphrase encrypts what Socketchat keeps on your computer.
No. The server can never read your messages, but it can see room rosters, when a message is sent, and can read IP addresses of users. It cannot see what was written or sent. It keeps all messages private, but does not make you anonymous.
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/sachio222/socketchat_v4/releases/latest/download/socketchat-installer.sh | shpowershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -c "irm https://github.com/sachio222/socketchat_v4/releases/latest/download/socketchat-installer.ps1 | iex"brew install sachio222/tap/socketchatOpen a new terminal when it finishes.
Then start a server with socketchat server init --host chat.example.com and socketchat server run, and open port 7444. Quick start on the home page.
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