How Discord is supporting a generation of developers

By Mason Sciotti, Senior Product Manager, Discord

The role and input of third-party developers has always been key to the growth and evolution of online platforms. In platforms’ infancy, budding developers build experiences that add value for users and infuse creativity beyond the core product. Harnessing the potential of these builders requires a platform to empower these developers with access to the right resources, and to cultivate a community of entrepreneurial thinking where anyone is able to create, manage, and grow engaged audiences around fun experiences and passion points. 

But going from passion to career is no easy feat. Doing so requires a space with the potential for experimentation, the right tools, an engaged audience, and the means for growing your brand and profile. Many established developers rely on external advertising, but this can be costly and sometimes too high a barrier for those starting out.

Instead, developers are turning their attention to the platforms themselves, seeking a space that can provide greater support and guidance to help them make their mark and flex their entrepreneurial muscle.

Building a platform for developers 

Exceptional experiences are made by those pushing the boundaries of possibility. Both the boundaries, and the ability to push them, are necessary pieces of the puzzle.

For burgeoning developers, a platform is a playground. There are primitives, building blocks, that give you a clear path from A to B, helping you get started and inspiring confidence in making your first thing. There’s also plenty of wide-open space for imagination. 

For a platform looking to inspire developers, this means starting with an open API that lets developers do the same things that users do. If it can be done with a tap of a button, let developers do it in code – and more. This offers developers a real playground to explore and experiment with new ideas for potential apps. It also provides the tools to help build them – whether they’re a solo creator born from a particular interest or hobby, a small group of developers or even a large professional team.

At Discord, we’ve had an open API since shortly after launch in 2015. The primitives – like sending a message, adding reactions and stickers, creating a new group chat – make building on Discord easy and approachable. Developers get a quick feedback loop of building something and seeing recognizable results. As their familiarity grows and creativity starts to blossom, they take those primitives, mash them together in unique ways, and create experiences we’d never have imagined.

Our teams have fostered an environment where developers have the tools they need to create an array of fun, engaging, and incredibly handy apps that change how millions of Discord users spend time with their friends. Through open collaboration, a vibrant community of developers have been able to find a new home on Discord where they create things that our users love – from games to moderation tools to apps for learning new skills. And, with the addition of the App Directory in 2022, eligible developers’ apps can become discoverable in the product, making it easier than ever for users to find these awesome creations.

This collaborative culture has allowed for over 750,000 third-party apps, which are used by more than 45 million people each month. It’s even led to some of the world’s most popular apps building homes on the platform, like Midjourney’s Gen AI app for creating artwork and imagery and Memrise’s language-learning app, which has more than 65 million users around the world.

Through an open – and free to use – API, developers are provided with not only the right tools to get started with new ideas, but also the space for creativity that will turn these ideas into a reality for other users to enjoy. 

As a platform grows, so too can its ability to empower developers to build entirely new things. Thanks to our new Embedded App SDK, developers can build not only approachable and familiar chat bots, but also entire immersive new games and experiences directly within an iframe. We’re unlocking the potential for even richer, more interactive games and social experiences that Discord users want and love. 

Elements like our open API and Embedded App SDK are all part of our mission to grow the Discord into the best place for developers to do it all, whatever stage of their journey they are at. 

In 2023, we also kicked off our annual Discord App Pitches competition, offering funding to Discord Developers to make their app dreams a reality. The competition allows developers to pitch their prototypes to a panel of judges for the chance to win. This year, category winners were announced in June, with the Grand Prize Winner crowned in July and set to receive up to $30,000 (USD). 

With all this said, we’re aware putting the right tools in the hands of developers is only the first step in helping them to grow.

Bringing the economy to the developer

Sustainability is key. Development is not free; building, hosting, maintaining, and updating excellent experiences costs both time and money. Many developers rely on external subscription services from loyal fans to finance this, but often find themselves with new challenges and jobs to be done that aren’t creating and innovating, like becoming payments experts.

Developers should be able to make money from their hard work and creativity, allowing them to continue funding their passions. The platforms on which they build can drive that success by offering solutions tailor-made to their developers’ needs. Long-term growth and sustainability is easier to achieve with in-house solutions supported by the online platforms themselves.

Last year, we introduced Premium App Subscriptions to developers in the US, UK, and European Union. Eligible developers can sell subscriptions to their app natively on the platform, as well as get access to more than just payment tools. Coming soon, we’ll also be adding support for developers to offer multiple subscription tiers. Plus, to provide users and developers with greater flexibility, we have now introduced one-time purchases, offering developers more control over exactly what they offer and for how much. 

With our native payment solutions, developers unlock a Premium tab on their App Directory page, a storefront to showcase all of their offerings, as well as contextual purchase points throughout Discord; supporting a user’s favourite app is seamless. 

To help developers grow successful businesses, we’re now taking our commitment to developers to new heights. In June, we introduced a new “Growth” Tier to our platform with the goal of better supporting up-and-coming developers on Discord. What does this mean exactly? With this new tier, we’ve reduced Discord’s platform fee, from 30% to 15%, for any developer team’s first $1M (USD) in cumulative gross sales. This provides an opportunity for developers to get started with their business, foster creativity, and boost their profitability when it matters most.

Whether it’s enhanced moderation abilities or increased usage for generative AI features, developers can offer whatever makes sense for their app, at their own price. With Discord handling the customer service side of payments, developers can focus on what they do best – creating fun and engaging new experiences for everyone. 

Caring for the community

Many online platforms wouldn’t be where they are today without working with, and scaling for, third-party developers. Developers are proactively building experiences that help create many of the unique apps that shape how millions of people spend time online with their friends. 

This is why it’s important to ensure developers are being given the right support and opportunities to scale. Online platforms should allow them to grow their own audiences, and nurture the transformation of their passions into careers. With the host platforms embracing and providing this necessary level of support, developers can be left to build their skills, push boundaries, and create new experiences that delight the world. 

About the Author: Mason Sciotti is a Senior Product Manager at Discord.