Discord Rust app drops Electron to use less RAM

The Discord Rust app is coming: Electron is out and an early Windows build used about 290MB of RAM. Testing and launch dates are not set yet.

FireGhost

November 6, 2026, 04:20 PM4 min read

In brief

AI summary

Discord is rewriting its desktop app in Rust, replacing Electron and React Native while keeping native mobile UI.
An early Windows build reportedly used about 290MB of RAM, but this snapshot is not a controlled benchmark.
Discord has not announced a launch date, though user testing may begin soon.

Contents10 sections

A Discord Rust app is coming. The company is leaving Electron and rewriting its desktop app in Rust. An early Windows build showed about 290MB of RAM. No testing or launch date has been announced.

The Verge reported the news from a post on X by Discord co-founder and CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy. Wccftech added more detail.

What changes with the Discord Rust app?

Vishnevskiy says Discord has used Rust since 2018. Much of its infrastructure, voice tech and part of the current client is already Rust. “The holy grail was getting the whole client there,” he says. Electron goes away. So does React Native. Mobile keeps native UI but shares app code with desktop via Rust.

Topic	What was announced
Desktop	Electron is dropped; the app moves to Rust
Mobile	React Native is dropped; native UI stays, code is shared via Rust
Internal name	Discord Phoenix (per Wccftech)
UI framework	GPUI, a GPU-accelerated Rust framework (per Wccftech)
RAM example	About 290MB in an early Windows build
Release date	Not announced; testing is hoped for soon

Official Discord promotional image showing the app on desktop and phone — Promotional image from Discord's official website (Source: Discord official website)

Why was Electron a problem?

Electron lets developers build desktop apps with web technology. But it ships Chromium with every app. That adds memory and processor overhead. The Verge says Electron apps are notorious for heavy resource use.

Discord's current Windows app can use 1GB or more of RAM in some cases. Wccftech recalls that in December 2025 a Discord employee admitted the app could exceed 4GB. The company added an experimental automatic restart then. It also said normal use should stay below 1GB.

Discord's September 2026 patch notes say the move to Electron 42 cut median CPU use by about 17%. Median memory use actually rose about 4%. The move to Rust aims to fix this more fundamentally.

How reliable is the 290MB figure?

Be careful. The image Vishnevskiy shared shows the Windows client using about 290MB. Wccftech says it showed 290.2MB. He later noted that two Discord accounts were running.

Still, this is a snapshot. It is not a controlled benchmark. We do not know how the app behaves in voice calls, video streams or long gaming sessions. Reaction on Reddit is mostly positive. Some users worry about compatibility with third-party mods.

Official Discord image showing the channel list and voice channels — Channel list image from Discord's official website (Source: Discord official website)

Will everything be Rust?

Not entirely. According to Wccftech, some embedded features, such as YouTube content and Activities, will keep using system webviews. The app does not rely on a webview solution like Tauri. It draws its interface natively with GPUI.

What does this mean for players?

If you keep Discord open while gaming, RAM matters. Our Steam Hardware Survey post shows 16GB is the most common memory size. With a browser, a game and Discord open, every hundred megabytes helps. Wccftech also notes memory prices are high and DRAM limits could last into 2027.

Patience is needed. There is no date. There is no real-world test yet. But the direction is clear. Discord wants a lighter app. If a test build arrives, watch how it behaves in voice chat and streaming.

For more app news, read our Xbox PC app update post, our Discord messages and web search story and our Steam Hardware Survey article.