dcts.community and features.html make a stack of promises: decentralized, encrypted, independent, humble, easy, future-proof, not a clone. The files on GitHub and the founder’s own docs contradict each one.
Said on the homepage: servers “optionally communicate,” forming a network “that cannot be controlled by a single provider.” Vision copy: a network “that cannot be taken down easily.”
Found in the docs: dSync is a small custom library. The principles page says implementing server-to-server communication is not ideal because “there arent any known instances yet” and the client is still incomplete. Federation with Matrix, ActivityPub, or Nostr is explicitly refused. Voice historically used Google’s public STUN server.
Homepage · Principles · r/dcts, “No, i will never implement matrix…”
Said on the homepage: encrypted server DMs, signed messages, “a separate encrypted messenger.” About page: “like Signal but self-hosted.”
Found: E2EE is described as a desktop-client extra. The About lore says DMs got encryption because “it was thought to be cool.” The core app is Socket.IO plus Express plus optional MySQL. Feature list even labels PoW as “proof of concept.”
About DCTS · Discord-Alternatives list: “E2EE on desktop DMs”
Said: “No investors, no sponsoring, custom-built libraries and donation-funded. DCTS is build to last.” Features: “designed to last for decades.”
Found: package.json depends on a pile of npm packages. That list included discord.js. The top-level dependency is gone; the lockfile still records discord.js ^14.27.0, and he said the Discord bridge is “an actual ‘bot’ made with discord.js.” Still listed: @hackthedev/dsync-pay and @hackthedev/dsync-shop. The v3.4.6 release notes said the software was source-available because the author wanted to “commercialize this software by either charging companies” or selling extra plugins. The Principles page plans “managed hosting or VPS systems” to fund development. PayPal is paypal.me/devilsstore.
package.json · Release v3.4.6 · Independence.md
Said in the README: “Our goal is not to be yet another discord alternative.” Features: “Built from the ground up with our own approach.”
Found: the origin story is “TeamSpeak control, Discord UI.” The README still leads with Discord, Guilded, and Matrix as the competition. The shipping package depends on discord.js. The Discord bridge plugin is, in his words, “an actual ‘bot’ made with discord.js.” The public instance and docs keep a Discord invite in the header. This is a Discord skin with a sockets tutorial behind it.
README.md · About DCTS
Said: “Deliberate design and technical know-how keep DCTS moving fast while staying clean and maintainable.” “We regularly refactor.”
Found: README typo “porject.” That spelling was later corrected. Getting started: “It will simply the setup,” “maxOS.” Older member list sent finished HTML from the server. A 2024 user hit a Docker/Node error; the reply was that main is sometimes unready. Release notes mention an import-account bug that could blindly update the member account. Docs still include an .obsidian folder. Auth PoW is labeled proof of concept.
README · r/dcts Node error thread · Feature List.md · GitHub docs tree
Said on AlternativeTo and older READMEs: two commands if Node is installed. Features: “super lightweight,” runs on old hardware.
Found: install still wants Bun or Node, a database if you want SQL, TLS, and a YouTube playlist because the docs are not enough. r/dcts: “Docker seems to work now, needs testing now.” Native modules need a C++ compiler and Python for node-gyp. The founder told a user he had not tested Docker.
Getting started · r/dcts docker thread
Said on features.html: the Android app “has all the same features as the desktop client.”
Found: encryption and “client enhancements” are repeatedly described as desktop-client features. The messenger was still “pretty much done” with “minor things left like sending files.” A product that still cannot send files is not a fully featured messenger, on any OS.
features.html · r/dcts messenger update
Said on features: “screensharing up to theoretical 4k@60fps.”
Found: the qualifier is the whole claim. “Theoretical” is how you advertise a slider you have not shipped. Voice and screenshare were still being “better implemented into the UI” in 2025, with settings for resolution “once this is done.”
features.html · r/dcts “VC & Screenshare Demo”
Said on features: “open-source and completely free to use, even commercially and this fact will never change.”
Found: package.json has empty license and empty author. The v3.4.6 notes admitted the license made it source-available, with a plan to charge companies and sell plugins. CONTRIBUTING requires a Contributor License Agreement. “Never change” already changed once, in writing.
package.json · v3.4.6 notes · CONTRIBUTING.md
Said: “Humble, community-driven.” “No ego, misleading reports or FOMO tactics! We keep it fair and straight to the point.”
Found: the homepage comparison table is a hit piece. Stoat’s “trustworthy” cell is three r/dcts posts about deception, CSAM, and incompetence. Fluxer is “Possibly vibe coded.” Spacebar is “mismanagement” and “reading user DMs.” All of those posts live on the founder’s own subreddit. That is a misleading report with a byline.
Comparison table · Founder notes
Said: four five-star testimonials from John D. and Jane D.
Found on the live homepage and on features.html in the homepage HTML when this site first documented it. The quotes were lorem ipsum. The names repeated. The photos were stock. The date was the template’s April 21, 2014. As of 18 Oct 2026 the dummy names and Latin copy are gone from the HTML. Leftover Bootstrap Studio CSS, including Ultimate-Testimonial-Slider.css, is still linked.
dcts.community · features.html
Said: “10+ years of software development experience.” “Development started in 2023 and continues with that mindset.”
Found: the About page says it started as a CSS skill check and a Socket.IO toy. The homepage still ships dummy template reviews from John D. and Jane D. That dummy copy was later removed from the HTML. Leftover testimonial CSS remains. Competency is a word you earn after you delete the leftover markup too.
features.html · About DCTS
Said in CONTRIBUTING: “AI usage to write anything more than maybe an function should be avoided.” Homepage: Fluxer is “Possibly vibe coded.”
Found: the public marketing site is a drag-and-drop Bootstrap template. Dummy testimonial copy was shipped on the live homepage. The Principles page says development is “mostly driven by intuition.” About.md: “Development can seem pretty random.” The README cannot spell project. Accusing the neighbor of vibe coding, while shipping a template, is the slop.
CONTRIBUTING.md · features.html comparison cell · dcts.community CSS (.hero-nature)