dcts.exposedTable stakes
They graded the class. They used their own homework.
The official comparison on dcts.community lists DCTS, Stoat, Fluxer, Matrix, and Spacebar. DCTS wins every row. The “trustworthy” row is a list of r/dcts posts. Fluxer’s cell is the phrase “Possibly vibe coded.” This page grades DCTS against DCTS.
Their table, in English
Swipe the table sideways
| Row they wrote | What they printed | What that is |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hostable? | DCTS: “Easy setup.” Everyone else: troublesome, technical, mess. | Marketing. Docker “needs testing.” Main is sometimes unshippable. |
| Decentralized | A check for DCTS. Silence or nothing for the protocol that actually federates. | Their own principles doc: no known instances yet. |
| Encrypted DMs / messenger | Checks for DCTS. | Desktop extra. About page: “thought to be cool.” |
| Open source | DCTS wins. Stoat “contains closed source parts.” | package.json license field is empty. 2024 notes: source-available, plan to charge companies. |
| Free | DCTS wins. Others have subscriptions. | dsync-pay, dsync-shop, managed hosting plans, CLA on patches. |
| Subject to platform decay | Blank for DCTS. “Runs servers for others” / “Chaotic” for everyone else. | Single maintainer. Intuition-driven. “Development can seem pretty random.” |
| Trustworthy & transparent | Self-citations to r/dcts smear posts. Fluxer: “Possibly vibe coded.” | The tell. The whole site is this row. |
A table that can survive a click
Swipe the table sideways
| Question | DCTS copy | DCTS in the files |
|---|---|---|
| Is this a Discord alternative? | “Our goal is not to be yet another discord alternative.” | discord.js dependency. Discord UI pitch. Discord invite in the README. |
| Is it decentralized? | Resilient network, cannot be taken down easily. | Optional gossip. Zero known instances. No Matrix/AP/Nostr, on principle. |
| Is it independent? | Custom libraries, donation only, never sold. | npm forest, Google STUN, dsync-pay/shop, commercialize-the-license notes. |
| Is the website finished? | Partners, testimonials, comparison, vision. | John D. / Jane D. dummy slides, identical lorem ipsum, leftover Bootstrap Studio copy still on the live page. |
| Is the founder safe to trust? | Humble. No ego. Fair. Straight to the point. | Smear subreddit. Instant perma-bans. CLA. Pre-approved PRs only. |
| Is it vibe coded? | The other app is. | CSS homework, dummy testimonials, intuition-driven, “pretty random.” |
| Can you send a file in the new messenger? | Fully featured, Signal-like, desktop and mobile. | r/dcts: minor things left, “like sending files.” |
| How big is the movement? | Community-driven platform for the future. | r/dcts: on the order of 100 members. |
If you want a Discord alternative, look at software whose website can describe a user. If you want a cautionary tale about shipping a template and a grudge, you are already on it.