Most Discord bot lists are full of abandoned projects, premium upsells, and bots that harvest your server data. Here are the open-source ones actually worth running in 2026.
Why open source matters for Discord bots
When you add a bot to your server, you're giving it access to every message, every member, every attachment, and every voice channel. That's a lot of trust.
Closed-source bots can:
- Change their terms overnight
- Start selling your data
- Get acquired and shut down
- Push updates you never approved
Open-source bots can't hide anything. The code is public. You can self-host. You can audit. You can fork and modify.
The list
Cipher
Yeah, I'm starting with my own. Cipher is a community operations bot — staff management, AI ticket triage, file security scanning, verification, community health scoring, and AutoMod. No music piracy, no meme commands, no premium tiers.
- GitHub: cipher-bot-v2
- Self-hostable: Yes
- License: Open source
- Best for: Serious communities that need operations, not entertainment
Red Discord Bot
A modular, multi-purpose bot with a huge plugin ecosystem. Cog system means you install only what you need. Mature, well-maintained, and battle-tested.
- GitHub: Cog-Creators/Red-DiscordBot
- Self-hostable: Yes
- License: GPL-3.0
- Best for: Power users who want full control and don't mind setup
Modmail
A Discord modmail bot that lets members DM the bot to contact staff. Clean, simple, does one thing well.
- GitHub: modmail-dev/modmail
- Self-hostable: Yes
- License: MIT
- Best for: Servers that need a DM-to-staff pipeline
Ticketsbot
Open-source ticket system with transcripts, logging, and claim system. Focused and reliable.
- GitHub: Eartharoid/Ticketsbot
- Self-hostable: Yes
- License: GPL-3.0
- Best for: Support-focused servers
Autocode-based bots
Not a single bot, but a platform. Autocode lets you build Discord bots with JavaScript in a browser editor. Good for quick automations without a full server.
- Website: autocode.com
- Best for: Simple automations and prototypes
How to choose
Ask yourself:
- Do I need to self-host? If yes, eliminate anything closed-source.
- What's my #1 problem? Staff management → Cipher. Modmail → Modmail. Tickets → Ticketsbot. General-purpose → Red.
- Do I trust the maintainer? Check commit history, issue response time, and whether it's actively maintained.
- Is the license compatible with my use case? GPL-3.0 means modifications must stay open. MIT is more permissive.
The honest truth
Most servers don't need 10 bots. They need one or two that do their job well. If you're running MEE6 + Dyno + Ticket Tool + Carl-bot + Groovy, you're managing a zoo. Consolidate.
Try Cipher — one open-source bot for staff, security, tickets, and analytics.
Open source isn't just about price. It's about trust.
