Discord Member Count

How to show the member count in a channel name

Lots of servers show a line like "Members: 12,345" at the top of the channel list. That is a locked voice channel whose name a bot keeps updating. Setting one up takes a few minutes:

1. Create a voice channel and take away the Connect permission for @everyone, so it only works as a label.
2. Add a bot that renames it with the current count. Server stats bots from the Discord app directory do this, or you can write a small one yourself with discord.js or discord.py.
3. Update it every 10 minutes at most. Discord allows two renames per channel every 10 minutes, so faster updates just pile up in a queue.

A bot you write yourself has to run all the time. A small Node.js or Python bot runs fine on Space-Node Discord bot hosting, from €0.50 a month. For a count on a website or a stream, use the embed and OBS links above instead.

How the Discord member count works

Discord doesn't publish member counts on a public page, but every invite link carries them. When you open an invite in the app, Discord shows the server name, roughly how many members it has and how many are online. This counter asks Discord for exactly that and turns it into a live number.

Where the numbers come from

Both numbers come from Discord's invite API: the member count, and the presence count (members who are online, idle or on do not disturb). Anyone set to invisible counts as offline. Your browser asks Discord for them every 10 seconds, without cookies or a login. If that doesn't work, for example when Discord asks for a short break, the page switches to our server, which keeps one shared copy, so a thousand people watching the same server still means a single request to Discord.

How accurate is it?

Discord itself calls these numbers approximate. The online count changes every few minutes and is a good pulse of how active a server is. On big servers the member count can lag a little, so it tends to move in small jumps instead of ticking up with every join. If you own the server, the member list in Server Settings has the exact figure. The guide to Discord member counts covers every other way to check one.

Which invites work

Any invite that still opens in the Discord app works here, including vanity links like discord.gg/minecraft. Expired invites, invites to deleted servers and group DM invites come back as not found. Normal invites expire after 7 days by default, so for a counter that keeps working, create an invite that never expires.

Adding it to OBS or a website

Go to Share and embed above, pick a style and copy the OBS URL. In OBS add a Browser source, paste the URL and set the size to 380 by 120. For a website or a server list page, copy the iframe code instead. Both refresh on their own.

FAQ

Is the Discord member counter free?

Yes. There's no login, no bot to add and no permissions to give. All you need is an invite link.

Why is the count different from what I see in the server?

The member list inside a server and the invite preview come from different parts of Discord. The invite numbers are approximate, and on large servers they can be a few minutes behind.

Are bots included in the member count?

Yes. Bots are members of the server, so they are part of the member count, and a bot that is online counts as online.

How often does the count update?

Every 10 seconds, on this page as well as in the embed and the OBS overlay. Discord itself moves the member count about every 20 seconds and the online count every few minutes.

Can I check a server without an invite link?

No. Discord only shares these numbers through invites, so you need one that works. Ask a moderator for a permanent invite if yours has expired.