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I've had my own channel on Freenode IRC since 2012 according to chanserv. Have had http://chat.tbz1.com pointed to the webchat for it. I'm in other Freenode channels too.
I just discovered Discord and created my own server, fine-tuned all the settings I think I need to. Pointed http://discord.tbz1.com at my permanent invite for it.

Ultimately I want to figure out whether I should keep them separate subdomains or discontinue pointing at my IRC channel (but still keep it alive) and point chat.tbz1.com at Discord instead (whether I can get a CNAME to work or leave it on a redirect). This poll might be instructive for anyone else who wants to provide an easy way for people to contact them without needing to pick up a cellphone, download & sign up for instant messengers, deal with Skype's ads (without editing their hosts file), etc.

For me...

Pros of Freenode webchat:
No registration required
Low-resource
Low-downtime compared to Discord
Quick switch from other IRC channels in my open at login instant messenger program

Cons of Freenode webchat:
If I'm not online, anyone who logs in and types a message is wasting their time and sending it off into a black hole, as I won't pay for a ZNC, BNC
When people send a message in my channel, they have to use the highlighted word I instructed to get me a notification
Pain in the ass to reconnect to IRC on tablet, when auto-switching through WiFis

? of Freenode webchat:
IP address of webchat users are exposed, which helps if I need to kickban for abuse, but some have quit immediately after joining, without trying to highlight me

Pros of Discord:
Scrollback for messages when I was offline
Push notifications of ANY message, not just highlights
Voice chat (& upcoming video chat?)
Inline image sharing
Seems to silently reconnect in background when switching through WiFis
No registration required, but...*

Cons of Discord:
Resource-intensive; need to pin a browser tab or run a desktop client, unless you like double-fisting tablet & desktop at the same time
Downtime depending on their cloud host (went down pretty bad recently so much that it broke into my Twitter follows)
Voice chat randomly disconnects
Unspecified privacy issues? because closed-source
*...more steps to get into the server than Freenode webchat

? of Discord:
IP addresses are hidden from me, but I can kick & ban for abuse. Difficulty to get around, and compared to Freenode webchat, unknown.

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ETA: I've just bridged in Matrix.org to my Freenode channel, auto-oped & grouped my Discord nick in my Freenode nick set, and have Riot for my tablet client so I can view scrollback. Just missing a voice channel, as all voicers would need to have a registration+client and not just open the Discord invite in a browser without a registration.

What about Telegram? Have you given that a try? Discord is great too but for creating a chat community as well but Telegram offers more privacy and might be more lightweight than discord is currently. I definitely do prefer discord over IRC. IRC just seems so outdated and clunky now it's hard for me to go back to after experiencing discord and telegram.

It has its place, but for my application, I need something that can cross between a web browser and an optional app, as opposed to only a mandatory app.

do correct me if I'm wrong I think telegram also has a web app so a desktop/mobile app is not mandatory. Although I personally have not tried the web app, perhaps it doesn't suit your current needs.

Ah https://web.telegram.org/#/login - but as a phone number is required, a phone is effectively mandatory. Discord & IRC require no registration or added expense of a phone or SMS/web gateway (which requires a payment method with a phone attached) or Google Voice number (which requires registration and possibly a phone too - been a long time since I got my last Google Voice number, and I don't have a cellphone).