Tatsu built its following on collectible cards, reputation points, and a friendly rank card. That formula still holds an audience, but leveling has moved on. Voice XP sits behind Tatsu’s paywall. Role rewards are limited on the free tier. Rank card customization is thinner than the newer bots. If you moderate your Discord server from Android and want a leveling bot with the same warmth but modern flexibility, these seven Tatsu alternatives cover the ground with more room to configure.
What we looked at
- Voice XP on free. Whether the bot rewards time in voice channels without a subscription.
- Rank card customization. Colors, backgrounds, layouts, per-role frames.
- Role rewards depth. Number of level-based role assignments before hitting a paywall.
- Mobile dashboard. Whether config renders on a phone browser at 100% zoom.
- XP curve control. Whether admins can tune XP per message, per minute in voice, per role.
Quick comparison
| Bot | Best for | Free voice XP | Role rewards free | Premium start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcane | Modern XP with voice on free | Yes | Unlimited | $5/mo |
| MEE6 | Broadest all-in-one | Text only | 5 roles | $11.95/mo |
| Lurkr | Deep XP tuning | Yes | Unlimited | Free |
| AmariBot | Simple text XP + leaderboards | Text only | Unlimited | $5/mo |
| Polaris | Advanced role tree | Yes | Unlimited | Free |
| ProBot | Levels + welcomes combo | Text only | 3 roles | $4.99/mo |
| YAGPDB | Custom-built XP system | Yes (self-configured) | Unlimited | Free |
Why Tatsu users move on
Tatsu’s collectible profile system was its charm. What pushes servers to shop around:
- Voice XP is paywalled. Communities that live in voice channels either pay or lose their most-active members from the leaderboard.
- Role rewards cap on free. Tatsu’s free tier limits the number of level-based role assignments before you hit the Supporter subscription.
- Rank card options are thin. Backgrounds and layouts are limited compared to Arcane or Polaris.
- XP curves are fixed. Admins cannot tune per-channel or per-role XP without workarounds.
- Card collection distracts. Not every server wants the collectible layer. If you just want clean leveling, Tatsu is doing more than you need.
The alternatives
Arcane — Best for modern XP with voice on free
Arcane ships voice XP on the free tier, which is the single biggest reason servers switch from Tatsu. Rank cards are the most customizable on this list: backgrounds, colors, layouts, per-role frames. The dashboard is mobile-responsive and slash commands work cleanly from Discord Android.
Where it falls short: Premium removes ads and adds cosmetic themes but the free tier is genuinely enough for most servers. Community is smaller than MEE6’s.
Pricing:
- Free: Voice XP, unlimited role rewards, rank card customization
- Premium: $5/mo per server, exclusive themes, faster commands
- vs Tatsu: Voice XP without paying, more rank card options
Migration from Tatsu: Arcane has a Tatsu import command that reads leaderboards via the Tatsu API. Users keep their relative rank.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want the closest Tatsu shape with voice XP included.
MEE6 — Best for broadest all-in-one
MEE6 covers leveling alongside moderation, welcomes, and everything else. Custom XP curves, per-channel multipliers, and role rewards are all in one dashboard. The free tier limits some options but text XP works well.
Where it falls short: Voice XP is Premium-only. Only five role rewards on free. Premium is expensive if leveling is all you use.
Pricing:
- Free: Text XP, 5 role rewards, rank cards
- Premium: $11.95/mo per server, voice XP, unlimited role rewards
- vs Tatsu: Broader bot with weaker free leveling
Migration from Tatsu: MEE6 does not import Tatsu XP. Best done as a soft reset with an announcement.
Bottom line: Pick this if MEE6 already handles moderation for you. Do not add it just for leveling.
Lurkr — Best for deep XP tuning
Lurkr is the admin-tuner’s leveling bot. Per-channel XP multipliers, per-role bonuses, cooldowns tunable in seconds. Voice XP on free. Rank cards customizable via a fine-grained config panel. It is the technical pick.
Where it falls short: Dashboard is dense and takes patience on mobile. Docs are English-only. Community is small.
Pricing:
- Free: Full feature set
- vs Tatsu: More admin control, fully free
Migration from Tatsu: Manual export via Tatsu leaderboard, import as CSV via Lurkr’s admin panel.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want to control every XP knob and do not need collectibles.
AmariBot — Best for simple text XP and leaderboards
AmariBot does one job well: text XP with clean leaderboards and role rewards. Free tier is generous, mobile experience is snappy, and there are no distractions. Slash commands surface cleanly on Discord Android.
Where it falls short: No voice XP. No rank card customization beyond basic colors. Not a broad-feature bot.
Pricing:
- Free: Text XP, unlimited role rewards, basic rank cards
- Premium: $5/mo per server, custom colors, weekly XP snapshots
- vs Tatsu: Simpler, better free role rewards, no voice XP
Migration from Tatsu: AmariBot has an API-based Tatsu import. Users keep relative rank order.
Bottom line: Pick this if you want a text-only leveling bot that does not try to be anything else.
Polaris — Best for advanced role trees
Polaris treats role rewards as a tree with branches, not a flat list. Assign roles based on levels, activity, or custom conditions. Voice XP on free. Rank cards customizable. Ideal for RPG-flavored servers with progression tiers.
Where it falls short: Role tree config takes time to learn. Dashboard is desktop-first, tablet works, phone is cramped.
Pricing:
- Free: Full feature set
- vs Tatsu: More advanced role assignment, free voice XP
Migration from Tatsu: Manual leaderboard import. Polaris’s role tree lets you replicate Tatsu’s flat rewards and then extend them.
Bottom line: Pick this if your server has multi-branch progression and you want role rewards to reflect it.
ProBot — Best for levels plus welcomes combo
ProBot ships leveling as a companion to its welcome-image system. Rank cards, three role rewards on free, welcome images, basic moderation. If you already run ProBot for welcomes, adding its leveling is a two-click switch.
Where it falls short: No voice XP. Only three role rewards on free. Leveling depth is basic.
Pricing:
- Free: Text XP, 3 role rewards, 3 welcome images
- Premium: $4.99/mo for unlimited role rewards, extra welcomes, voice XP
- vs Tatsu: Weaker as a leveling-only bot, stronger as a combined welcome-plus-levels tool
Migration from Tatsu: Manual reset. ProBot does not import Tatsu XP.
Bottom line: Pick this only if ProBot already handles welcomes for you.
YAGPDB — Best for custom-built XP system
YAGPDB does not ship a native XP system. It ships a template engine that lets you build one exactly to your rules. Community templates cover standard XP loops, and you can customize past what any freemium bot allows.
Where it falls short: Not turnkey. Setup is an hour if you have never written a YAGPDB template.
Pricing:
- Free
- vs Tatsu: Fully custom, requires building the system, zero paywall
Migration from Tatsu: Community templates include a Tatsu leaderboard importer. Rank data survives.
Bottom line: Pick this if you already run YAGPDB and want one less bot.
How to pick the right one
- You want voice XP on free: Arcane, Lurkr, or Polaris. Arcane is the friendliest, Lurkr is the most tunable, Polaris has the best role-tree logic.
- You want the simplest text XP: AmariBot. One job, done well.
- You already run MEE6: Turn on MEE6 leveling, upgrade to Premium if voice XP matters.
- You want to build the system yourself: YAGPDB with a community XP template.
- You want levels plus welcomes: ProBot if you already use it, otherwise Arcane plus Carl-bot combo.
Stay on Tatsu if your community loves the collectible card layer and voice XP is not important to you.
FAQ
Which Tatsu alternative gives voice XP for free? Arcane, Lurkr, and Polaris all include voice XP on their free tier. Arcane is the easiest to set up; Lurkr gives the most tuning; Polaris shines with complex role trees.
Can Tatsu leaderboard data be kept when switching? Arcane and AmariBot both support Tatsu leaderboard imports via API. Users keep their relative rank. Other bots require a manual leaderboard reset with an announcement.
What is the most-customizable rank card? Arcane’s rank cards allow backgrounds, colors, layouts, and per-role frames on the free tier. Lurkr matches this with less polish but more admin control.
Do these leveling bots work on Discord Android? Yes. All seven surface slash commands in Discord Android and their web dashboards render on phone browsers. Arcane, MEE6, and AmariBot are cleanest on mobile.
Which is best for a small server that does not want a paywall? Lurkr or Polaris. Both are fully free with voice XP, rank cards, and unlimited role rewards. AmariBot is the simpler alternative if you only care about text XP.
